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Liberia:Liberia: Backback Toto Thethe Futurefuture What Is the Future of Liberia’S Forests and Its Effects on Regional Peace?

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Liberia:Liberia: Backback Toto Thethe Futurefuture What Is the Future of Liberia’S Forests and Its Effects on Regional Peace? Recommendations contained on page 1 Liberia:Liberia: BackBack toto thethe FutureFuture What is the future of Liberia’s forests and its effects on regional peace? A Report by Global Witness. May 2004 Liberia—Back to the Future Recommendations The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) should: The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) should: G Maintain the embargo on the export and transport of Liberian timber, and its import into G Ensure that regular patrols are carried out in both other countries. The embargo should remain in interior and border areas to ensure the collection place until it can be demonstrated that the of comprehensive intelligence on trafficking Liberian timber trade does not contribute to activities and abuses against the civilian national and regional insecurity. population. G Utilise UNMIL to secure Liberia’s lucrative G Work closely with the International Criminal natural resources, assess and monitor any existing Court (ICC) to determine how, during the course and likely cross-border land and sea-based of carrying out its duties, UNMIL can smuggling routes, and coordinate the region’s UN mainstream data-collection to include information peacekeeping forces and national military forces to that may be of use for potential war crimes create more effective border security and prevent tribunals. cross-border trafficking of weapons, mercenaries G Engage local Liberian NGOs in policy-setting and and natural resources. decision-making processes in order to ensure G Amend the Liberian DDRR mandate to thorough and effective implementation of its incorporate foreign nationals fighting in Liberia mandate. into national or sub-regional disarmament programmes. The International Community should: G Consider applying restrictions to individuals or G Ensure that all funds transferred to the NTGL are governments found to be financially or militarily tracked and accounted for, and that all records are supporting armed non-state actors in Liberia and made available to the public. the region. G Mainstream environmental impact and ethical The National Transitional Government of Liberia purchasing concerns into all UN, NTGL and (NTGL) should: NGO activities in Liberia. G Ensure that all countries enforce the Liberian G Complete a comprehensive, retrospective and arms embargo, and further adhere to the internationally verifiable audit of the Liberian ECOWAS Moratorium on the Import, Export logging industry and government finances, with all and Manufacture of Small Arms and Light findings made public. Weapons. G Develop socially, economically and environmentally sustainable forest use strategies, The Governments of Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra and empower the Forestry Development Authority Leone should: (FDA) and other relevant agencies to implement G Coordinate with UN peacekeeping forces to them. enforce tighter security of their borders with G Review all concession agreements to test their Liberia, to prevent cross-border trafficking of legality, cancelling those that were granted natural resources, weapons and mercenaries. illegally. The government should also do full G Implement stricter control over their own natural background checks on all persons and companies resource industries, to prevent the trafficking of interested in becoming involved in the logging embargoed resources through their own legitimate industry, and disqualify all those who have industries, and further prevent those individuals previously been involved in illegal activities. and companies involved in illegal activities in G Monitor the relationship between the logging Liberia from operating within their territories. industry and local populations, in order to identify, prosecute and prevent future violations of Any companies involved in Liberia should: domestic and international law. G Adhere to accepted norms of transparency and G Appoint an independent monitor to scrutinise the accountability, such as those outlined in the logging industry, examining the effectiveness of ‘Publish-What-You-Pay’ initiative, a global new reforms, providing an independent campaign to eradicate corruption and promote verification of compliance from all levels of transparency in business and government government and industry and ensuring that the relations. industry no longer maintains its links to conflict. G Undertake a thorough anti-corruption audit, with the aid of the international community and UNMIL, to close loopholes by which much- needed aid and reconstruction money is being misappropriated. Liberia—Back to the Future 12° 11° 