Between 1989 and 2003, various civil wars crossed Liberia, resulting in around 250,000 deaths. More than twenty years later, the authorities want to try the culprits of these atrocities. This was announced by the office which is to establish the Special Court for War and Economic Crimes. The lawyer responsible for setting up this entity told AFP.
“Based on all the commitments I have made and the momentum I see, the court will, well before the expiration of the six-year mandate of Liberian President Joseph Boakai which began in January 2024, have at least begun its first trial, or even concluded it,” assures Jallah Barbu, appointed in November by President Boakai to head the office which will set up the Special Court for War and Economic Crimes in Liberia. “I don’t think it’s too late. Today we have a tremendous opportunity to show where we stand in the world and move forward. There is a time for everything. Now is the time,” he continues.
Note that Prince Johnson, one of the main opponents of the establishment of the tribunal, recently died. In 2009, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission installed in 2006 requested that he and 7 other warlords be tried by a special court. Prince Johnson was most famous for a video of him sipping beer while his men tortured President Samuel Doe to death in 1990.
For Jallah Barbu, it is a duty of memory which will serve to heal the wounds and build a harmonious future in Liberia. “We want to make sure that when we bring this justice process to an end, the people of Liberia will be happy, our country will be on a better trajectory, at least in terms of respecting the rule of law, not just by words, but also in actions.
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