PHOTO: Major Gen. Prince Charles Johnson, III
By Frank Sainworla, Jr., fsainworla@yahoo.com
At the kick off of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) Media-Security Analysis Dialogue in Monrovia, Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Chief of Staff, Major General Prince C. Johnson says the “media and security depend on each other” and restated his commitment not to shield any soldier who violates civilians’ rights.
The new AFL, he stressed, is a professional and disciplined organization also committed to obey “legal orders”.
This army command has always insisted that their loyalty is first and foremost to the Liberian state and not individuals and that the AFL is a professional armed forces which is apolitical.
The Media- Security Analysis Dialogue is part of a United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) project: Strengthening Independent Media and Freedom of Information in Liberia which is being led by the Volunteers for Sustainable Development in Africa (VOSEIDA) in partnership with the PUL and the Department of Communications & Media Studies at the University of Liberia.
Major Gen Prince C Johnson with other security panelists (EPS Director Trokon Roberts (2nd from right)
Speaking during the forum held at the YMCA auditorium in Monrovia on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Gen. Johnson cited challenges affecting media-security relations, but said they can be overcome through regular dialogue and engagements between the media and state security.
As the Liberian presidential and general elections in 2023, he said there is an even more compelling need for regular consultations between the two institutions, which the Liberian army chief said need each other.
The AFL Chief of Staff spoke of the need for Journalists to “understand the architecture and structure” of Liberia’s joint security or the National Security Council, recommending training, as the security depend on the media as open source.
He was critical of Journalists and some local talk show hosts who interview lots of politicians and others in crucial security issues who know absolutely nothing about the sector without prioritizing getting expert opinions.
The new AFL, which prides itself as “a force for good”, has not featured in reports of state security brutality and attacks of Journalists in recent times.
Maj/Gen. Prince C. is an infantry officer in AFL who has served his country for over fourteen years and he was nominated by the President of Liberia Commander-In-Chief and confirmed by the Senate on February 5, 2018.
According to the Defense Ministry’s website, he has attended several military schools, including the US Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA; Infantry Mechanized Company Commander Course (MCCC) in Shijiazaugh Hebei Province, China; Junior Staff Course (JSC), Horton Military Academy, among others.
The AFL Chief of Staff also holds a Master of Arts Degree in Peace Studies (MAPS) from the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation (KAICT), University of Liberia; Post Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management from the Institute for Public Administration and Management (IPAM) – University of Sierra Leone, Freetown; a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in Accounting from the United Methodist University.
PUL VP Nyankonah on attacks on Journalists in overview
Given an overview of the media-security analysis dialogue, PUL Vice President Daniel Nyankonah said that Liberian journalists and media workers have in the last three years suffered an unprecedented surge in attacks against them in the discharge of their duties.
He said at the peak of attacks against Journalists and media workers in 2019-20, the journalism community led by the Press Union of Liberia, petitioned President George Weah on the escalation of violence against the media.
Group photo of the panelists and participants at the dialogue
Mr. Nyankonah lamented that a Presidential Committee headed by Presidential Advisor Dr. Lawrence Bropleh, was mandated to probe the attacks against Journalists and media workers, but the work of the committee has never been made public, or it’s not known that any report exists.