250,000 killed during Liberia’s two civil wars — as pressure mounts for long-awaited war crimes tribunal
Africa Live News Staff
MONROVIA, Liberia — In a solemn and emotionally charged ceremony on Saturday, Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai delivered a long-awaited apology to the victims and survivors of the country’s brutal civil wars, marking a significant moment in the West African nation’s fragile journey toward justice and reconciliation.
“To every victim of our civil wars, to every broken family, to every shattered dream, we say: we are sorry,” President Boakai declared during the national event held in Monrovia. “The State could have done more,” he added, pausing to acknowledge the emotional weight of his words.
The official apology is the most direct acknowledgment by a Liberian head of state of the suffering caused during the two devastating conflicts that gripped Liberia from 1989 to 2003, killing an estimated 250,000 people and leaving many more wounded, displaced, or permanently traumatized by the atrocities committed.
Remembering a Nation Torn Apart
The wars, sparked initially by the rebellion against former president Samuel Doe, and later fueled by ethnic tensions, political rivalries, and regional interventions, saw widespread massacres, rapes, mutilations, and the use of child soldiers — many forcibly recruited and made to commit horrific acts.
“I lost my father, my brother, and my innocence during those years,” said 39-year-old Sarah B. Toe, a survivor from Grand Gedeh County who attended Saturday’s ceremony. “This apology is a start, but we’ve waited too long for justice.”
Like Sarah, countless Liberians have carried the wounds of war silently for decades. Psychosocial support has been minimal, and widespread impunity for those responsible has left survivors and families of victims feeling abandoned by the very state now asking for forgiveness.
Justice Deferred — For Too Long?
While the presidential apology marks an important step in symbolic accountability, many human rights groups and international observers argue that words alone are not enough.
Liberia’s leadership — including successive administrations — has faced longstanding criticism for failing to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes, despite clear recommendations from Liberia’s own Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report released in 2009.
The TRC had called for the creation of a special war crimes tribunal and the prosecution of several named individuals. However, no Liberian court has held any trials related to the civil wars.
Instead, limited justice has come through foreign courts. In recent years, Switzerland, France, Sweden, and the United States have all tried and convicted former Liberian commanders on charges ranging from crimes against humanity to immigration fraud related to war-era deceptions.
Among them was Alieu Kosiah, a former commander of the rebel group ULIMO, who was convicted in Switzerland in 2021. In the U.S., Moses Thomas, a former Armed Forces of Liberia officer, was held liable in a civil case for the 1990 St. Peter’s Lutheran Church massacre in Monrovia.
Despite these gains, the lack of domestic prosecution has left many Liberians questioning whether justice will ever be served at home.
Hope on the Horizon: Liberia’s Proposed War Crimes Court
In a groundbreaking move last year, the Liberian government officially endorsed a vote in 2024 to establish a national war crimes tribunal, a decision widely viewed as a breakthrough after more than a decade of inaction.
The court, once operational, is expected to address crimes committed during the 14-year conflict period. However, the primary hurdle remains funding, with initial estimates suggesting that setting up and running the tribunal could cost up to $100 million.
International partners, including the United Nations, European Union, and the governments of Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United States, have welcomed the move and pledged technical and moral support. However, formal financial commitments have been limited, pending detailed planning by Liberia.
In a joint statement last year, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said:
“We commend Liberia’s renewed political will to address impunity and fulfill its international obligations. Justice delayed must not become justice denied.”
President Boakai, who campaigned on promises of transparency and accountability, reaffirmed during the ceremony that his administration was “committed to building the institutional frameworks necessary to ensure truth is told, justice is done, and reconciliation is sustained.”
Survivors React: Apology is Welcome, But Action Must Follow
Survivor groups and human rights organizations in Liberia have cautiously welcomed the president’s apology, while urging his government to accelerate the process of establishing the court.
“This is the first time a president has publicly apologized on this scale. That matters,” said Adama Dempster, a prominent Liberian human rights advocate. “But apologies without justice are like salt in an open wound. We need prosecutions, reparations, and healing programs.”
Civil society groups have also pushed for greater survivor involvement in the transitional justice process, including mental health services, public memorials, and reparations for families who lost loved ones.
Yassah Johnson, a former child soldier who now works with a youth rehabilitation center in Bong County, told Africa Live News:
“I was 11 when they gave me a gun. I still dream of the faces. If this government is really serious, it should help people like me recover — not just speak at ceremonies.”
A Nation Watching
As Liberia marks more than two decades since the end of its bloody civil conflicts, the national mood remains one of mixed emotions — hope sparked by the president’s bold apology, but tempered by years of missed opportunities and broken promises.
For many Liberians, the apology marks a symbolic turning point, but the real test lies ahead: whether the government will deliver justice, healing, and a future free of fear and silence.
Until then, the memories of war — and the long road to reconciliation — remain etched in the heart of a nation still waiting for closure.
Africa Live News will continue to follow the progress of Liberia’s transitional justice efforts.
