PHOTO: Col. Moses Yebleh, LIS Deputy
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The West African regional organization, ECOWAS is said to be breeding terrorists by closing all of its official crossing points, due to the introduction of restrictive measures in a bid to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the sub-region.
The Deputy Commissioner General of the Liberia Immigration Service, Moses Yebleh made the assertion over the weekend, while quoting a report from a meeting organized by the Migration Dialogue Group in West Africa, that some youngsters who are making money from smuggling travelers using unofficial routes.
Addressing a press conference in Monrovia, Colonel Yebleh explained that when these youngsters become financially capacitated, they transform into armed groups such as the West Africa Islamic State in the Sahara Desert and Boko Haram that are raging havoc in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroun, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The LIS Deputy boss noted that there are active terrorist activities in these countries and the operatives are using illegal transit points as means of financing their terror of segments of those West African countries.
“I want to make clear that Liberia did not close its border, but when the countries bordering Liberia have the side of the boundaries closed, then it makes it difficult for migrants and travelers to use authorized routes,” Col. Yebleh explained.
He said based on this background, the group which comprises Immigration Chiefs in ECOWAS member countries has recommended to all heads of state that the boundaries to be opened on January 1, 2022
According to the deputy Liberian Immigration Commissioner General, the immigration chiefs of ECOWAS are also recommending to the heads of states to synchronize the covid-19 mechanism through the West Africa Health Organization, in order to reduce the financial burden on travelers in the region.
“This is necessary in order for a test conducted in one ECOWAS country can be valid for at least three days and be recognized by another regional member state once it is still within the 72 hours period,” Col. Yebleh pointed out.
The ECOWAS Immigration Chiefs are said to be recommending that all unauthorized routes be policed by vaccinated immigration personnel, so as to reduce the financial capacity of smugglers using the illegal routes to smuggle people for financial gains
Col. Yebleh maintained that the meeting resolved to encourage citizens of ECOWAS member states to take the Coronavirus vaccination before traveling from one country to another.
According to him, these recommendations have been forwarded to the ministers responsible in each member ECOWAS country, so that the heads of state will take a decision on them.