Canada has updated travel restrictions on its citizens wishing to visit Liberia, warning them against the high rate of crime, fraud and the danger in road travel in Liberia.
The restriction, released on 22 November 2012 warmed Canadian citizens to avoid demonstration and large gatherings and avoid traveling during night hours.
The report: Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world. A high degree of poverty increases the likeliness of criminality, and crime levels in Liberia are high, including in the capital. Muggings, armed assaults and theft are prevalent. Avoid walking alone and displaying any signs of affluence in public, and do not leave valuables or bags unattended.
It also claims that residential armed break-ins are also common, saying crime significantly increases at night due to the lack of electricity in some parts of the capital.
The restriction speaks of violent crimes, including aggravated sexual assault and murder, routinely occur and have involved foreigners, and suggests that police forces can rarely offer protection and do not have the capacity to investigate and prosecute.
Affirming that UNMIL peacekeepers provide national authorities with support and guarantees of limited security on major roads as well as around Monrovia and the main population centers, the restrictions alarm that security problems persist throughout the country, including in Monrovia and many outlying regions.
The travel warning admonished Canadians about conditions at the Roberts International Airport which they should not expect to be comparable to those in Europe.
Roads are generally in poor condition and rarely paved outside Monrovia, moreover, their condition deteriorates significantly during the rainy season, according to the advisory, which urged them always carry valid travel documents.
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I hope Pres. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her children find time to read this statement from the Canadians(a member of the international community and a partner). The Sirleaf government has become only a 'Government of signing UNSCRUPULOUS contracts'. She has abandoned all of the promises she made when she campaigned for her first term. The government of Liberia needs to prioritize the following: 1- ELECTRICITY 2- A National DRAINAGE and SEWAGE control system 3- ROADS (farm-to-market) 4- TELECOMMUNICATION (including Broadband Internet) 6- EDUCATION (including Quarterly workshops for all members of the Liberian Senate --- they need to SEE how a functioning Senate works, so, send them abroad or force them to watch CSPAN TV when the U.S. Congress is in session) 7- Healthcare NOTE: Every contract that the government signs with major investors MUST include these components. Ideally, each of those companies MUST agree to connect any THREE county cities (including their base county) with roads. Example: if you're based in Bong, then you must connect the capital of Bong the capitals of two other counties (and Liberia provides the blueprint and the quality of the road). I have deliberately left out Infrastructure development because I believe that the list above will allow the PRIVATE SECTOR to take care of Infrastructure and a lot more.
This warning is shocking and damaging to the country and pose a serious treat to potential investors who are marking up their minds to invest in Liberia. While liberians enjoy relative peace after long term of civil war, the country still remains vulnerable to arms gangs. I thinks is about time that the joints security steps in, as it used to be during normal days so as to reverves Liberia images abroad which is becoming to be tanished. Here we go again Liberia is becoming known as unsafe country. Second warning from Canada after Britain had sounded similar for its citizen. Next could be America, France and Germany."Safety for Liberia should be your priority you rulers. Securities should not only be limited to your compounds but Liberia as a whole.