ABOUT

Background
Liberia is a West African state which was the earliest to be declared independent since 1847. Liberia is a small country of about 3.4million population with one-third comprising of ages between 15-35 years and covers an area of about 37,189 square miles. The unreliable economic prospects of Liberia lie mainly within the forest and mining sectors.
Liberia as a nation is comprised of fifteen administrative sub-divisions (counties) and sixteen tribes (ethnic groups). The religions of Liberia are Christianity, Islam, Baha’i Faith, indigenous beliefs and others.
The nation is swallowed up in deep poverty with about 84% surviving on less than $1.25 per day while the poverty rate stands at 81.86% with mainly women and children suffering painful consequences.
Problem Analysis
Major threats to peace in Liberia emanate from three key perspectives as follows:
1. Tribalism: From December 24, 1989 to August, 2003, Liberia was into bitter bloodsheds on the basis of tribal orientations with every tribes going against the other on undefined grounds. The war seized with the presence of the United Nations and ECOWAS Peacekeepers. However, the pains of the war still remain fresh on the minds of citizens which the UN mission did very little to alleviate. Parents are narrating stories to their children of what had transpired in the past and how it is affecting their present living condition. These narrations are becoming seeds of conflict that are being planted in the minds of the younger generation. The possibility of reverting to the bloody past still remains very high if grassroot efforts are not supported to help curtail the situation.

2. Religious Predominance: Liberia is currently experiencing a serious risk of growing religious threat. The Christians are proclaiming that Liberia is a Christian state and that Sunday should be a no business day as well as Christmas. Competitively, the Islamic religion is claiming that Friday be observed a religious day and the Ramadan day be declared a national holiday in Liberia.

On October 28, 2004, a very brief but major religious uprising took place in Monrovia which led to the death of many Christians and Muslims and the burning down of churches and mosques. This was the sample test of what is expected in the near future if frantic efforts are not exerted to avoid such happenings in the near future.

3. Interpersonal Disputes: As a dictate of life, there will always exist conflicts at some times between and among people, but what matters most is the ability to avoid or have it resolved and allow life to move on.

The predominant challenges to interpersonal peace in Liberia include the situation of slum habitation where everyone gets to know about the affairs of the other when there is no way to avoid external intrusion into ones privacies by the next door residents.

On the other hand, the war also left interpersonal rifts as its scare on the hearts of individuals which still manifest in our day to day interactions.

In our recent past, the just ended Ebola virus epidemic was a major factor of confusion and interpersonal and family disintegrations. Communities have ostracized Ebola survivors or people suspected of having the virus in the communities in various ways which today remains a fresh wound on the hearts of those who suffered neglect at the time of the Ebola crisis.

On a daily basis now a day, land dispute is becoming a difficult challenge to handle. In Liberia, land ownership is not in the hands of the government but rather private individuals. Those private land administrators are selling and reselling the same spot to different individuals fraudulently and it is causing serious chaos. People are stabbing one another to death owing to land confusion.