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Democracy in Focus is a new program from New Narratives and Front Page Africa looking at Liberia's governance and democracy. It's a collaboration with reporters from some of Liberia's leading newsrooms in the New Narratives program. Funding is provided by the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. The funders had no say in the program's content.
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As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes court and national anti-corruption court get underway, we’re running a series of special interviews with Liberian and international experts and stakeholders about how the courts will work. In this interview, Anthony Stephens speaks with Fatou Bom Bensouda, a former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, on the sidelines of the African Investigative Journalism Conference in Johannesburg this month. A Gambian and the only woman to date to ...
In this interview, I speak with Lofa County Senator Joseph Jallah — who along with Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence - has introduced two bills to establish Liberia’s war and economic crimes courts. The bills have surprised the court’s proponents because they have seemingly come out of nowhere and they have some controversial elements that contradict a bill submitted to the legislature in 2021 by Liberian Bar Association. That bill had buy-in from most of the court’s advocates and w...
Coming up in this episode. The country’s drug crisis takes center stage. Citizens march on the capitol demanding action as vigilantes destroy drug dens. The massive cuts to us aid being felt across economy. From street sellers to medium sized businesses the loss of business is hurting. After years of delay a seawall meant to save thousands of homes from being swallowed by the sea in West Point is finally set to begin. As the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court begi...
Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens. As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes court get underway, we’re running a series of special interviews with Liberian and international experts and stakeholders about how the courts could work. In this interview, I speak with Cecil Griffiths, head of the Liberia National Law Enforcement Association and a key adviser on national security issues. Gri...
Coming up in this episode. Following a chaotic rollout process, the government indefinitely suspends its compulsory national ID registration program. As climate change causes more and more farms to fail, rural dwellers turn to charcoal production to survive in a renewed threat to Liberia’s forests At the same time, the end of international funding for ecoguards, has forced many back to the forests to hunt renewing threats to biodiversity. Support the show Funding for ...
Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens. It’s not news to anyone that Liberia has been one of the countries most impacted by US President Donald Trump’s cuts to aid. Hundreds of Liberian NGO jobs have been lost. But a new online donation platform called Liberia giving Month hopes to bring donor money directly to Liberian organizations through a few clicks on a phone. I speak with the founde...
In this special bonus episode of Democracy in Focus, Anthony Stephens has an exclusive interview with Ambassador Mark Toner on his decision to retire just one year into his two year post. Ambassador Toner's announcement came a day before Liberian President Joseph Boakai had a coveted meeting at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump. Toner denied his decision had anything to do with a special request that the Wall Street Journal alleged was sent to President Boakai before the ...
Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens. As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes court get underway, we’re running a series of special interviews with Liberian and international experts and stakeholders about how the courts could work. In this interview, I speak with Leymah Gbowee, one of two Liberians who won the Nobel peace prize in 2011. Gbowee has had a huge impact on Liberia’s peace p...
Coming up in this episode. Liberia wins a seat on the un security council. Ambassadors and President Boakai applaud the historic moment. Nobel laureate, Leymah Gbowee urges government to seize the win to drive war time justice beginning with economic crimes. As US aid cuts end a more than $US100 million maternal and infant mortality program, experts and pregnant women fear the worst. Welcome to our program looking at the state of Liberian democracy. It’s a collaboration with...
President Boakai quiets doubters with a renewed mandate for the war crimes court office and a big increase in budget to two million dollars As Rwanda commemorates thirty-one years since its genocide, its ambassador says the world can learn from its path to reconciliation and justice. And… a report says a lack of competence and inflated salary claims by the Weah administration stopped the country getting a weather hazard warning system Welcome to our program looking at the state of...
In this episode..A silent killer is stalking Liberians. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other so called non communicable diseases are reaching crisis levels. Experts say awareness campaigns are needed. Thousands of teachers pursuing degrees in education are ejected from us aid- funded scholarships. Experts say Liberia’s school children will lose out again. And.. as the World Bank reports that poverty in rural Liberia has risen to 4 in every 5 people, experts warn the same ineq...
Heart disease, cancer, mental illness and diabetes are some of a group of diseases that are growing at an alarming rate in Liberia, killing far more people than better known killers like malaria and typhoid. More than one in three deaths are now caused by so-called lifestyle diseases – preventable diseases that are primarily caused by diet, stress, a lack of exercise and sleep, and environmental pollutants. But doctors say they are silent killers because, so few Liberians know about the...
COMING UP IN THIS EPISODE. WE SPEAK WITH THE NEW HEAD OF LIBERIA’S WAR AND ECONOMIC CRIMES COURT DR JALLAH BARBU. VICTIMS DEMAND TOUGH PUNISHMENT AS FORMER LURD REBEL COMMANDER “K1 GOES ON TRIAL IN THE US GOVERNMENT CELEBRATES AS CARBON TRADING WINS APPROVAL AT THE UN COP 20 CLIMATE SUMMIT. BUT FOREST COMMUNITIES SAY THEY’RE BEING LEFT OUT. AND…..THE RAINS SUBSIDE AFTER THE WORST RAINY SEASON FLOODING IN MEMORY. BUT EXPERTS WARN WORSE IS TO COME AND LIBERIA IS NOT READY. WE...
In this episode: The dreams of young rural Liberians die early because of a lack of high schools. Half of all stroke and heart disease deaths in Liberia are caused by air pollution. Liberia’s environmental protection agency takes its first steps to clean up our air. Liberia's mpox cases rise as the government confirms the deadly strain that has killed one thousand people in the DRC has not arrived. Welcome to our program looking at the state of Liberian democracy. It’s a collab...
Coming up in this episode .. As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes courts’ get underway, we speak to experts on the major issues court designers will have to consider. Who will be tried? How much international involvement is needed? And what are the security challenges? One thing is already clear - funding will be limited. And some worry the courts are already losing momentum. And… as mpox is declared a global health emergency, is Liberia ready? Welcome to our pro...
Thanks to host: Korpo Kollie of Radio Kintoma in Lofa County Coming up in this episode … New data shows nearly 370,000 Liberian children are living on the streets. Many live a hellish existence of sex work and drugs. Access to toilets is still a big problem for rural Liberians. Leading to sickness and death of thousands of citizens. The Boakai administration charges five former government officials after independent audits found they had engaged corruption. Political payback? Or ...
Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens. As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes courts get underway, we’re running a series of special interviews with Liberian and international justice experts and stakeholders about how the courts could work. In this interview, I speak with prominent Liberian human rights advocate, Hassan Bility. The Director of Global Justice and Research Project, Bilit...
Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens. In June President Joseph Boakai, appointed Liberian lawyer Jonathan Massaquoi as Executive Director of the newly established Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts. Ever since, a chorus of key stakeholders including leading human rights advocates, and the umbrella body of lawyers in the country - the Bar Association – has condemned the appointment ...
Welcome to this special bonus edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens. In recent years, Liberia has made big gains in tackling human trafficking, convicting several traffickers including an agent of the National Security Agency and bringing hundreds of victims home from the Middle East. Those wins saw the county move up on the U.S. government’s Trafficking In Persons ranking. But things took a turn for the w...
Liberia's War Crimes Court Office is off to a rocky start as outcries from key stakeholders continue over President Boakai’s appointment of Jonathan Massaquoi to head the office. A 90 percent cut in funding to anti-trafficking actions has seen Liberia returned to the US government’s trafficking Tier 2 Watchlist. There are repercussions, and the implication is, under the operation of us federal law, the us government has to seize all non-humanitarian and non-trade aid. Poverty ...
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