Members of the Fula community in Liberia complain of political exclusion and marginalization, demanding recognition.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, Liberia, December 12, 2024 – A high-power delegation from the Fula community under the banner “Fula Progressive Union of Liberia (FPU) has met and pleaded with President Joseph N. Boakai to address critical issues effective them, including political exclusion.
The meeting on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, focused on discrimination, marginalization, inclusion, and recognition of Fula as an official tribe.
The group, through its president, Alhaji Ibrahim Sangare Kamara, highlights instances where government officials and authorized personnel had allegedly denied or delayed the issuance of crucial documents to members of the Fula community.
“Mr. President, our people over the time have been denied access to national documents in the country just because of their names”, he complains.
Mr. Kamara adds that there are many Fulanis whose documents are seized by state authorities, and they are interrogated when they want to renew their National documents or business registration.
“The Liberia Business Registry will seize our documents if we go to renew them, thereby making us go through unnecessary processes that are not required by law. The immigration officers will put us down from cars and request for documents, and when we showed them our documents, they will start asking how we manage to get them. Mr. President, this is unfair,” he continues.
He underscores a need for greater representation within the government, urging President Boakai to consider qualified members of the Fula community for government jobs, arguing that increased inclusion would foster better understanding and address their concerns more effectively.
“This plea reflects a desire for greater participation in the political and administrative processes of Liberia. Moreover, we also want you to know the importance of official national recognition. We request that the Fula tribe be formally acknowledged among the recognized ethnic groups in Liberia”, Mr. Kamara requests.
He maintains that such recognition would grant them greater legitimacy to access resources and programs designed to support diverse communities potentially.
The community also used the medium to thank the President for appointing a Fulani Sheikh Y. Jalloh as a board member of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC).
Meanwhile, following the various concerns raised, President Boakai listened attentively to the community’s concerns, promising to investigate these allegations and consider their requests in subsequent times.
