Editorial: Government must Speak to Citizens Regarding What’s Going on at the Border with Guinea

WHAT’S GOING ON at our border with Guinea? That’s the question every Liberian is asking. Reports – one can even say rumors – have it that the North Western border of the country is restless. Villages and citizens are reportedly frozen. The Guinean army is reportedly rampaging.

WHAT IS OUR government saying about this? What is the official account of all this? Is the government not aware that panic has taking over not just Lofa County which is on the border with Guinea and that every Liberian is feeling the fire?

OR SHOULD OUR government not say a word? Why has it chosen to keep mute? Should the people of the country feed on information as provided by the media, and other unofficial sources?

In the times of media plurality, including social media, when citizen journalists are over the place, when anyone can report anything pleasing to them, where is our government’s version about the movement of armed Guinea soldiers at our border?

WE ASK THOSE questions because it is the most responsible thing to do. In the absence of official account of on the situation, it leaves a pandora box for half-baked news, disinformation and misinformation, which in turn spur panic with an overall effect on the fragile peace and economy of the state.

LIBERIANS KNOW WHAT war means. The least yank about war or the potential for war sends them scurrying about. The state of business or trade even in developed country, let alone a post-conflict nation, is susceptible to bad news such as what is taking place.

IN TIMES LIKE THESE, when real or perceived news of cross-border crisis are making rounds in the public space, the people need their government most. They need sufficient information from Government about the incident, assurance of some sort or at least what they need to do and to understand about the situation. Leaving the narratives about the incident, whatever it is, with unofficial sources could severely harm an already struggling economy, which is why the need for the government to come out with a statement is an urgent imperative.

BESIDES THE FACT that Liberia has had cool diplomatic relations with Guinea over the years, the regime in that country is a military junta, not a democracy. And everyone knows what a junta administration is capable of doing, particularly amid reports that it is flirting with Russian-influenced governments in the Sahel. It is the combination of these issues that have inflamed anxieties and fears amongst Liberians, particularly those in the economic sector.

THE GOVERNMENT THEREFORE is needed by its citizens to come out and calm nerves by speaking to the reports from that region of Liberia. The sooner, the better.