Liberian Songs Amplify Calls for Justice Across West Africa

On March 5, Liberian legislators erupted in applause and song, chanting “war crimes court” and “we want justice!” The enthusiastic display came after the House of Representatives of Liberia passed a resolution to create a special court: a War and Economic Crimes Court. And on April 9, the Liberian Senate responded to the house’s call for them to pass a similar resolution. They did so, overwhelmingly, to include votes for the resolution by two longstanding opponents and former warlords, Senators Prince Yormie Johnson and Thomas Yaya Nimely. The Liberian people now eagerly await President Boakai to sign the bill into law and set up the court, as he pledged to do to the country when taking office in January.  

Liberia’s Path Forward

After Liberia’s civil wars ended in 2003, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission released recommendations on how the country should move forward after the violence.  This included the recommendation to create a court of some sort to prosecute war crimes and other atrocities committed during the wars. So far, however, there has been no accountability in Liberia for the perpetrators of the worst crimes or justice for victims. The new resolution is an important step toward prosecuting those crimes and ending a culture of impunity where criminals are not punished.   

Across West Africa and around the world, the United States is helping communities have difficult conversations about how to build a more peaceful future after the commission of atrocities of the past. My recent trip to Liberia and The Gambia was heartening in this respect and reassured me that, in a world beset by vexing conflict and appalling mass violence, calls for justice will not go unanswered.  

Healing Societal Trauma in The Gambia

In The Gambia, I joined conversations with victims of former president Yahya Jammeh’s authoritarian regime. These brave advocates have led the effort to bring wrongdoers to account and begin to heal the societal trauma left by decades of serious human rights violations. During my visit, we saw real progress: representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) joined their Gambian counterparts to continue work establishing a hybrid court that will prosecute alleged perpetrators. The United States is bringing broad support to help in this effort. In addition to my own office’s programing in The Gambia—the Department of Justice to USAID to the Embassy Banjul team—we are all working closely with both victim advocates and policymakers to help the country move forward along the long path to justice.  

Pursuing justice for mass atrocities is truly a global effort: in addition to its efforts at home, The Gambia has brought a case in the International Court of Justice on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation accusing Burma of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its horrific treatment of Rohingya. The Gambia’s leadership shows that through a coordinated international effort, human rights violators will be held to account. We, too, remain deeply committed to being a part of that initiative.  

Ongoing Diplomatic Work

Our diplomats on the ground worldwide provide vital forward momentum in this crucial work. Wherever they can, they elevate victims’ voices and offer technical support and funding.  In Ukraine, for example, they are assisting as international and Ukrainian investigators gather evidence of unconscionable war crimes and other atrocities committed by Russian officials and forces. In Colombia, they are helping transitional justice institutions include hard-to-reach survivor communities and address mass violence during the country’s 50-year war.   

When those who commit grievous human rights violations not only avoid prosecution but continue to hold high-level positions in government, it sends a message of impunity that undermines faith in public institutions and prevents deep wounds from healing.    

Beth Van SchaackAmbassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice

We pair those overseas efforts with continual work here at home.  In April, we brought many of our partners from Ethiopia, The Gambia, and Liberia to the United States to be part of a conversation about how our country has addressed its own legacies of violence and discrimination, with visits to Washington, Tulsa, and Montgomery. We are also working across the government to ensure that perpetrators of atrocity crimes cannot hide their ill-gotten gains in the United States or flood our markets with goods produced through forced labor or other atrocities. Together with our partners in the Department of Justice we will continue longstanding efforts to identify, seize, and return stolen wealth to victimized communities around the globe. The Department of Justice also prosecutes individuals in the United States who have made false claims on their immigration forms about their involvement in human rights abuses worldwide.  

Civil society representatives have emphasized to me that when those who committed war crimes even decades ago do not face justice, it exerts a corrosive effect on society, leading to corruption and a faltering rule of law. When those who commit grievous human rights violations not only avoid prosecution but continue to hold high-level positions in government, it sends a message of impunity that undermines faith in public institutions and prevents deep wounds from healing.    

Insisting on justice and restoring accountability are vital to upholding the rules-based international order and providing a measure of relief to victims of the gravest crimes know to humanity. The progress I observed in West Africa represents an important step forward on the lengthy but essential journey of transitional justice, one to which the United States remains committed worldwide.  

About the Author:  Dr. Beth Van Schaack is Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice at the State Department. 

The Office of Global Criminal Justice advises the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights on issues related to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. In particular, the Office helps formulate U.S. policy on the prevention of, responses to, and accountability for mass atrocities. To learn more about Ambassador Van Schaack’s work, follow @StateDept_GCJ on Twitter/X.