By Allen P. Lablah in Sanniquellie, Liberia
The New York-based Human Rights Watch has been criticized by some people in Liberia’s northeastern Nimba County for the group’s letter to President George Manneh Weah urging him to prioritize Liberia war crimes trials.
The remote Nimba town of Butuo was where Charles Taylor’s rebel National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) launched their guerilla invasion from across the border with the Ivory Coast.
In its letter to the new Liberian leader dated February 12, 2018, Human Rights called on President Weah to ensure that those who bear the greatest responsibility for the atrocities and crimes against humanity during the war are brought to justice.
“Specifically, we encourage you to revisit the issue of justice for past crimes committed during Liberia’s civil wars, notably by invigorating plans for trials of civil wars-era crimes in order to bring justice to the victims, punish the perpetrators, and strengthen respect for the rule of law,” Human Rights Watch said in the letter to President Weah.
But speaking on a live phone-in talk show on the local Community Radio Sehnwai in the provincial city of Sanniquellie over the weekend, callers condemned the letter from international rights group.
The cross-section of citizens admonished President Weah not to heed to the rights group’s letter on grounds that the objective behind it was not in the interest of Liberia’s growth and development.
Instead, they claim that the letter from Human Rights Watch was to again open a new page of darkness upon the country.”
The Nimba Callers went on to question why the international rights group did not ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommendations were enforced by President Weah’s predecessor, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration which lasted for 12 years.
They also asked why now, that Human Rights Watch should urge President Weah to prioritize such TRC recommendations when the country is now faced with several challenges in terms of education, development, youth empowerment, economy constraints, among other things.
The citizens, who called on the radio talk show, referred to one of their kinsmen Senator Prince Yormie Johnson who they said is being targeted by the TRC’s recommendations, something they said was not in the interest of peace and national reconciliation.
Johnson headed the defunct Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), which broke away from Taylor’s NPFL and later captured and executed former President Samuel Kanyon Doe.
‘’How will it be possible to put him on trial, when he still Senator for Nimba and in government,” some of the Nimbaians asked.
“What Liberians want is reconciliation dialogues across the country,’’ others said.
The Nimba citizens then claimed that Human Rights Watch wants to only incite Liberians against President Weah, in order for him to fail in achieving his government’s platform.
Meanwhile, the new Liberian President is yet to give any public reaction to Human Rights Watch letter calling for justice for war crimes.