Residents of Foya City, Lofa County, have said the voice of President Joseph Boakai is critical in the search for peace, unity, and harmony in Foya.
The residents said, though they have resolved to put aside the past to seek the path of reconciliation and unity, notwithstanding, they are interested in hearing the reconciliatory voice of their father (President Boakai).
“We know our father is busy with the affairs of the country, and as such, we don’t expect him to come to Foya for us to sit as a family to talk peace and reconciliation among ourselves. But, let him take the phone and speak to us through the radio stations that are here in Foya on the issue of peace and reconciliation. We want to hear what he got to say to us about the reunification of Foya. His voice in the reconciliation process in Foya is critical; we want to hear from him,” said Foyans during a two-day gathering of a reconciliation dialogue session in Foya City, organized by the Center for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding (CECPAP).
The Kissi people accused the three radio stations operating in Foya as the source of the violent acts and disunity taking place in the city.
The stations are Radio Tambatikor, Radio Makona, and Radio Denpelor. Radios Denpelor and Makona, owned and controlled by Deputy House Speaker, Thomas Fallah, a son of Foya, are labelled as the CDC radios, while radio Tambatikor, built by Mercy Corps and later turned over to the community, is being referred to as the Unity Party radio.
According to the residents, the three radio stations used their respective airwaves to incite violence and spread hate messages in the city.
The participants said radios Denpelor and Makona used their platforms to insult Unity Party officials, including President Boakai, Internal Affairs Minister, Francis Nyumalin, among others, while radio Tambatikor also rained similar insults on the CDC Rep.
Thomas Fallah and other officials of the former ruling party maintained that, “The disrespectfulness on the parts of these radio stations against our officials is getting out of hand and something needs to be done about it.”
The Foyans further blamed the radio stations of masterminding the September 29, 2023 riot in Foya, which led to the gruesome murder of two individuals.
In his attempt to intervene to soften the tension in Foya, CECPAP’s Director, Charles Crawford, visited the Makona and Denpelor radio stations and held peace talks with the managements.
During the engagement, Crawford advised the radio stations to disengage from acts that have the propensity to make Foya a breeding ground for violence.
He admonished the broadcasters to use their respective airtimes and platforms to promote peace and unity in Foya.
He said the 2023 elections were over and what is at stake now is the economic development of Foya and its people, something he cautioned the radio stations to see as being paramount to the growth of the city.
The talks concluded with a commitment from the managements of the two radio stations to refrain from disorderly conduct on radio, and embrace the path of peace and unity.
Radio Tambatikor refused to honor CECPAP boss’ request for peace talk, on grounds that their station manager, Joshiah Saahkeh, who was recently named as Mayor of Foya City by President Boakai, was absent from the city and that no one was available to sit for the talk.
Meanwhile, the true essence of reconciliation manifested itself when partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and Unity Party (UP) embraced the path of peace and unity through the act of reconciliation.
The participants expressed their commitment to working together for peace and unity in their respective communities.
The participants said they have recognized the importance of dialogue and collaboration in solving conflict and preventing violence.
Addressing the participants at the close of the session, Crawford voiced happiness over the reunification of Foyans, and used the opportunity to admonish them to see the path to reconciliation as a seed planted in the soil that needs to be watered every time, adding “You guys need to keep talking and preaching the message of peace and unity in the churches, mosques, market places, just anywhere you find yourself among people.
By doing so, Crawford added “What we did here today will hold firmly, and Foya and the entire district will once more become a united place to live.”
The reconciliation dialogue is being organized and facilitated by CECPAP, with funding provided by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.
The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supervising the implementation of the project.
