Liberia News: Ex-Warlord Running From War Excesses

By: Moses M. Tokpah

The saying ‘Good or bad one does lives after him’ seems resonating with the establishment of war and economic crimes court rigmarole – both contested and welcomed in many quarters and by leading players of the civil war. The hiatus between the end of war and establishment of a court of accountability is due to the behind-the-scene resistance of the very people who still demonstrating loathe of the process. Senator Thomas Nimely’s restless classification of the process intended to ensure justice for his alleged victims as recipe to derail and wreck the peace being enjoyed and breach of the CPA. But as Moses Tokpa reports, it appears he is only wasting water on dog’s back as the Government also seems undeterred to change course.    

Liberia-warlord, now Senator of Grand Gedeh County, Thomas Yaya Nimely’s apparent scare tactics that the establishment of war and economic crimes court in Liberia is a recipe for trouble that could have the potential to derail peace is rebuffed.

Senator Nimely, who headed the notorious Movement for Development in Liberia (MODEL), Monday said Liberia was tethering on the path of chaos if the government went ahead with war and economic crimes court establishment.

He also contended that the establishment of such court is a breach of the spirit and intent of the comprehensive peace accord and that the setting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) meant that Liberians should wave their rights to prosecute war crimes committed during the 14 years of bloodbath the country experienced.

But the Government of Liberia has expressed its disagreement with Senator Nimel’s assertion that the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court.

Deputy Minister for Technical Services Daniel Sando told reporters Tuesday at MICAT that the government is shocked over the statement attributed to the senator who himself was at some point in time the head of one of the many warring factions in the country.

“As a government, we like to categorically disagree with Sen. Nimely and reject in the strongest term just the idea that he believes that the pursue of the establishment of the court will derail and destabilize the country,” he states.

Minister Sando insisted that Liberians did not have choice between pursue of criminal prosecution and the payment of reparation, as well as the establishment of the War Crimes Court or the Truth and Reconciliation.

“These measures were all born out of the comprehensive peace accord and they must be taken seriously,” the Minister emphasized, and also noted that not because previous governments failed to implement the recommendation of the TRC reports means that the current government cannot implement them.

Mr. Sando characterized the Senator’s statements as being anti-progressive and against the spirit and intent of the good will of the government that has been exercised.

He indicated that Liberians want justice, peace and reconciliation, and that Executive Order #131 which established the office of the war and economic crimes court is a measure by the President to give the people of Liberia what they want.

He stressed: “If the people who are the custodians of the peace want justice and reconciliation, then the government does not see the statement as attributed to the senator as being truthful.”

“We categorically disagree and resent that characterization of the action taken by the president to establish the office of the war and economic crimes court as a step that will derail the peace,” he concluded.

Sen. Nimely at a peace symposium organized in commemoration of the 21^st anniversary of the signing of the comprehensive peace accord told a gathering of peace activities last week that the establishment of the court will be a recipe for chaos and that such move will derail the peace and stability of the country.

According to him, the establishment of the court is a breach of the spirit and intent of the comprehensive peace accord and that the setting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) meant that Liberians should weave their rights to prosecute war crimes that were committed during the 14 years of bloodbath that Liberia experienced.