Liberia Recruits Female Soldiers For Postwar Army
Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Contributor Monrovia, Liberia (AHN) - Liberia, the first African country to have a female President, began recruiting women soldiers to "bring special sensitiveness" to its postwar military. Edith Bawn, spokeswoman for the Government body, responsible for overseeing the creation of the armed forces that includes representatives of the United Nations and the United States, said that the new army will initially number 2,000 troops of which roughly 400 will be women. According to a report by the Associated Press, dozens of women queued up outside a military barrack in the capital. The screening process will last for two days, during which applicants will take an aptitude test and undergo medical tests and conduct brief physical training exercises. Liberian officials say the drive to recruit women is part of the country's broader goal of ensuring a gender balance under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. During the country's civil war, many women were forced by Government forces and rebels alike to cook or carry supplies. Others became "bush wives,'' or sex slaves kept for years by commanders. Some led units as battle-hardened front-line fighters. However, Bawn and other officials said women will not be pegged to certain roles and will be able to serve in whatever capacities, for which they qualify.
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