As
the Truth and
Reconciliation Committee
begins its work of
collecting evidence of
abuses during the Liberian
civil war, Liberians
across the globe are
hoping that the former
warlords-turned
politicians and their
former rebel commanders
will be brought to
justice.
I
am also hoping that some
of the rebel commanders
who put me against the
wall in the northern
Liberian town of Foyah, in
1993, will be brought to
justice and perhaps
executed for their crimes
against humanity. (see
photos).
But
what if… what if the
warlords and the war lads
do not accept
responsibility for their
acts, and for the actions
of those under their
command? What if they
refuse to come forward to
give account of their
actions? What if survivors
of the civil war do not
feel safe to come forward
to bear witness? What
could happen to
Liberia’s newfound
democracy? What influence
will warlords like Prince
Johnson, Adolphus Dolo,
George Boley, Sekou Konneh,
Alhaji Koromah, and others
have on the work of the
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission? What if…?
Success
is on our side
The
most feared warlord, Charles
Taylor was arrested on
March 29, 2006 in Nigeria
by security forces at a
remote town near the
Cameroonian and Nigerian
border. Taylor attempted
the impossible – he
escaped his temporary
asylum in Calabar in a
dubious plan that tested
the resolve of the
International Community. A
high-power campaign led by
Human Rights organizations
and the United States
compelled his host,
President Obasanjo, to
find Taylor and hand him
over to the United Nations
backed-court in Sierra
Leone. He is awaiting
trial.
Guus
van Kouwenhoven, a
gunrunner, diamonds and
timber smuggler was
sentenced to eight years
in prison but was
acquitted of war crimes
charges after a Dutch
court found him guilty of
violating UN sanctions on
Liberia. It is a small
victory, but a significant
progress in the fight to
bring to justice those
responsible for the
suffering of innocent
civilians.
Liberians
crave peace and may be
afraid to steer the boat.
But what a big difference
it will make when the
former warlords are
brought to justice for
their wicked deeds?
Should
bygones be bygones?
No!
It’s only in Liberia and
among Liberian communities
I have heard such outdated
statements. Go read
history – after World
War II people who bore the
brunt of human rights
abuses were tried. Allied
Forces hunted Adolf Hitler
of Germany and his
lieutenants and those
arrested were tried. Read
about the Nuremberg
war crimes trials.
History
has repeated itself in
recent times: Serbia
eventually found peace
when Slobodan Milosevic
was arrested and sent to
The Hague where he died in
custody during his trial.
Foday Sankoh’s arrest in
Sierra Leone helped pave
the way to peace and
stability in that country.
The rest of the world is
fighting terror,
injustice. There is no
turning back to the old
days of impunity.
ß
Foday Sankoh (late)
Why
must Liberians let bygones
go by? We made similar
statements for one hundred
thirty years during the
one-party rule under the
True Whig party, a
political party dominated
by so-called Americo-Liberians.
The term “Americo” was
added to deceive the
people while a few
privileged individuals
looted the nation’s
resources and monies. The
same bygones phrase was
borrowed when Samuel Doe
took power in a military
coup in 1984 and
assassinated several
former government
officials under the
pretext of wiping out
corruption. Doe and his
cohorts became as corrupt
as the government they
overthrew.
To
rephrase Howard Pinter,
Nobel Price Laureate,
politicians are interested
NOT "in truth but in
power and in the
maintenance of that
power."
We
must deny the warlords
that privilege and bring
truth to Liberia and to
the sub-region. Every
peace-loving human being
knows that Liberians
deserve peace and
stability after more than
a decade of bloodshed. The
questions are numerous and
I am certain answers will
emerge overtime. But until
these questions are
answered, the work of the
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission will be like a
shadow under the
moonlight, while efforts
and resources are wasted.
For
Liberia to build a
sustainable democracy and
to become a beacon of
peace and prosperity,
justice must be
served.
