Sannequillie

Let's talk about the capital of Nimba County - Sannequillie. This is where our hospital is located; and where its founder Dorine Gono is from. Here is some quick history I pulled from Wikipedia. You can read more at this link about Sannequillie:

Mano and Gio people believe they came to this area in the period of great migration between 1450 and 1650 A.D. Until 1904, the area was ruled by traditional monarchs and warriors. Sanniquellie was named by native Kpelle people who were sent to the north of the Liberia as border troops (later the Liberian Frontier Force) to defend the internal stability of the country in the middle of the 19th century. The name was too difficult for home tribes of Mano and Gio, so they misspelled it as Sanniquellie/Sannquelle/Sanniquelle/Sanokwelleh. The historical center of the town lies in present-day Bonnah Suah Compound, named after Bonnah G. Suah who was the District Chief for 25 years.

In 1950s and 1960s there was an increase in infrastructure and building activities in Sanniquellie. Buildings erected during the 1950s include Queen's Theatre, Public Market, Old Presidential Palace, the water tower, the water plant and some other buildings.

In 1959 the three presidents of Liberia, Guinea and Ghana met in Sanniquellie and started talks leading to establishing of OAU. There were three palava houses built for the three presidents during these talks; currently they lie in ruins. There is a Memorial regarding this event at Yekepa Parking.

In 1985 former General Thomas G. Quiwonkpa, alias "The Son of the County," stormed Yekepa (as a revenge for an unsuccessful coup d´etat) in Sanniquellie.

On 24 December 1989 the First Liberian Civil War started in Buutuo, Nimba County and the spark of wrath jumped to Sanniquellie and its surroundings. Years of tension between different tribes and different religion caused armed conflicts. At the New Barracks (newly constructed) the seated company of the Fifth Infantry Battalion was attacked and had to withdraw from the area. The New Barracks were looted and stayed abandoned till the present day. Despite the fact that war ended in 2003, there are some concealed tensions and unsolved problems from the past, which can cause instability in the region.

When I visited there is 2017, one could witness a vibrant city on the move. It is growing, but needs much much more help in doing so. Our hospital will be one of the seeds of growth as an economic and health driver in the region.