Few weeks ago, Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf honored several ex – rebel generals who spearheaded mayhem and atrocities during the country’s over decade long hostilities.

 

The honoring ceremony saw each rebel honoree pocketing over four thousand United States Dollars. Several Liberians continue to express dissatisfaction over Madam President’s decision to reward ex – rebel generals for their unremarkable service to the people of Liberia. Almost all of the honorees are potential indictees who have been accused of war crimes by victims who testified at Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC. They allegedly perpetrated these acts while serving their loyalists during Liberia’s civil war.

 

The Disarmament Demobilization Rehabilitation Reintegration (DDRR) process concluded with over 100,000 ex – soldiers disarmed. Absolutely, none of the honored ex – rebel generals went through that DDRR process. This is unacceptable and spells complete contravention to the peace that is currently sprouting in Liberia. The laurels and honors backed by the over four thousand United States dollars, no doubt, could motivate and give birth to lots of future rebel generals. In fact, who will not want be a rebel general in the future considering the lucrative retirement benefits that follow; one will definitely chose to kill for the dollars.

 

Beneficiaries of the DDRR program were predominantly teenagers forcefully conscripted into various fighting groups at the orders of these ‘self styled generals’. It required just two weeks to be transformed at cantonment sites with a little over USD 250.00 both cash and material benefits given to each ex – rebel fighter. Considering the over four thousand USD benefit to ex – rebel generals for the level of unparallel mayhem meted out by them against innocent young Liberians, and the USD 250.00 cash and material benefits to their conscripted recruits, one will definitely agree that the award ceremony was a very inopportune event.

 

Many believe that the ex – rebel generals contributed largely to the DDRR process by convincing their soldiers to disarm, which I seriously disagree. But granted that this was the situation, why didn’t they (former rebel generals) go through DDRR process by serving their own two weeks at cantonments sites, as superiors, so that their subordinates could follow? “Were they too big for the process?” These are the million dollars questions.

 

  1. In conclusion, can a hero rage havoc on innocent citizens? Can someone be considered a hero for conscripting minors into belligerent groupings, training them into killing machines? Were these the kind of legacies left behind by world heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr, Nelson Mandela and other advocates of global human rights for which they continue to receive rewards even though some are dead and gone? A resounding NO would be the obvious answer. To the SO CALLED HEROES, honestly tell me do you really deserve the honor and the over four thousand United States dollars for plunging your own country into backwardness, deprivation, chaos, destitution, destruction, summary execution of innocent Liberians and other nationals, while initiating the destruction of millions of dollars worth of properties? Should your children and children’s children be honored for such remarkable job? Frankly and honestly speaking, you are not true heroes but Tyrannical Heroes.    
Advertisement