Liberia has expressed its gratitude to Ghana for its varied support towards returning the country to normalcy.
The support come from medical, military and governance during and after Liberia’s period of instability due to civil war.
Liberia’s Minister of National Defence, Mr Brownie Samukai, expressed the gratitude on behalf of Liberia when he paid a courtesy call on his Ghanaian counterpart, Dr Benjamin Kunbour in Accra.
The meeting was also a platform to learn from the experiences of both countries for mutual benefits.
Mr Samukai said he had come to express his country’s gratitude to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), successive governments of Ghana and all Ghanaians for their support throughout the years, especially during the conflicts in 1990 and most recently during the 2014 Ebola crisis in the country.
Security responsibilities handed over to Liberia
Mr Samukai said the United Nations (UN) Mission in Liberia, after 13 years of service in which Ghana was fully represented, in July 2016 handed over security responsibilities officially to the Liberian government as a sign that Liberia was prepared to undertake its own duties and future challenges.
“Since the restructuring of the Armed Forces of Liberia in 2006, the GAF had played a very pivotal role in contributing to the training, the mentorship, the development and the institutionalisation of the professional nature of what the Armed Forces of Liberia have become today. And we want to thank Ghana for its support through the UN mission over the years,” he said.
Mr Samukai said a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the armed forces of both countries had given most Liberian soldiers the opportunity to attend military institutions in Ghana and benefited from the training, the networking and the relationship established to enhance the growth of Liberia’s new military.
“All of these we greatly appreciate and have come to say thank you very much and show our full appreciation for the sacrifices and time in helping our dear country,” he said.
Ghana assures Liberia of continued support
For his part, Dr Kunbour assured Liberia of Ghana’s support at all times.
He recounted that the relationship between both countries, saying they dated back to the pre-colonial period.
“It is, therefore, not by accident that when Liberia ran into the challenges it had, Ghana was compelled under all circumstances to help restore lasting peace to Liberia,” he said.
He said participating in the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), in collaboration with Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia mandated them to maintain law and peace, protect life and property in Liberia was a pragmatic brave intervention taken by Ghana to help restore normalcy to Liberia.
He said beyond the role Ghana played in ECOMOG, it had continued to maintain its presence in Liberia to offer more support.
“We cannot say we want to leave Liberia in terms of our military and medical support, but being there is also wishing them instability. Yes, we will draw down but we will always be available to provide the needed support as required,” Dr Kunbour said.
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