MONROVIA, Montserrado – Barely two weeks after the United Nations Security Council resolution on the peacekeeping mission in Liberia came to end, a human rights group is warning that instability could ensue if the good policing model demonstrated by UNMIL is ignored.

Adama Dempster, the founding national director of the Independent Human Rights Investigators, said in an interview that peace and stability in Liberia can only be maintained if security officers and institutions replicate the good example set by UNMIL.

Dempster wants more budgetary support for national security and more training for security officers. “This is a good effort in maintaining standards and professionalism,” he said.

He also challenged security officers to uphold their professional standards and put into practice the training they acquired during the presence of UNMIL forces.

He said the performance of the security forces will determine whether the government builds public trust or result in its further decline.

He added that the conclusion of several investigations of human rights abuses in the country including the mysterious deaths of Victoria Zayzay, Harris Greaves, Alvin Moses and Ruben Paye have further increased public distrust in the security system.

To regain the trust of the public, Dempster said, national security institutions must show their preparedness to provide redress to citizens’ concerns and lead the way for justice.

Ahead of the end of the extended mandate of UNMIL, citizens feared there would be instability and increased human rights violations. Some cited actions by security personnel which they said violated their human rights as reasons for their fears.

At major forums hosted in intellectual centers, on social media, and radio discussions, citizens called for the UNMIL mandate to be extended until the 2017 election is over.

The opposition political party, Congress for Democratic Change, also held a three-day hunger strike and sit-in action before the U.S. Embassy calling for the U.S. government intervention to extend UNMIL’s mandate.

However, the government has assured citizens of its preparedness and capacity to maintain peace and security. “We are prepared, and there’s no need to panic about the drawdown of UNMIL,” Police Director Chris Massaquoi informed members of the press.

Featured photo by UN Photo/Christopher Herwig