Comments for Shelby Grossman's Blog http://shelbygrossman.com Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:37:51 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on Clashes, Konia, and confusion by Global Voices Online » Liberia: Confusion about the cause of violence in Lofa County http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/03/clashes-konia-and-confusion/comment-page-1/#comment-2157 Global Voices Online » Liberia: Confusion about the cause of violence in Lofa County Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:37:51 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1074#comment-2157 [...] Shelby explores events that lead to deadly attacks on people and property: On Friday a woman was killed in Konia, a town in Lofa. I don’t know why. The woman was either 14 or 21. I think she was Loma and Christian, and I think her body was found near a mosque. The killing sparked revenge attacks between two ethnic groups in the region: Mandingo and Loma (aka Lorma). Attackers targeted people (including local political elite), mosques, and churches. UNMIL restored order (or, perhaps more likely, they showed up after things had settled down). Some are accusing UNMIL of siding with Mandingos (who are usually Muslim), as the UN peacekeepers in Lofa are mostly Pakistani. 4 people were killed and probably more than 14 wounded as a result of the clashes, mostly in Voinjama, the capital of Lofa. Simultaneously, taking advantage of the tension, maybe 60 people escaped from the Voinjama prison. Hundreds of people fled from Konia and Voinjama. (As Johnny explains, both towns were hit hard by Liberia’s war.) [...] [...] Shelby explores events that lead to deadly attacks on people and property: On Friday a woman was killed in Konia, a town in Lofa. I don’t know why. The woman was either 14 or 21. I think she was Loma and Christian, and I think her body was found near a mosque. The killing sparked revenge attacks between two ethnic groups in the region: Mandingo and Loma (aka Lorma). Attackers targeted people (including local political elite), mosques, and churches. UNMIL restored order (or, perhaps more likely, they showed up after things had settled down). Some are accusing UNMIL of siding with Mandingos (who are usually Muslim), as the UN peacekeepers in Lofa are mostly Pakistani. 4 people were killed and probably more than 14 wounded as a result of the clashes, mostly in Voinjama, the capital of Lofa. Simultaneously, taking advantage of the tension, maybe 60 people escaped from the Voinjama prison. Hundreds of people fled from Konia and Voinjama. (As Johnny explains, both towns were hit hard by Liberia’s war.) [...]

]]> Comment on Clashes, Konia, and confusion by Shelby http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/03/clashes-konia-and-confusion/comment-page-1/#comment-2152 Shelby Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:36:19 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1074#comment-2152 Thanks very much for this update and background information, John. I hope you are doing well. -Shelby Thanks very much for this update and background information, John. I hope you are doing well.
-Shelby

]]> Comment on Clashes, Konia, and confusion by John Mark Sheppard http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/03/clashes-konia-and-confusion/comment-page-1/#comment-2149 John Mark Sheppard Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:10:40 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1074#comment-2149 This is what I have learned about the situation from talking to several Liberians who live in the area where this happened, which is also where I used to work. The Christian girl in Konia was killed and her body was found near the mosque. It was mutilated as if she had been killed ritualistically. The Lomas of that area have long suspected that the Mandingo make a human sacrifice when they are building a new mosque (which is not true). A new mosque is being built in Konia, so some Lomas began questioning the Mandingos about this. One source told me some Loma guys started throwing rocks at the mosque, although another denied this. Then one of the Mandingos in Konia called Voinja false saying the mosque had been destroyed. So a bunch of Mandingo youth (mostly Guineans from what I understand) began to attack Christian's houses and churches. The Free Pentecostal church was looted, and the Catholic compound was burned. About 20 people were injured and four killed. The UN eventually stepped in and the situation was put under control now. However, the atmosphere remain tense. Many people left the town and fled across the border to Guinea. Unfortunately, some of the Mandingo have turned this into a religious conflict, when the underlying issue is really control of land and resources. The conflict between the two groups actually started long before the civil war, although for the most part they have been able to maintain peaceful relations in the villages. Oral histories tell us that the Loma and Mandingo in Lofa are really one people divided by language and culture. They are both apparently descendants of one man from the same ancestral town of Musadu in Guinea. Unfortunately the adoption of Islam by the Mandingos has caused many of them to feel superior to the Loma "kaflis" (infidels), further widening the divide between them. The Loma tend to hold strongly to their Poro society, forbidding the Mandingos to pray in some of their villages and making them go indoors as they conduct their Poro masquerades. The good news is that most of the Quardu-Gboni Mandingos have come out to strongly condemn the actions of the trouble makers in Voinjama. In the villages of Quardu-Gboni as far as I know, the Loma and Mandingo are still living together peacefully. When I was working with Samaritan's Purse in Quardu-Gboni, we helped the Loma and Mandingo come together through community development projects. In Samadu, the Mandingo people worked to help the Loma build a bridge and clear the road to their village of Kpakumai. They are now working together to build a school for both communities with the help of PLAN International. People from Marvinkonnehdu and Selega also worked together to build community swamp rice farms with the aid of Samaritan's Purse. From the news I heard today, many of the Mandingo people in Voinjama have been going to the Loma people's houses to apologize for the actions of their brothers. The two groups have even been working together to clean the town. Slowly things are returning to normal. This is what I have learned about the situation from talking to several Liberians who live in the area where this happened, which is also where I used to work. The Christian girl in Konia was killed and her body was found near the mosque. It was mutilated as if she had been killed ritualistically. The Lomas of that area have long suspected that the Mandingo make a human sacrifice when they are building a new mosque (which is not true). A new mosque is being built in Konia, so some Lomas began questioning the Mandingos about this. One source told me some Loma guys started throwing rocks at the mosque, although another denied this. Then one of the Mandingos in Konia called Voinja false saying the mosque had been destroyed. So a bunch of Mandingo youth (mostly Guineans from what I understand) began to attack Christian’s houses and churches. The Free Pentecostal church was looted, and the Catholic compound was burned. About 20 people were injured and four killed. The UN eventually stepped in and the situation was put under control now. However, the atmosphere remain tense. Many people left the town and fled across the border to Guinea.

Unfortunately, some of the Mandingo have turned this into a religious conflict, when the underlying issue is really control of land and resources. The conflict between the two groups actually started long before the civil war, although for the most part they have been able to maintain peaceful relations in the villages. Oral histories tell us that the Loma and Mandingo in Lofa are really one people divided by language and culture. They are both apparently descendants of one man from the same ancestral town of Musadu in Guinea. Unfortunately the adoption of Islam by the Mandingos has caused many of them to feel superior to the Loma “kaflis” (infidels), further widening the divide between them. The Loma tend to hold strongly to their Poro society, forbidding the Mandingos to pray in some of their villages and making them go indoors as they conduct their Poro masquerades.

The good news is that most of the Quardu-Gboni Mandingos have come out to strongly condemn the actions of the trouble makers in Voinjama. In the villages of Quardu-Gboni as far as I know, the Loma and Mandingo are still living together peacefully. When I was working with Samaritan’s Purse in Quardu-Gboni, we helped the Loma and Mandingo come together through community development projects. In Samadu, the Mandingo people worked to help the Loma build a bridge and clear the road to their village of Kpakumai. They are now working together to build a school for both communities with the help of PLAN International. People from Marvinkonnehdu and Selega also worked together to build community swamp rice farms with the aid of Samaritan’s Purse. From the news I heard today, many of the Mandingo people in Voinjama have been going to the Loma people’s houses to apologize for the actions of their brothers. The two groups have even been working together to clean the town. Slowly things are returning to normal.

]]> Comment on Clashes, Konia, and confusion by Shelby http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/03/clashes-konia-and-confusion/comment-page-1/#comment-2123 Shelby Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:51:32 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1074#comment-2123 Thanks, Viktor. This all makes sense. -Shelby Thanks, Viktor. This all makes sense.
-Shelby

]]> Comment on Clashes, Konia, and confusion by Viktor Bengtsson http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/03/clashes-konia-and-confusion/comment-page-1/#comment-2122 Viktor Bengtsson Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:20:25 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1074#comment-2122 The confusion is to be expected. Liberia, as many other African countries does not have the information infrastructure (including conventional infrastructure) to keep up with the speed of international media. The simple fact is: no one knows, fully and in detail, what happended and why. Here in Liberia most people seemed to have a rough idea on the background at least (largely based on the fact that this has happened a few times before), but the investigative team most people are looking to now, arrived in Voinjama only two days ago. So in the absence of fact the media writes based on rumors, fully integrating itself in the "they say" culture of Liberia. The confusion is to be expected. Liberia, as many other African countries does not have the information infrastructure (including conventional infrastructure) to keep up with the speed of international media. The simple fact is: no one knows, fully and in detail, what happended and why. Here in Liberia most people seemed to have a rough idea on the background at least (largely based on the fact that this has happened a few times before), but the investigative team most people are looking to now, arrived in Voinjama only two days ago. So in the absence of fact the media writes based on rumors, fully integrating itself in the “they say” culture of Liberia.

]]> Comment on Clashes, Konia, and confusion by This & that « penelope m. c. http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/03/clashes-konia-and-confusion/comment-page-1/#comment-2118 This & that « penelope m. c. Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:20:50 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1074#comment-2118 [...] Tribal Tensions Burst in Flames and Death“). Shelby Grossman attempts to piece it together here. Sadly, the international media coverage simplifies the issue as Christians against Muslims – [...] [...] Tribal Tensions Burst in Flames and Death“). Shelby Grossman attempts to piece it together here. Sadly, the international media coverage simplifies the issue as Christians against Muslims – [...]

