A local non-governmental organization focused on maintaining and building peace, People Uniting for Peace in Liberia (PUFPIL), on the Friday, October 28, 2022 established two peace-building cells for residents of Clara Town and Chocolate City, Monrovia.
The program to establish the peace building cells was held at the Sure Word Chapel in Clara Town.
Col. Asatu Bah Kenneth, Founder of the PUFPIL and veteran security personnel in Liberia, told participants at the formation of the peace-building cells that peace is indispensible to the growth and development of any nation.
Kenneth said after years of civil war in Liberia, there is the likelihood of major discontent among residents of Liberia, and pointed to issues that led the country into civil war.
The PUFPIL Director urged participants at the gathering to first develop peace within themselves while at the same time developing love for their neighbors, if peace is to prevail in Liberia.
“Disarm your heart,” Col. Kenneth urged. “Forgive one another. The more hatred you harbor you are likely to be without peace,” she added.
The expert security personnel charged participants to be peace ambassadors and serve as mediators in conflict resolution.
She said by being peace ambassadors they will help mitigate potential conflict, thereby creating a society of non-violence that ensures peace and security for present and future generations.
Meanwhile, Kenneth told participants that PUFPIL is not a political organization and does not have interest in politics, but clarified that individual members can participate in politics once they are not using PUFPIL in the process.
In separate remarks, Johnson Gargar, the Montserrado Coordinator of PUFPIL, thanked Kenneth for the peace initiative and promised the communities’ commitment in pursuing peace across the county.
In the same vein, Clara McIntosh, Board member of PUFPIL said the initiative is intended to build genuine peace across Liberia, instead of “fragile peace”.
PUFPIL was founded on December 9, 2021 with a mission of developing alternative methods for preventing and finding solutions to conflicts in Liberia through problem identification, mediation, outreach and community engagements, humanitarian assistance and gender responsiveness.
The group envisions Liberia to be peaceful, regardless of ethnic, religious or social differences.
PUFPIL Founder, Kenneth, is a security expert with over two decades of service in the Liberian security apparatus, including the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the Liberian Immigration Service (LIS). She is also an attorney-at-law.