By Alex Yomah
Ahead of the special senatorial elections, a group under the banner Covid-19 Elections Monitoring, Violent Prevention (CEMViP) Situation Room says, there is an influx of Ivorian refugees that are entering through the bordering town of Loguatuo in Nimba County and other areas in Liberia due to escalating tension related to the presidential elections in Ivory Coast.
In a statement read by Liberia’s Peace Ambassador, William R. Tolbert, III, said the situation has caused immediate attention of the Government of Liberia through the LRRRC and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
He said a high-level joint fact finding mission headed by the Minister of Internal Affairs is currently touring Nimba and other locations of interest to assess the refugees’ situation and explore means for interventions to address their plights.
“We applaud government and partners for this real time intervention; we however, want to caution the government to institute measures to ensure that the presence of the refugees will not negatively impact the pending senatorial elections and undermine peace and security,” Tolbert cautioned.
The peace group also raised concerns about the recent waves of mysterious deaths which are causing panic and fear in the minds of citizens and residents and cited a journalist of Radio Paraclete Catholic Radio who was found dead between the Gbarnga Regional Justice and Security Hub and the Lofa parking with gunshot wounds and other injuries.
“As we draw near the December 8 elections, there are daunting concerns of political tension linked to the use of public facilities by candidates for rallies and voter trucking. For instance, on October 28, 2020, violent clash took place between supporters of Senator Henry Yallah and Rep. Prince Moye in Gbarnga and a recent violent issue occurred between Rep. Snowe and Alex Tyler supporters in which seven supporters of Rep. Snowe were reported wounded,” the group warned.