Grand Geedeh Bar Association in collaboration with the Grand Geedeh County Legislative Caucus has ended a two-day Community leaders meeting with stakeholders of bordering communities with the Ivory Coast.
Those in attendance included District Commissioners, youth leaders, the Chairman of the Grand Geedeh Legislative Caucus Alex C. Grant, and Senator Marshall A. Dennis, women leaders, traditional leaders and local chiefs.
This meeting came in a wake of numerous complaints of land dispute in the county, most especially at the bordering communities, involving the local with forest land demarcation. This confusing is influence by the Burkinabe’s, who are said to have been crossing into Liberia illegally.
Those Burkinabe’s are entering into some forms of lease agreement with local communities at those bordering towns. There have been claims and counter claims of forest land, to meet with some lease agreement.
Based on these factors several local communities are in fear of not willing to accept those Burkinabe’s, while others are in fear of losing their lands to those migrants. Meanwhile, some are calling on their respective law makers to intervene for those migrants to leave Grand Geedeh, and return to the Ivory Coast.
During this special meeting the Grand Geedeh Bar Association headed by Mr. Alphanso Zeon, has been reviewing the ECOWAS protocol, and raising the awareness on the customary land right and the new land law.
According to Mr. Zeon ECOWAS protocol provides that citizens of members’ states have free movement within the region. He further explain that they need to only obtained legal documents, and enter through recognize border entries.
At the end of the meeting citizens of bordering towns represented at the meeting sign a joint resolution which will allow those migrants to remain if and only they can obtain their work permit, residents permit, a valid health certificate. The youths suggest to work with the immigration to endure the success of this.
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