]]> Comment on With no elections, young Ivorians lose by Sunday Africa Blog Roundup: Doha and Darfur, Ali Tounsi, Niger and Nigeria « Sahel Blog http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/02/with-no-elections-young-ivorians-lose/comment-page-1/#comment-2108 Sunday Africa Blog Roundup: Doha and Darfur, Ali Tounsi, Niger and Nigeria « Sahel Blog Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:16:32 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1046#comment-2108 [...] Shelby Grossman on how delayed elections affect youth in Cote d’Ivoire. [...] [...] Shelby Grossman on how delayed elections affect youth in Cote d’Ivoire. [...]

]]> Comment on “Members of the armed forces of Guinea limit their use of weapons to engage lawful targets!” by Aki http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/02/members-of-the-armed-forces-of-guinea-limit-their-use-of-weapons-to-engage-lawful-targets/comment-page-1/#comment-2098 Aki Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:45:40 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1068#comment-2098 UNBELIEVABLE ! and this is the same guy (David Crane) who indicted Charles Taylor UNBELIEVABLE ! and this is the same guy (David Crane) who indicted Charles Taylor

]]> Comment on Naomi Campbell and the Special Court for Sierra Leone by Aki http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/01/naomi-campbell-and-the-special-court-for-sierra-leone/comment-page-1/#comment-2063 Aki Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:05:24 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1011#comment-2063 The timber industry did not fuel any conflicts this is a falacy. Remember the biggest timber merchant of them all Gus Kouwenhoven who worked for Oriental Timber was found not guilty by a Dutch court of the charges of war crimes. What we need is accountabilty which the present government has tried to put in place. Unfortunately as can be seen by the latest resignation of AB Johnson the Internal Affairs Minister, Dr. Bropleh and several other ministers corruption has reared it's ugly head in Ellen's government . Although there is no excuse for stealing it is more surprising that her officials are being corrupt given the fact that unlike previous administrations these people are paid salaries comparable to what they were making working in the States. I hope she can over come these problems because just like Charle Taylor was the right person for the times in 1997 when he was elected. I believe she is the right person to be leading Liberia at this present time. The timber industry did not fuel any conflicts this is a falacy. Remember the biggest timber merchant of them all Gus Kouwenhoven who worked for Oriental Timber was found not guilty by a Dutch court of the charges of war crimes. What we need is accountabilty which the present government has tried to put in place. Unfortunately as can be seen by the latest resignation of AB Johnson the Internal Affairs Minister, Dr. Bropleh and several other ministers corruption has reared it’s ugly head in Ellen’s government . Although there is no excuse for stealing it is more surprising that her officials are being corrupt given the fact that unlike previous administrations these people are paid salaries comparable to what they were making working in the States. I hope she can over come these problems because just like Charle Taylor was the right person for the times in 1997 when he was elected. I believe she is the right person to be leading Liberia at this present time.

]]> Comment on Naomi Campbell and the Special Court for Sierra Leone by law http://shelbygrossman.com/2010/01/naomi-campbell-and-the-special-court-for-sierra-leone/comment-page-1/#comment-2054 law Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:35:50 +0000 http://shelbygrossman.com/?p=1011#comment-2054 The timber industry is no more important than any of the other industries -- and there are plenty of others, like Pat Robertson & gold mining. I bring up the timber because Mr Taylor admitted all the elements of pillage of timber in his testimony & the TRC reported the results of the timber concession review (which seem to be more comprehensive than reviews in any other industries). It would be interesting to see the results of a similar review of the mining industry, for example. And I agree that the current logging concessions must to repeat the mistakes of the past. But I haven't heard accusations that the current industry is fueling conflict nor enriching government elites the way it did during the Taylor and Doe periods. So I think it is a fundamentally different issue (ie, it isn't just about reforestation, for example). The timber industry is no more important than any of the other industries — and there are plenty of others, like Pat Robertson & gold mining. I bring up the timber because Mr Taylor admitted all the elements of pillage of timber in his testimony & the TRC reported the results of the timber concession review (which seem to be more comprehensive than reviews in any other industries). It would be interesting to see the results of a similar review of the mining industry, for example.

And I agree that the current logging concessions must to repeat the mistakes of the past. But I haven’t heard accusations that the current industry is fueling conflict nor enriching government elites the way it did during the Taylor and Doe periods. So I think it is a fundamentally different issue (ie, it isn’t just about reforestation, for example).

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