By LEE MONJUE

INTRODUCTION

Liberia’s protracted war ended in 2003, following the signing of the Accra Peace Agreement in Accra. It led to a transitional government led by Gyude Bryant. Mr Bryant led Liberia’s sixth interim government from October 2003 to January 2006 as the choice of three major warring factions: the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), and Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia.

In November 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, christened ‘Iron Lady,’ was elected Liberia’s president to become the first female President in Africa. The Harvard-educated economist and former World Bank official defeated her fiercest opponent and soccer star, George Weah, to win the coveted prize. She was inaugurated on January 16, 2006.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

After the civil war, the need to promote national peace, unity, and reconciliation, among other things, led the National Transitional Legislative Assembly to establish the Truth And Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Liberia in May 2005.

The Commission’s Final Report, which contained Nearly 400 Pages, was presented on 1 July 2009. The pages included the TRC’s mandate, the methodology used in arriving at its findings, the background of the conflict in Liberia, a summary of its information-collecting process, reports on its findings, and finally, its recommendations to prevent atrocities like those carried out by the allies of Charles Taylor and Prince Johnson.

TRC made suggestions that would ensure that victims of the Liberian Civil Wars received appropriate compensation and some form of punishment for the perpetrators. They also suggested that resources and infrastructure be available to settle any lasting problems or conflicts

ESTABLISHING A WAR COURT IN LIBERIA

Following the work of the TRC, the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court became a running theme in campaign messages of politicians seeking the top political job. Many of these political figures promised to champion its establishment when they were elected President of Liberia.

In 2017, Benoni Wilfred Urey, a presidential candidate, promised to set up a war crime tribunal to give justice to victims of the protracted civil war.

Also, two of Liberia’s presidential candidates in the 2023 elections, Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe and Alexander Cummings announced their commitments to the establishment of a war and economic crime court to try persons who played vital roles in the country’s civil war.

Similarly, President Joseph Boakai promised to establish the court during his campaign tours and reiterated this position in his inaugural address as the newly elected President of Liberia.

“We have decided to set up an office to explore the feasibility of establishing the War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) to provide an opportunity for those who bear the greatest responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity to account for their actions in court – an estimated quarter of a million of our people perished in the war. We cannot forever remain unmoved by this searing national tragedy without closure,” the President said in January 2024.

THE BOLD DECISION

A few weeks after his bold inaugural address, President Joseph Boakai spoke with Dr. Alan White, a renowned human rights activist and the Co-Executive Director of the Advocacy Foundation for Human Rights, about establishing the war crimes court.

The proposal to create the war and economic crimes court was fronted by President Joseph Boakai.

LEGISLATIVE BACKING

On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, the Liberian senate backed the establishment of a war crime court meant to bring justice to victims of the two civil wars. According to records at the Senate, 28 out of 29 senators voted for establishing the War and Economic Crimes Court.

Also, on April 11, 2024, Liberia’s House of Representatives supported the Senate’s decision.

Reaction from Civil Society Organisations and Human Rights Activists

Adama Kiatamba Dempster, the head of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights of Liberia, applauded the decision of the two lawmaking houses.

“The passage of the resolution is a great effort in the right direction for victims and survivors of the civil war in Liberia. The issue of war crimes court was a bold step by the Boakai’s administration, and it is at the right,” he wrote on Facebook.

The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia congratulated the leadership of Liberia in a Facebook post on April 11, 2024.

“Congratulations to Senate President Pro-Tempore Karnga-Lawrence and the Liberian senate for passing a resolution endorsing the creation of a War and Economic Crimes Court! We are ready to partner with Liberia in the pursuit of justice,” the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, Beth Van Shaack, said.

CONCLUSION

The resolution backed by the two lawmaking bodies has been forwarded to President Joseph Boakai, for action.

•The two lawmaking bodies in Liberia support the creation of a War Court. Photo credit: Crosscheckghana

Update news