One of the main challenges in post-conflict Liberia is the extension and consolidation of state authority. Over 95% of GoL Line Ministries, agencies and other local officials at district levels have deployed in the County through the facilitation of UNMIL in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The County Administrative building has been rehabilitated and refurbished by USAID/LTI and provided with a generator. The rehabilitation and construction of District Administrative offices in the four districts and Tallah Township as part of the 100 community projects implemented by GoL is ongoing, though at a slow pace due to inadequate supply of materials.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs ha s completed a personnel listing exercise that updated the roll of its staff in the County and across Liberia. Basic training programs aimed at building the capacity of County officials are being implemented as support to GoL under the CST project.

All line ministries and agencies have deployed to the County except the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Rural Development. However, due to lack of office space, the majority of the line ministries and agencies operate outside the County seat, in Sinje, Bo Waterside, or commute between Monrovia and the County. Coordination between the County Superintendent Office and line ministries/agencies is therefore a problem, as many of the officials lack transportation to Robertsport and the condition of the roads is poor.

The dearth of trained and qualified skilled support staff in the County and District Administrations, inadequate and non-provision of operational funds, lack of transparency and accountability procedures, latent but sharp conflicts between or among County Administrators or between District Administrators and communities, and a general lack of dedication to duty are key challenges affecting the consolidation of state authority and the delivery of basic services to communities in the County.

To initiate development at the community level, five District Development Committees have been established by Action Aid through the support of UNDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Members were democratically elected, trained and provided with mobility and basic logistics to assist communities in the identification of priority projects. However, projects identified by various committees and submitted to UNDP are yet to be funded.

The Circuit Court became functional with the deployment of a judge in May 2006. Similarly, all Magistrates and Associate Magistrates of the five magisterial jurisdictions (Robertsport, Tienni, Madina, Bamballah and Lofa Bridge) have been deployed.

The district magisterial courts are operating in dilapidated, rented buildings (as in Lofa Bridge and Tienni), in community palava huts (as in Madina), or simply cannot function due to lack of office space, accommodation and police presence (as in Bamballah).

In the month of November 2007, nineteen criminal cases including rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking, negligent homicide, illegal possession of narcotic drugs, and theft of property were on the docket. Some of these cases span back to 2006.

The absence of a defense counsel leaves room for suspects to be incarcerated in jail for long periods without trial. A case flow management committee has been established to look into longstanding backlog of cases that have not been tried, and to make recommendations for the release of suspects, where possible. Peace and Reconciliation Committees have been established in Garwular and Tewor Districts as alternative conflict resolution mechanisms.

Civil Affairs provided training for these committees on conflict resolution, management and prevention. The committees have amicably resolved many land and development-oriented disputes.

The lack of cells or prisons that meets international human rights standards, lack of mobility, inadequate trained and qualified personnel, unwillingness of witnesses to testify in courts, disinterest to become juror due to low sitting fee paid are some of the key challenges facing the judicial sector.

The issue of child labor does exist in the County, as child protection and human rights agencies have reported cases of children engaged in mining of gold and diamonds in Gola Konneh District and in agricultural farms for their teachers and principals in Garwular and Tewor Districts. In most of the commercial centers, such as Sinje, Bo Waterside, Tieni and Robertsport, school age children are engaged in street trading.