Liberia improves peacebuilding, but needs government transparency, Annan says

Though progress has been made on disarming Liberian militias, the peace process is dogged by persistent confrontations within one group and by the inability of the National Transitional Government to provide basic services or address corruption, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report to the Security Council.

Liberia, which is still under Security Council economic sanctions, also suffers from "a major and dangerous shortfall in funding" of about $60 million to finance the rehabilitation and re-integration of some 100,000 "volatile and restive" former combatants, according to Mr. Annan's fifth report on the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

Despite a 30 October Memorandum of Understanding signed by both, feuding between the two factions of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) had resumed, putting the West African country's Comprehensive Peace Agreement under pressure, he says.

"It is imperative that the Liberian parties eschew factional interests and work in the national interest to ensure the smooth implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement," Mr. Annan says.

Noting that October riots over land then took on hostile ethnic and religious dimensions, he adds: "The National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) should make every effort to promote reconciliation and religious tolerance among the diverse groups in the country."

The report calls on the NGTL to pass the electoral reform bill, eliminate arrears in paying government employees, effectively address corruption "and ensure transparency in the management of public funds and agencies, in order to build the confidence necessary to attract further donor funding for reconstruction."

UNMIL had met other international partners and determined that, to keep the peace process on track, the NTGL should "consult actively with civil society groups" and "be encouraged to take steps to address the grievances of the public."

It also had urged Chairman Bryant "to convene regular Cabinet meetings, so as to ensure transparency and inclusiveness in decision-making."

Between mid-September and mid-December, the period under review, "several protests occurred linked to low or delayed payment of salaries, labour disputes, poor teaching conditions and high registration fees for high school students," the report says.