BUCHANAN, September 5 (LINA) – Armed Forces of Liberia Chief of Staff, Brigadier/General Daniel Zianga, has denied reports that uniformed, armed AFL were engaging in rape, harassment and armed robbery in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County during curfew hours.
According to the Liberia News Agency, General Zianga made the statement on Wednesday at Magic FM, a community radio station in Buchanan, upon his return from Timbo River Bridge between Grand Bassa and Rivercess counties where AFL soldiers are deployed to man that border after it was ordered closed by government.
“The soldiers are operating with one vehicle and the distance from Timbo River Bridge is far from Buchanan and all of my men are on duty, so it is not true,” he said.
The Chief of Staff noted: “What the public should know is that people around here are masquerading wearing camouflage, noting that there is no law saying that no civilian should not wear camouflage, so people go around committing crimes”.
Gen. Zianga then reminded citizens of Buchanan that every soldier of the AFL is identifiable with signals and called on them not to be afraid of the AFL.
He said the purpose of his visit was to inspect the operations of the Joint Security Task Force at the Timbo River Bridge, which includes the AFL, Police, Immigration and Drug Enforcement Agency, and warned citizens to respect the curfew imposed by government to contain the Ebola virus.
IN the past weeks, four houses in central Buchanan and Biafra communities have been reportedly terrorized by armed men during curfew, leading to a 27-year-old woman being raped.
The most recent report came from Biafra community, accusing men dressed in military uniform of flogging residents during curfew, but Gen. Zianga said that allegation is also not true.
LINA JBL/JGT/TSS/PTK