Reports reaching this paper suggest that personnel of the Arm Forces of Liberia (AFL) have begun leaving their assigned border posts on grounds that they were abandoned by authorities at the Ministry of Defense (MOD).

The areas affected by the soldiers action includes Zleh, Toe’s, Kunoboh and Cavalla towns border crossing points in Grand Gedeh and Maryland counties respectively.

According to the report, besides an initial US$17 given each soldier prior to their departure from Monrovia, the soldiers are yet to get monthly per-diem.

“Besides our US$180 monthly salary, Defense Ministry is yet to provide our basic needs. No per-diem, no logistics, no food, no toiletries. We are still using one set of uniform and a pair of boots since June this year,” an AFL soldier who spoke on unanimity alleged.

In June this year, the Liberian government dispatched soldiers to the border areas to protect the borders from unknown armed men who killed several United Nations (UN) peacekeepers along the Liberia-Cote D’Ivoire border.

contacted via mobile phone in Monrovia yesterday, the Assistant Minister for Public Affairs at MOD Daniel Dahn denied the report, noting “all our men assigned at the various border points are still accounted for.”

Minister Dahn asserted that the ministry is routinely supplying the soldiers with their basic needs so as to help them appropriately execute their functions, as prescribed under the Liberian constitution.