The residents of Sinoe and Rivercess Counties have reaffirmed that the 1962 Map which originally demarcated Sinoe and Grand Bassa Counties be used as the main instrument to serve the basis to resolve the boundary dispute between Sinoe and Rivercess.
The reaffirmation is contained in a Resolution adopted on Saturday, January 29, 2022, in ITI Community at the close of a three-day dialogue organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), with technical support from Liberia Land Authority (LLA) and the Liberia Peacebuilding Office (PBO), with funding from United Nations Development Program, UNDP.
The final dialogue ran from January 28-30, 2022. Mediation talks on Saturday presided over by Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf in his capacity as the convener, assisted by Attorney J. Adams Manobah, Sr., Chairperson of the Liberia Land Authority.
A Press release issued by MIA says the dialogue consisted of inclusive participation of diverse stakeholders including lawmakers of the two counties, local government officials of the two counties headed by the two County Superintendents Lee Nagbe Chea and J. Bismark Karbiah, traditional chiefs, elders, women, youth, civil society organizations and religious leaders among others.
The Ministry said the decision reached by both counties on the actual border line were informed by concrete evidence based on relevant documents including Acts, Maps and Global Positioning System (GPS) Coordinates generated by a Technical Team which assessed the disputed areas.
A report dated July 31, 1962 by a National Commission on Territorial Subdivisions of Liberia established by Former President William V.S. Tubman state…”that the natural boundary point “K” and having coordinates Y-652000 meters and X-583,500 meters thence downstream to a point “S” having coordinates Y-632,5000 meters and X-55300 meters thence in a south westerly direction to a point “R” having coordinates Y-587,000 meters and X-522,500 meters”.
In the January 29, 2022 Resolution, both counties maintained that the established line of demarcation should not be shifted by anyone in the future or influenced to be shifted by any means.
The conflict between Sinoe and Rivercess as a result of latent boundary disputes has been in existence even before 1962, but manifested in 2009 and continuously undermine communal interactions and deepening division among the citizens of the two counties.
This conflict also undermined development and promotion of peace and security in the region.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs currently coordinates and leads collective efforts towards achieving national reconciliation through implementation of the Local Government Act of 2018, the Strategic Roadmap for National Healing, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation and the components of the Land Rights Act to boundary Harmonization along the Liberia Land Authority as the Technical Arm for all land matters.
Three major attempts for resolution of the conflict have been made during 1962, 2010 and 2019 respectively, but these were unsuccessful in terms of results to prevent violence, engender cooperation and promote communal interactions.
Meanwhile, the next steps include establishing the actual line on the ground by means of survey with technical support from the Liberia Land Authority and members of the Technical Team under the auspices of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Varney A. Sirleaf.
That towns and villages identified on the line will be indicated on the map between points from “K” to “S” and from “S” to “R” thereby clearly establishing the boundary between the two counties.
The two counties also agreed that cornerstone and billboards be erected in line with the GPS coordinates to establish the boundary lines between the two affected counties.
Representatives of the Sinoe County Legislative Caucus at the ITI Dialogue were by Senator J. Milton Teahjay, Senator Augustine S. Chea, Representative Matthew Gee Zarzar of Electoral District 3 and Sinoe County Legislative Caucus Chairman Crayton O. Duncan. For Rivercess County Legislative Caucus members present are Senator Wellington Geevon-Smith, Legislative Caucus Chairperson Rosana Schaack of District 1, and Byron W. Zahnwea of electoral District 2.
Meanwhile, the Internal Affairs Ministry said a survey is expected within the next 30 days as of January 30, 2022 which will finally put the boundary dispute to an end, the release concluded.