Hopes and uncertainties: Liberia's journey to end impunity

Abstract

Six years into Liberia's transition from war to peace, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its final report. The recommendations of the report are far-reaching and radical inasmuch as they reach into the highest levels of Liberia's political elites. Not surprisingly, reactions to the report have been mixed. On the one hand, ordinary Liberians are delighted that the report named those who bear the greatest responsibility for the conflict and are determined to see its implementation. On the other, former perpetrators - many of whom are now part of the political elites, the legislature and the judiciary - have condemned the report and want it withdrawn. Given their ability to obstruct prosecutions, the likelihood that the recommendations of the TRC will be implemented appears to be slim. Instead of promoting reconciliation, therefore, the report has only reemphasized the sour relationship between victims and perpetrators: victims' pleas for recognition and acknowledgement have been repeatedly ignored, while former perpetrators have used the TRC public hearings to reinvent themselves for political gains. Hence, for as long as Liberia's postwar political elites are composed primarily of former perpetrators, as emphasized by the recent elections in Liberia, implementation of the TRC recommendations is unlikely. © The Author (2012). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.