Accountability and justice in post-conflict Liberia

Abstract

Within the human rights sector, suggestions are made that one way in which a post-conflict society can build durable peace is by making sure that ‘those who bear the greatest responsibility’ are held to account. This perspective is more forcefully captured within the ‘transitional justice’ paradigm, which though a relatively new sub-set is a dominant trend in prevailing human rights discourse. Another new industry along this trajectory is the peacebuilding and development paradigm which posits that building a culture of peace can only be entrenched once issues related to the material improvement in the lived conditions of the broader population are taken aboard and addressed adequately. This article will seek to examine the post-conflict accountability and justice mechanisms in Liberia through transitional justice, peacebuilding and development frameworks. Also, the article will capture Liberia's history, especially the conduct of the war years, contemporary Liberian politics, and the upcoming Presidential and Legislative Elections in an effort to tease out the challenges and prospects in ‘holding those who bear the greatest responsibility’ for human rights abuses and the economic collapse of the country. Of particular concern as well is to examine the role of the international community as embodied by the Bretton Woods Institutions and international non-governmental organisations in respect of the policy options that are ‘imposed’ upon national actors active within a post-conflict society. In the main, the article will attempt to examine how Liberia can rebuild itself while at the same time ensure that principles of accountability and justice, especially in regards to war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide, are addressed. After almost eight years of peace in the country, it is important to open the debates about the way forward in Liberia in respect of human rights, peace and economic development. The urgency for such a discourse is made even more compelling by the situation in La Cote d'Ivoire, where a political impasse has resulted in violence and has led to civil war. La Cote d'Ivoire borders Liberia and the country played a major role in the Liberian civil war that was started in 1989 and ended in 2003. The conduct, the form, the manner and the content of the conflict in La Cote d'Ivoire will have significant impact on how Liberia entrenches a culture of peace, human rights, political and ethnic tolerance as well as economic development.