By Solomon T. Gaye, Sr
It is nearly nine months since President George Weah appointed Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf to head a committee with a three-month reporting timeframe to probe the land dispute among Fred Suah, Jabateh and the Donzo families in Ganta, Nimba County.
The delay which has started creating suspicion in several quarters especially the disputed areas as those who had businesses in the Dompa Field are facing constraints since the closure of the areas due to the conflict might spark another round of attention if nothing is done.
Report from Nimba said the alleged delay by the Presidential Land Dispute Committee to release finding of its investigation as Fred Suah, the Jabateh family and the Donzo families are all claiming ownership over a parcel of land situated at the Dompa Field in Ganta.
In 2021, the court ruled in favor of Fred Suah as being the lawful owner of the disputed land including all properties in the area and that decision by the 8th Judicial Circuit Court led to the burning down of a warehouse allegedly by some members of the Mandingo ethnic group in demand of justice.
In July 2022, President Weah set up a Presidential Land Dispute Committee to probe the issue within three months and to date, the report is yet to be presented.
Speaking to this paper in Ganta, Madam Esther Quoi explained that the delay by the government to render decision into the land dispute between the families in the Dompa Field has stalled all developments in the area.
Madam Quoi explained that prior to the conflict, people were selling in Dompa Field in shops, warehouses, cook shops but due to the conflict, the area is now closed which is creating additional hardship on people who were doing business in that area.
Speaking to this paper on the same issue, Old man Thomas Paye accused President Weah’s constituted land dispute committee’s failure to inform the public about the outcome of its investigations while Elder Paye said justice delayed is justice denied.
In June 2021, some members of the Mandingo ethnic group set ablaze a warehouse in Dompa Field in demand of justice which led to the deployment of ERU in Ganta for three months to restore law and order.
In July 2021, the President then set up a Presidential Committee headed by the Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf to investigate and report within three months, but there has been no official word from the executive branch or the Presidential Land Committee.
When this paper contacted Dorr Cooper who is appointed as a direct representative on the committee assigned in Nimba via mobile phone, he referred this paper to Minister Sirleaf, on grounds that he is not clothed with the authority to speak to the press.
