LIBERIA UNCIVIL WAR PART II

AFL soldier beating up resident in West Point

It has been more than a week since the government of Liberia lifted its siege on West Point. Jubilant residents were seen celebrating and chanting “the government says, no Ebola is in West Point, no Ebola is in West Point” as they marched down Liberia’s largest slum. Home to at least 50,000 people, the West Point slum has been the center of controversy over the devastating Ebola outbreak. Since the demilitarization of the community, new stories have emerged about the event that led to the shooting of three unarmed young men. Tmz Liberia Magazine has obtained a heart-wrenching video interview from one of the alleged victim of the brutal crackdown in West Point. 

The victim, who identified himself as Titus Nuahn, explained what transpired on August 20th in a six minute video interview given to Tmz Liberia Magazine. He begins with “What kind of hospital will discharge you in such condition---I am not suppose be discharged in this condition, but I was forced to leave the hospital”; showing the colostomy bag on his side. The shirtless young man gave detail about how he was shot in the stomach twice by an (AFL) soldier.

Now left with complication from the bullet wounds, Titus uses a colostomy bag as a means of defecating. He also told Tmz Liberia Magazine that he has not received proper medical attention, and was afraid this his condition could get worse. With shortage of medical staff and an Ebola epidemic that is spreading rapidly, family members are concern that Titus could end up like the late Shakie Kamara, who died earlier from gunshot wound in the leg.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed report coming from West Point claimed that President Sirleaf convoy was stoned by angry mob when she paid a visit to the other two victims on Saturday.

When ask if he could remember what transpired on August 20th and if he was part of the riot, the

pale looking Titus lamented that he was not part of any riot. According to him, on that Wednesday morning, he went to visit one of his uncle’s resident; while returning, he heard gunshots and saw group of people being pursued by the army. Fearing for his life, he ran for safety in a nearby booth. While in the booth, one of the AFL soldiers shot live bullets at his hideout, which struck him twice in the stomach.

After the shooting, he managed to run home where he passed out. Suspecting that he had been shot, some of his friends decided to take him to the hospital, he recounted. In their attempt to seek help for Titus, the citizens were confronted by AFL soldiers who threatened to kill them if they did not disburse. “If you do not wake up, we will kill you. You were hurt by barbwire and lied that we shot you” said the AFL soldiers who then started to beat up the residents.

Titus Nuahn

Titus further expounded that they were left unattended for hours, until an ambulance owned by a law-maker Saah Joseph, took them to the hospital. At the Redemption Hospital, they were left in a room with a dead body and remembered hearing the late Shakie Kamara cry in excruciating pain.

According to Titus, Shakie fell from his bed and crawled to his bedside calling his nickname "Tamaya", while crying in pain. Kamara was later transferred to a different location where he died of his wound. The six minutes video gives a contrasting account of what the government alleged happen on August 20th.

West Point had been the center of controversy and a symbol of the government mishandling of the Ebola crisis that is ravaging the West African nation. After it was apparent that some residents had ransacked an Ebola isolation unit and looted several items from suspected Ebola patients, the government of Liberia sends the army and police to quarantine the neighborhood at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak. The quarantine exercise became bloody when crowds of protesters attempted to surge through barricades in West Point; FrontPage Africa reported.

During the altercation with angry residents, soldiers from the Armed forces of Liberia (AFL) reportedly fired live ammunition at protester which resulted in the death of a 15-year-old resident, Shaki Kamara. According to eyewitness at the scene, the crowds became agitated when a local government official returned to her home to bring her family members out of the quarantine zone.

Titus sits with a colostomy bag

After the incident, Lieut. Col. Abraham Kromah, the director of operations for Liberia’s national police, blamed the violence on criminal elements within the crowd.

“This is messed up. They injured one of my police officers,” Kromah said. “That is not cool. It is a group of criminals that did this. Look at this child. God in heaven help us.” He told reporters that the police managed to quell the riots, but did say if live bullets were used. New details emerging from the scene have suggested that live ammunition were used on unarmed civilians.

The government handling of the Ebola crisis has been criticized by Liberians at home and abroad. Some believe that the outbreak could have been averted had the government closed the borders with Guinea and Sierra Leone. The decision to not close the borders is believed to have resulted to thed the death of more than 1,000 people in Liberia since the virus entered, six months ago. Across West Africa, the death toll from what is now considered the world’s worse Ebola outbreak has surpassed 1,900. This recent video is said to be very damaging to the government and its United States trained army.