By Rancy S. Teewia
IPNEWS: The Liberia Refuge Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC)and Partners have agreed strategies to crackdown the influx of Burkinabe nationals into Liberia.
The LRRRC in collaboration with UNHCR, IOM, and other stakeholders held a one-day dialogue on last Friday August 16,2024, at the Paynersville Town Hall, aimed to remedy the root cause of the illegal influx of Burkinabes into Liberia.
The one-day dialogue brought together Stakeholders, international partners, youth groups, students’ community, host counties leadership and local Chiefs.
The key issues discussed by the selected panelists are Social Protection, Human Rights and Safety Net for Women and Children around border communities, Political and Foreign Implications, Community and Local government documentation process for security stability.
Also Environmental, Ecological and Conservation, setback and challenges for forested communities, affected communities’ relationship with Burkinabes, social protection implications and impact, economic implications, the gains and challenges will be discussed.
During the dialogue all panelists have agreed that in order to solve the above-mentioned issues, the root cause of the illegal influx of the Burkinabes into Liberia should be identify and the Burkinabes should be well documented by LRRRC.
At same time LRRRC executive Director Patrick T. Worzi, stressed that LRRRC and Partners will begin the finding and documentations, also status regularization of the Burkinabes.
The LRRRC boss noted that they will also embark on a week-long awareness campaign especially in their host counties and subsequent commencement of voluntary registration and profiling of the of Burkinabe nationals.
Meanwhile, the Liberia Immigration Service-LIS Commissioner General, Steven Amadou Zargo, has attributed the influx of the Burkinabes into Liberia as lack of manpower and logistics to protect all Liberian borders.
Commissioner Zargo called on the National Legislature and the Executive to see the need to provide more support to the LIS in order to avoid the illegal influx of Burkinabes and other national into Liberia.
At the same time, the Spokesperson for the Burkinabes Nimba chapter Mr. Norine J. Wiles said the Burkinabes are not troublesome people as it has been perceived by people.
“I have Burkinabes currently in my Town and they are not causing any problem for us, the only thing they after is to get land make their farms, they are hardworking people, and I can tell you about few years from now Liberia will be one of the high cocoa producers in West Africa through those Burkinabes,” Mr. Wiles asserted.
