A Liberian women group protest here, demanding formation of War and Economic Crimes Court with appropriate funding for its operation.
By Lewis S. Teh
Monrovia, Liberia, March 27, 2025- Liberian women under the banner Women in Peace building Network or WIPNET, have staged a peaceful assembly at the Office for War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC), demanding more actions from the government in the formation of the proposed court.
“We acknowledge the efforts of the government by setting up the offices of the WECC, but that is not enough and there are still more actions that need to be done.”
WIPNET National Coordinator, Madam Bernice Freeman made those statements when she spoke on behalf of the women, who gathered at the Office in a peaceful protest on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Monrovia.
According to the women, their gathering is to call attention of government through the office of President Joseph N. Boakai, regarding prolonged delay in formation of the court to prosecute alleged war criminals as a means of addressing the culture of impunity in Liberia.
Madam Freeman disclosed that their assembling was intended to draw government’s attention on the need to provide financial and logistical support to formation and effective functioning of the court.
“Students protesting in the streets mixed with all sorts of things and absolutely nothing is being done to calm those situations; I’m afraid these are early warning signs that the President must not overlook”, she said.
Last week, WIPNET held a meeting with some officials of government, complaining about failure to begin full implementation of the WECC, something, she said prompted them to have staged a peaceful protest to get all stakeholders’ attention.
“This discussion has been lingering for a long period; on several occasions we the women have raised concern about delay in the implementation of the WECC, but government has given us death ears. It’s against this backdrop that we have staged this protest, and today we are not interested in ‘your not too distance future’ talk; we want actions”
Responding to the women, the executive director for the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court, Cllr. Jallah A. Barbu, assured the protesters that government is closely working on taking more actions against individuals who have committed heinous crimes.
“It’s being clear that Liberia has resolved to make this country a better place through its people, and it has been very challenging since we took office but very promising.
Today we met our mothers who visited our office in demand of action for the implementation of the WECC and we had a conversation with them and we made a promise that in 2027, we will be doing the first interview”, Cllr. Barbu revealed.
Asked what the guarantee is, he said the commitment to have the court operationalized in 2027 doesn’t fall from the sky, saying, “We have had several meetings. We’ve done some calculations. And we’re very clear that by the government’s political will, by all that we’ve done so far, especially that we’ve developed, as I said to the women, you know, a roadmap quite definitive of where we’re going.”
Barbu said the fact that the work is doable, and achievable, he is optimistic, because government has pledged to ensure that this process remains on course.
“It doesn’t mean that the government is providing everything we need right now, but that political will is there”, he assured.
The Government of Liberia seems to have the political will, but keen observers say funding remained a problem, particularly in the wake of the United States Government halting international aid, coupled with donor fatigue, including gradual demise of key actors from the Liberian Civil War with the recent being the leader of the defunct INPFL rebels, Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, who was vehemently opposed to formation of said court.
Senator Johnson had argued that former warlords in Liberia enjoy immunity, but international crimes, including war crimes don’t have statutes of limitation. Editing by Jonathan Browne
