No army pay until headcount made

The Liberian government has suspended army salaries until it has conducted a headcount of soldiers on its payroll, Defence Minister Daniel Chea told Reuters on Tuesday. “Until a general muster is conducted, followed by a comprehensive report from the chief of staff, no-one will get a cent,” he said. The agency reported that although there are 14,000 names on the payroll, well over half of salaries are claimed fraudulently on behalf of dead soldiers, former fighters or simply fictitious names. Officials say that the true strength of the army may only be 5,000, Reuters reported. The army has been fighting dissident forces in northern Liberia since 1999 and because of a shortage of government funds many soldiers have not been paid for months, Reuters said. Wounded soldiers at the government hospital in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, threatened to riot in June if they did not receive regular food, clothing and medication, PANA reported.