Ambassador Van Schaack in Liberia with justice actors
Key US officials – Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice, and the US embassy in Liberia – have separately given a boost to the new Executive Director of the Office of Liberia’s War and Economic Crimes Courts, pledging to work with him.
By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives
The pledges come three days after President Joseph Boakai appointed Cllr. Jallah Barbu to the role after a committee vetted applicants and submitted Cllr. Barbu’s name and three others to the president for consideration. The US backing will be a relief to President Boakai and Cllr. Barbu who will now be tasked with setting up the courts and coaxing funding from government and international partners. It comes after the president was forced to withdraw the nomination of his first appointment to the position after an outcry from victims, civil society and the Bar Association, prompted international partners to press the president to redo the appointment process.
“Jallah Barbu has a challenging task ahead of him, and the fact that he was chosen through a transparent, consultative process that sought the input of the Liberian people is key to his success,” said Ambassador Van Schack in a Whatsapp exchange with FrontPage Africa/New Narratives. “Over the next few months, he and his team will need to continue this close work with the Liberian people, victims, and advocates to determine how the War and Economic Crimes Court will be developed. We look forward to working with him and supporting his office as they take on this work. Liberians have waited too long for justice for crimes of the civil wars, and addressing and acknowledging the past will help all Liberians build a more stable and prosperous future.”
The US Embassy expressed its support in a Facebook post.
“The U.S. Embassy looks forward to working with Jallah Barbu in his role as the executive director for the War and Economics Crimes Court,” read the post. “We stand ready to support Cllr. Barbu and all Liberians as they establish a court to bring justice for the victims of the gravest crimes committed during Liberia’s civil wars.”
The embassy also applauded the government for conducting a more inclusive process to appoint Cllr. Barbu’s name was submitted to the president for consideration by a committee led by the justice minister and comprising lawyers, civil society and other stakeholders.
“We applaud the Liberian government and specifically Justice Minister N. Oswald Tweh for an inclusive selection process,” said the embassy.
President Boakai appointed Dr. Barbu to the post on Friday, with Dr. Barbu promising to work to “address impunity at the highest levels” in an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa/New Narratives. The move was widely applauded by stakeholders who had opposed the earlier appointment of Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi. Three leading human rights organizations—Justice and Research Project and its Swiss partner, Civitas Maxima, and the Liberia Massacre Survivors Association, openly backed Dr. Barbu.
But the Boakai administration’s relief could be short lived. Amb. Van Schaack has been the biggest advocate of Liberia’s push to etablish the courts inside the administration of President Joseph Biden. She would be unlikely to retain her role should former president Donald Trump return to the White House after Tuesday’s elections. Global justice was not a priority in former President Trump’s first term when there was no one appointed to the role Amb. Van Schaack now holds.
Trump has signaled his second administration would see a major withdrawal of the US’s role on the global stage. It is not clear what that would mean for US aid to Africa but some experts fear it will mean a contraction and US support for Liberians’ quest for war time accountability could be a victim. Cllr. Barbu and the Liberian government join millions around the world holding their breath for Tuesday’s decision by American voters.
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the “Investigating Liberia” project with funding from the Swedish embassy in Liberia. The donor had no say in the story’s content.
