LRRRC Launches NIDPs Project Tomorrow

-Wants US$500k To Jump-start

By Esau J. Farr

The Liberia Refugee, Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) is tomorrow, Thursday, June 13, 2019 expected to launch its report on a special group of Liberians named and styled by the LRRRC as “National Internally Displaced Persons (NIDPs).

Such category of persons are people of concerns within the Liberian society commonly referred to as “Zogoes”.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, June 10, 2019 at the Conference Room of the commission in Sinkor, the Executive Director of the LRRRC, Rev. Festus R. B. Logan, disclosed that the official launch of the report will take place this Thursday, June 13, 2019 at the Ball Room of the Ministry of Youths and Sports in Paynesville.

The LRRRC is the Government of Liberia agency that has the statutory mandate to provide International protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees, returnees and disadvantage youth commonly called “Zogo” and other persons of concerns (PoCs) within the bailiwick of the Republic of Liberia. Since the end of the Liberia civil war in 2004 which ushered in the subsequent attainment of peace with three successive Presidential and Legislative Elections, the government of Liberia through its refugee agency in June 2018 fathomed an intensive month-long profiling and mapping exercise of over 20 thousand Liberian citizens who are basically national internally displaced Persons (NIDPs) which encompass disadvantaged youths, men and women who are unskilled and assumed to have no future in social opportunities. “This exercise was carried out with the assistance of the International Organization on Migration (IOM), the Liberian Council of Churches (LCC) and other relevant government agencies, the result achieved during the exercise was a resounding success despite the challenges we faced,” Rev. Logan told journalists.

According to him, the government of Liberia is keenly concerned about the wellbeing of said individuals within the Liberian society. These concerns according to the LRRRC is stemmed from the backdrop that the government is a signatory to all relevant conventions and protocols of the United Nations as they appertain to refugees and other persons of concerns (PoCs).

He disclosed that findings of the survey are intended to facilitate durable solutions through an inter-agency collaboration, measure that will provide such persons of concerns sustainable livelihood.

According to the mapping exercise survey report, about 20 thousand NIDPs are estimated to have been captured from four counties out of over 5,000 respondents.

The four counties in which the “Zogoes” were captured are, Montserrado, Margibi, Bomi and Grand Bassa.

Meanwhile, the LRRRC has lauded President George M. Weah and other agencies and organizations for the level of support shown during the exercise and used the opportunity and called on all humanitarian organizations and individuals to join the LRRRC at the official launch of the report and support the cost of helping to re-integrate said persons within Liberia as part of supporting the Pro-Poor Agenda of the Government of Liberia. TNR