Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives tonight passed H. Res. 1055 to reaffirm strong U.S.-Liberia ties and call for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations, a statement obtained by Punch FM/TV online service said Tuesday.
“I rise in support of H. Res. 1055, which affirms the strong ties between the United States and Liberia and calls for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations. I want to thank Reps. Donovan and Johnson for their work on this resolution,” said U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, in his remarks delivered on the House’s floor prior to the vote.
“During my time as Chairman of the Africa Subcommittee, we held hearings and passed legislation to bring attention to the brutal civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone that killed 200,000 people and displaced more than 1 million – one of whom, who was also orphaned by this conflict, worked in my own office in Congress. We heard a young girl – no more than 10 years old – recount the atrocities she herself endured during the war, a gruesome illustration of the horrific and lasting impact this conflict had on the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone,” Chairman Royce further said.
He added: “The Africa Subcommittee worked across party lines and alongside the international community and the people of Liberia to apprehend the notorious warlord Charles Taylor. Today, he remains behind bars.”
He recalled that in 2003, the Government of Liberia, rebel groups and political parties signed a comprehensive peace agreement, out of which a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was created for the country, with the TRC later recommending the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to ensure justice for the people of Liberia.
“Unfortunately, however, this war crimes tribunal has never been established, although Liberian government figures and activists alike have continued to call for one. This resolution repeats this important call,” he stressed.
He continued: “We have turned the page on this horrific chapter in Liberia’s history. In March, the U.N. peacekeeping mission there officially ended. It is not often we get to celebrate the successful end of a mission, and we remember the 202 peacekeepers that lost their lives to bring peace and stability in the region.”
“President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was democratically elected in 2005 and reelected in 2011 before stepping down from power. Last year, the country experienced its first democratic transition of power since November 1944. This further strengthened democratic institutions and set an important precedent for future leaders.”
“Much more needs to be done to crack down on corruption and create a more conducive environment for trade and economic investment. The government must ensure policies are in place to encourage businesses to invest, grow and create jobs.”
Howbeit, Chairman Royce pointed out; “But this resolution affirms the U.S. commitment to continue to partner with Liberia to support civil society, rule of law and good governance. We stand by the Liberian people in their continued efforts for a more prosperous and democratic Liberia.”
“The United States and Liberia have shared close historical, political and economic ties over the course of a nearly 200-year relationship. The United States is home to an estimated 80,000 people of Liberian ancestry. This resolution commends this diaspora population, which has been instrumental in America’s efforts to build a peaceful, democratic and prosperous Liberia,” he concluded.
Punch FM/TV online service recalls that in October, the United States’ Foreign Affairs Committee of its House of Representatives, passed a resolution in support of the establishment of a war crimes court for Liberia.
The lead proponent of the resolution, Representative Daniel Donovon, who represents approximately the 6,000 immigrant Liberian community on Staten Island and parts of South Brooklyn in New York, tweeted at the time that the “Committee passed my resolution supporting full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations, including the establishment of an extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for Liberia.”
Copy of the resolution which is in out possession, was among nine other Bipartisan Bills advanced by the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on 27 September, which affirms strong United States-Liberia ties and support for democratic principles, and calls for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, including the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for Liberia.
“Whereas today, the United States is home to an estimated 80,000 people of Liberian ancestry in vibrant communities across the country, who have been instrumental in America’s efforts to build a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Liberia,” the resolution commences.
It goes on to say, Liberia and the United States share close historical, political, and economic ties over the course of a nearly 200-year relationship, adding, that the people and Government of the United States have a deep interest in Liberia’s democratic stability and postconflict development.
The resolution which seeks the full implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal, also endeavors advancing Liberia’s efforts toward national development through continued support to be channeled through efforts by the Department of State and United States Agency for International Development toward the rule of law, effective governance, and the robust role of civil society in the country.
”Whereas the civil war from 1991 to 2002 resulted in the death of over 200,000 people in Sierra Leone and Liberia, the displacement of over 1,000,000 persons, and the horrific cases of amputations, mass rape, and human rights abuses conducted under the leadership of Charles Taylor.”
In closing, the Rep Donovon sponsored resolution states: “Whereas the United States Government and American citizens have invested in Liberia to rebuild and support democratic institutions, post-conflict recovery, economic growth, improved access to education and health care, professionalization of the country’s military and civilian security forces, and efforts to foster accountability and transparency of government institutions: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— (1) upholds its commitment to maintain and foster the enduring relationship between the people and the Governments of the United States and Liberia; “
(2) “urges the Government and people of Liberia to support the truth and reconciliation process through full implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal;” and
(3) “supports efforts by the Department of State and United States Agency for International Development to advance Liberian efforts toward national reconciliation through continued support for the rule of law, effective governance, and the robust role of civil society.”
Liberia went up into flames for over a decade, resulting to the wanton destruction of lives and properties, including the death of approximately 250,000 people and the displacement of thousands others, rebel forces under the command of former dictator ex-president Charles Taylor shot their way into the country through Buutuo, in Nimba County on Christmas eve 1989.
Taylor is serving a 50-year sentence at the Frankland prison in the northern English city of Durham, for aiding and abetting atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during that country’s decade-long war.
However, since the end of Liberia’s war that displaced millions of Liberians, left a quarter of a million dead, and countless more raped, disabled, and traumatized, recommendations from the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) final report presented to former president Johnson-Sirleaf, is yet to be implemented, and not a single Liberian has been prosecuted for alleged atrocities committed during the war years.
Following an investigation that sought to unravel the causes and consequences of Liberia’s conflict, the TRC collected more than 20,000 statements and released a 370-page report, in which Sirleaf is among 50 people the Commission recommends should not be allowed to hold public office, a recommendation the former leader flouted while in power.
The TRC report also recommends that dozens of individuals who bear greater responsibility of the war should face further investigation and prosecution.
