BARCLAY TRAINING CENTER, MONROVIA- 22 September 2022: The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) has received the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. prestigious 2022 Alpha Peace Award for upholding its commitment to peace and security in Liberia and the African region.

The award was given during the International Day of Peace celebration held in Monrovia on 21 September 2022.

Reading the Alpha citation of honor to the AFL, former Deputy Foreign Minister, B. Elias Shoniyin, who is Chairman of the World Policy Council of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, gave a background of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and its contribution to peace in Liberia.

Shoniyin said, despite challenges, the AFL “stands tall today as a towering national asset that has won the admiration, love, and respect of Liberians as well as foreigners”.

The citation stated further, “The people of Liberia owe a debt of gratitude to the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) for their display of high standards, complete integrity, great intellect, and the effective manner in which they carry out their duties in service to the nation and its people. 

“Therefore, we the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Eta Epsilon Lambda Chapter, bestow upon the Armed Forces of Liberia its inaugural 2022 Alpha Peace Award, in honor of our legendary Bro, The Late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

According to a Ministry of National Defense press release, Chief of Staff of the AFL, Major General Prince C. Johnson, III, along with Deputy Defense Minister for Administration, Tibli Olandrus Dickson, Sr., accepted the award on behalf of the Armed forces of Liberia (AFL) with joy; and said the armed forces is committed to protecting and keeping peace in Liberia.

Major General Johnson warned against the militarization of youths by politicians and called for the naming and shaming of those involved with acts that clearly undermine the peace of the state. 

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation have, for three years and ten years, joined nations and institutions around the world, including the United Nations system, to commemorate the International Day of Peace on September 21.

The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 and unanimously adopted two decades later, in 2001, to designate the day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. Since then, this day has provided a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation (KAICT), University of Liberia, have both called for the protection of peace and democracy in Liberia during events commemorating 2022 International Day of Peace.

Peace and security, they believe, are essential elements of human security, and that a peaceful and secure environment is critical to economic and social development and the realization of human aspirations.

The call came as the two institutions jointly commemorated the “2022 International Day of Peace” under the theme, “Politicizing Ethnicity Threatens Peace and Stability”.

The colorful events began with a grand parade from the Antoinette Tubman Stadium to the University of Liberia (UL) Capitol Hill main campus. The parade was joined by a cross-section of students from high schools and universities across Monrovia and its environs.

During the official program in the auditorium of the University of Liberia (UL) President, Reverend Dr. Julius Sarwolo Nelson, welcomed the guests, including high-level dignitaries from the diplomatic corps, academia, and the private sector, and asked all Liberians to cultivate peaceful conducts that can project a better image of the country.

Delivering the keynote address, ECOWAS Ambassador to Liberia, Her Excellency Josephine Nkrumah, admonished Liberians to engage, mobilize and promote the overall growth and development of the society through peaceful activities.

The ECOWAS Ambassador, who spoke on the theme, “Is Ethnicity a Threat to Peace and Stability in Liberia?” had a conviction that the advance of the Liberian society is a matter of hard but necessary choices by the people of Liberia.