Liberia is moving toward the establishment of a court to prosecute crimes committed during the civil wars of the 1990s in this West African country.
To that end, a national awareness and public consultation campaign was recently launched in Monrovia by the Office for the Establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court (OWECC), with the goal of laying the groundwork for the creation of this special court, according to media reports.
The same sources indicated that this campaign, launched in the presence of human rights activists and representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), aims to educate Liberians about how the court will function and how citizens can participate in the upcoming trials.
According to Kanree Wright, the spokesperson at the campaign’s launch event, the war crimes court is expected to be established in 2027, while an anti-corruption court should be created in 2026.
The campaign will extend across all 15 regions of the country and continue until both courts are effectively established.
For his part, OWECC Executive Director Jallah Barbu stated: "We must be in every corner of the country” to raise awareness, calling for broad popular mobilization to ensure the courts become a reality.
Echoing this sentiment, Christine N. Umutoni, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia, praised the initiative, stating that "awareness means multiplying impacts, building trust, and enhancing the credibility of the process.”
It is worth recalling that nearly 250,000 people lost their lives during the two civil wars that ravaged this West African country between 1989 and 2003.
Despite strong pressure from civil society and the international community, no trials have been held for crimes committed during that period marked by widespread atrocities.
Among the recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2009—well before the January 2024 inauguration of President Joseph Boakai—was the creation of a war crimes tribunal.
On July 5th of this year in Monrovia, the Liberian president issued an official apology on behalf of the state for the violence and trauma caused by the two crises that shook the country between 1989 and 2003.