WANEP Denies Receiving Food For Protest

 -Gives Alleged Perpetrator 48 Hrs Ultimatum or Else…….

By Mark N. Mengonfia

The Women in Peace Building Network (WIPNET), an affiliate of the West African Network for Peace Building, has officially responded to a Facebook post which alleged the organizations of receiving food to participate in the recent protest calling for the release of Jestina Taylor.

Reading a prepared statement,   Madam Delphine Morris, the Coordinator for WIPNET   said their attention was drawn to a live social media (Facebook) post by one Varmah Bobby Gray on Saturday, October 5, 2019 accusing the women of receiving rice from opposition politicians as pay back for their recent involvement in a protest calling for the release of Justina Taylor from the Catholic Hospital.

According to the women group, the information provided by Mr. Gray is totally ‘erroneous and lacks any pinch of truth’ and only intended to destroy the integrity of WIPNET program whose work over the past 17 years contributed to Liberia’s Peace and democratic processes.

With a sad appearance, madam Morris said, “We give Mr. Gray 48 hours to retract the statement that the ongoing donations to the women are from opposition politicians as a reward for staging peaceful mediation in the misunderstanding surrounding the incident at Catholic Hospital involving Jestina Taylor, the LNP and protesters”.

The women group is calling on Mr. Gray to do an apology letter to the WANEP/WIPNET and publish in four (4) major local Newspapers and two online news outlets and that he should go back at one of the distribution sites and do another Facdebook live to further clarify and provide the public facts surrounding the distribution,” the women group said.

Madam Morris additionally said in the statement that, “Failure on the part of Mr. Gray to implement those counts, WANEP/WIPNET will have no other option, but resolve to legal action”.

Madam Morris indicated that Varmah Gray did the recording at one of the sites on the Lakpazee Zoo Road of ongoing donations of food provided by Alfalit Liberia with Support from Alfalit International, whose support to WIPNET started since 2008 and specifically the donation of food and non-food items started since 2012.

She said,”Mr. Varmah Bobby Gray’s actions has stalled the donor distribution process and threatens the safety of the women benefitting from the donations across the seven counties, especially the women in Lakpazee Community and expose them to unwarranted public ridicule.”

According to Madam Delphine Morris, the management of WANEP remains committed to a peaceful Liberia; nonpolitical in its activities as being carried by some Liberians now.

The women group on Monday paid their first visit at the Liberia National Police Headquarters in Monrovia after which they had their press conference to debunk the Facebook’s post.”