GANTA, Nimba – Hundreds of Muslims gathered in Ganta on Friday, March 30 to dedicate a mosque which had been under renovation for over two years.

The mosque was damaged in 2003 during battles between government forces and rebels belonging to the Liberia United for Reconstruction and Democracy.

The dedication program brought together several officials of Nimba, including Sen. Thomas Grupee, Rep. Jeremiah Koung, and Commissioner Amos Gbatu. During the program, the Muslim community presented a petition to the county, through Sen. Grupee.

The petition, read by Bangalee Trawalay, called on Nimbaians to tolerate their Mandingo brothers and allow them to return to contribute to the development of the county.

According to the petition, other counties in Liberia had opened their arms and welcomed Mandingos to settle peacefully, but in Nimba, the Mandingos continue to be ostracized and “have been denied representation in the local government.”

The petitioners called for Nimba citizens to grant them “ownership rights” over properties they are currently occupying.

Denying them the rights to properties they currently occupied “is in all indication, a recipe for disunity” and chaos, the petition stated.

“Let us celebrate what brings us together and reject what tears us apart,” Trawalay read. “Let us reject the notion that some people are more important than the others.”

Following the civil war, land conflicts have been prevalent in Liberia, especially in Nimba and Ganta, specifically.

In 2009, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf established a special committee headed by Musa Bility to probe into the matter. The petition said recommendations from the committee to the president have yet to be implemented and the group called on current President George M. Weah to review the recommendations for possible actions.

“We are calling on this government of President George Weah to speedily get involved in this longstanding land conflict in Nimba,” Trawalay said. “We are calling on this government to ensure that the recommendations from the special committee set up by Madam Sirleaf be upheld by the prominent sons and daughters of Nimba County, including lawmakers.”

The petitioners recommended that “those who lived on a piece of property before the 1990 civil crisis be considered owners of said property without any condition.”

Receiving the petition, Sen. Grupee vowed to take the lead in making sure that issues relative to land conflicts in Nimba County be resolved in an amicable manner.

“We received your petition before; we need to revisit it,” he said. “And I will volunteer my services to take the lead and take this matter to the president. We will need to set up a committee to review this land matter in Nimba County so that we can have a solution…”

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah