Political accountability in Liberia took a bold step forward last week when the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended a 30-year ban on holding office for leading political figures. Top of the list is President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, after she admitted she supported and raised funds for Charles Taylor’s rebellion against the late 1980s military junta led by Samuel Doe.
Doe’s later death in the rebellion of 1990 plunged the country into a 14-year civil war which resulted in the deaths of over 250,000 people. The war had a devastating impact on the country which will last for some time to come.
Although President Johnson-Sirleaf has apologised “for being fooled by Mr Taylor in giving any kind of support to him,” we have no doubt that her actions contributed to the death and destruction that followed. Indeed, the money she raised for Taylor’s faction helped them to procure arms which were used in the rebellion.
In the light of this, we believe that the Truth Commission’s recommendation does not go far enough. Despite the fact that she has denied being a member of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, we believe that one of her reasons for backing Taylor – who is currently on trial in The Hague – was to avenge her imprisonment in the 1980s for criticising President Doe. As such, her connection to the rebellion is hardly tangential, and she must be held to account.
Nonetheless, we urge the parliament to adopt their recommendations into law, and the president should also be asked to resign. Such action would surely help in reconciling the country.
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