SANNIQUELLIE, Nimba – At a press briefing this past weekend and following UNMIL’s handing over security to the government, Nimba Superintendent Fong G. Zuagele said he believes that Liberia can overcome security threats if its citizens take the initiative to maintain peace.

According to Zuagele, the amount of security personnel in the country should not determine its safety. Rather, it is the involvement of citizens themselves.

He made these statements as he launched an initiative meant to increase ordinary citizens’ involvement in the security sector.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia has maintained peace and security in the Liberia for more than a decade after Liberia’s civil war.

During UNMIL’s tenure, the country held two successful elections in 2005 and 2011, which brought President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to power and subsequently extended her stay.

On June 30, 2016, UNMIL’s mandate came to a close. Many citizens feared that the Sirleaf-led government would be unable to maintain peace in Liberia.

But Zuagele cautions against that fear. “The security is the consciousness of the people,” he said. “We all have to work together to keep the security of this country.”

To get the people involved in the stability of the state, Zuagele said his administration has instituted what he called the County Security Council.

“We [also] have the District Security Council, and also the Community Watch Forum,” he said. “This brings together security actors and the citizens to discuss issues that affect them as it relates to security matters.”

The Community Watch Forum is a team of individuals who were trained in basic crime response techniques and have been working to serve as ‘first-hand’ support to the Liberian National Police in their respective communities.

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah