Some 22 Years After Civil War Officially Ended
PHOTO: OWECC’s Cllr. Jallah Barbu, LIMASA’s Peterson Sonyah
Some 22 years after Liberia’s 14 years civil war ended, the Office for the Establishment of War and Corruption Courts and international partners are said to be holding discussions aimed at determining the cost for running these two tribunals, as Augustine Octavius reports.
Liberia’s brutal civil war, which claimed the lives of about 250,000 people officially ended in 2003, but to date this small West African state has not been able to prosecute any alleged perpetrators for serious war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as economic crimes.
The Executive Director of the office, Counselor Jallah Barbu, disclosed that there are several options on the table as it regards the building to host these courts and drafting a manual train its personnel.
Cllr. Barbu made the disclosure at the program marking the review of progress report of survivors and victims of the Liberian civil war organized by the Liberia Massacre Survivors Association in held in Paynesville.
According to Dr. Barbu, the OWECC and the international partners are also working on the drafting the module to train who will be employed at the two courts.
He said any foreign consultants who be brought in the country will have to work with Liberian counterparts so as to enable the transfer of skills and knowledge to carry in the absence of the foreign consultant.
On the issue of witness protection, Counselor Barbu indicated that the office is also working out modalities with the Witness Protection office for witness protection.
Barbu added that the OWECC wants to send a clear message to Liberians never to wage war and perpetrate violence as means of seeking redress.
Remarking during the program, the Executive Director of the Liberia Massacre Survivors Association, Peterson Sonyah, disclosed that LIMASA has been empowered with 50,000 United States Dollars to decentralize the identifying survivors and witnesses as well as outreaching remotest areas with awareness on the OWECC.
According to Mr. Sonyah, the association will work within its little resources to ensure the Office for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Courts in Liberia achieve its objectives by bringing those responsible for the deaths of thousands of people are held accountable for their actions.
The program, which was held under the theme: Giving Voice and Visibility to Victims and Survivors, brought survivors, victims stakeholder from all over the country.