10° 9° 8° 7° Guéckédou Mendekoma Voinjama Kolahun Irié SIERRA LEONE Kailahun Pendembu Vahun GUINEA 8° LOFA 8° Kenema Gelahun Nzérékoré Yekepa Man GBARPOLU Saniquellie Pujehun GRAND Danané CAPE Sulima MOUNT 7° 7° Bo Gbarnga Tubmanburg NIMBA Bong Town BONG Robertsport BOMI MARGIBI Toulépleu K Guiglo a ka Brewerville ta Tapeta Monrovia Harbel GRAND Kola (Kola Town) Towabli MONTSERRADO Marshall BASSA (Towai Town) ° Tchien ° 6 (Zwedru) 6 Edina RIVER Taï LIBERIA Buchanan CESS GRAND GEDEH International boundary Timbo County boundary River Cess CÔTE SINOE D’IVOIRE National capital RIVER GEE County capital Sehnkwehn Town, village Greenville 5° 5° Airport Atlantic GRAND MARYLAND Ocean Nana Kru KRU Nyaake 020 40 60 80 km Barclayville Sasstown 0 1020 30 40 50 mi Grand Cess Nemeke Tabou 12° 11° 10° 9° 8° Harper 7° Contents Recommendations . Moving Forward Where Are They Now? Potential Employment Capacity of the Liberian Logging Acronyms Industry Executive Summary Rubber: A Potential Conflict Resource? Introduction Mind the Gap: Liberian Logging Industry Revenue That Is Unaccounted For Infringements of UNSC Resolutions () and What Now? Liberia’s New Government () UN Security Council Requirements for Lifting Timber . Internal Conflict in LURD and MODEL Sanctions: Have They Been Met? . Corruption and Auditing Key Revenue- generating Agencies Domestic Liberian Laws: Have they been met? Conclusion Taylor Government Admits to Using Timber Revenue to Violate UN Arms Embargo Annexes Reactions to Sanctions Annex I. Timber and Conflict in Liberia – Historical Roots of the Problem Living Dangerously Annex II. The Role of the United Nations in Liberia . Timber: Liberia’s Logging Industry Activities in and Annex III. Kofi Annan’s Suggestions for Reform . Taylor: Maintaining an Influence in Exile Annex IV. The Mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Charles Taylor’s Violations of Exile Arrangements Annex V. UN Security Council Resolution (), Following a Trail of Money adopted at its st meeting, on May Taylor’s New Business Interests Annex VI. UN Security Council Resolution (), Where to Look: Taylor’s Bank Accounts adopted at its th meeting, on December Taylor’s Old Business Arrangements that may still bear Annex VII. Proposal by the Non-Governmental fruit Organizations Coalition for Liberia for an immediate moratorium on all commercial activities in the extractive Freezing Taylor’s Assets industries in Liberia . Soldier: Arms and Security Threats References The Face of an Industry . Obscuring the Origins of Conflict Resources Case Study: Djajanti, OTC, Global Star, Indonesia and Liberia Liberia—Back to the Future © All About Liberia Where Are They Now? Sekou Damante Conneh The following lists certain key players in Liberia. Head of LURD, and husband of Aisha Konneh18. (pictured right) Please note that the UN travel ban regarding Liberia, as created by the UN Security Council, calls on all countries to Oscar and Maurice prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of all Cooper such individuals, as designated by the sanctions committee, Both long-term associates of who ‘constitute a threat to the peace process in Liberia, or Charles Taylor, and managers of who are engaged in activities aimed at undermining peace the Inland Logging Company and stability in Liberia and the subregion.’ It is incumbent (ILC) of Greenville, Sinoe upon all states to effectively police their own borders to County19. Maurice Cooper prevent travel by those on the travel ban list, although the remains on a UN travel ban list, for his ‘ongoing ties’ to ban does not prohibit countries from receiving their own Taylor20. nationals12. © All About Liberia Roland Duo Charles Taylor Deputy Minister of The former © Global Policy National Defence president is living and former head in exile in Calabar, of the National Nigeria.Taylor is Port Authority subject to a UN under Taylor. Duo travel ban and was a battlefield currently faces commander for multiple charges by pro-Taylor forces. the Special Court in Sierra Leone for Talal El-Ndine war crimes and Former paymaster of ex-President Taylor’s inner circle, crimes against who also personally paid both Liberians fighting alongside humanity13.Taylor the RUF and those bringing diamonds into Liberia from used the Liberian Sierra Leone21. Arms shippers and brokers used to logging industry as a source of extra-budgetary funds and negotiate payments in his Monrovia office22, and despite logistics for his support of domestic and external violence, being subject to the UN travel ban23, he was last reported and had personal financial interests in numerous Liberian by the Panel of Experts to be residing in California, in the logging companies.Taylor has repeatedly broken the terms United States24. of his exile by attempting to exert influence in the domestic political and economic affairs of Liberia, and the Abbas Fawaz UN Security Council, declaring that
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