Summary:

• A FrontPage Africa/New Narratives survey of 100 Nimba residents found that 90% support establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court, with respondents saying those responsible for atrocities during Liberia’s wars should face due process and that victims deserve justice and the truth about what happened to their families.
• For many Nimbaians, support for the court is rooted in personal experiences of war. Residents including Yah Dumbar and Jackson Beh described killings, displacement and loss of family members, saying accountability is necessary to address Liberia’s painful history and prevent a repetition of the violence.
• The survey also raises questions about lawmakers’ claims that they need to consult constituents. Only three of the 100 Nimba respondents said they had heard of consultations by their representatives or senators. Some respondents said they would not support lawmakers who oppose the court, while Representative Nyah Garmie Flomo said he supports the court and plans to engage his constituents.

By Jerome Saye with New Narratives

SANNIQUELLIE, Nimba County—They are the second biggest voting bloc in the country. They’re also the former constituents of long-time senator, Prince Johnson who was the loudest opponent to a war and economic crimes court. He even threatened to take up arms if he were indicted. So the views of citizens of Nimba, almost two years after Johnson died, have been closely watched as the Liberian Legislature decides whether and in what form to hold a court.

A new survey by FrontPage Africa/New Narratives suggests the people of Nimba County overwhelmingly want to see a court established and will punish lawmakers at the ballot box if they do not get it. (The survey can be viewed here.)

“Let them people that do bad, bad thing in this war here where some of them are still alive, let them come and face the court,” said Yah Dumber, a 45-year-old small business owner in Gbedin Town. She said Nelson Gweh of ULIMO-K, Alhaji Kromah’s wing of the rebel faction led the invasion of the Central Agricultural Research Institute in 1994 when it was serving as the headquarters for the rival National Patriotic Front of Liberia. They killed her family members who were sheltering there. She has been aching for justice for more than 32 years.

The survey interviewed 100 people in Nimba’s seven administrative districts – Sanniquellie Mah, Saclepea Mah, Gbehlay Geh, Zoe Geh, Bain Gar, Yarpea Mah and Tapitta. Ninety percent or nine in every ten interviewees said they wanted the establishment of the court. The survey was not done under scientific conditions, but the overwhelming margin among the 100 people interviewed provides a strong indication of the views of the county.

Jackson Beh, 40, is a farmer and a resident of Peelar Old Town in Yarpea Mah District. He said his brother Emmanuel Yaye was killed by a group of soldiers of the Krahn ethnic group serving with the government’s Arm Forces of Liberia in 1990.

Beh said his brother was on his way to celebrate a major achievement when he was killed.

“Our brother, he graduated from high school and he was trying to go to America,” he said. “He came home and showed us his graduation card. That was the last time we saw him. We never imagined that the graduation card he brought home would become one of the last memories we had of him.”

The survey comes as President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration pushes legislation for the establishment of the court which would prosecute those bearing the greatest responsibility for war crimes, crimes against humanity, economic crimes and serious human rights violations committed during Liberia’s conflicts from January 1979 to August 2003.

Six bills have been submitted to Legislature which is in the process of considering them and deciding what version of the court, if any, they will pass. Stakeholders say there is still considerable opposition from some lawmakers.

Stakeholders and the international community are urging the Legislature to pass a bill by December when Liberia takes its rotating seat in the presidency of the United Nations Security Council and the world’s eyes will be on it. They said it will give Liberia a chance to present a new face to the world to replace images of child soldiers that dominated global news coverage during the war.

The survey was part of a national survey of 1,150 people in 11 of Liberia’s 15 counties. Across the country, the number mirrored that in Nimba. Nine in every 10 people interviewed said they wanted to see a court.

For many Nimbaians, the issue is not simply about punishing individuals. It is also about knowing what happened to victims, establishing responsibility and ensuring that the violence of Liberia’s past is not repeated.

Madam Yah Dumbar spoke about the ongoing trauma of Liberia’s wars. She described how she and other people were forced to flee; walking barefoot from Gbarnga to Nimba, while seeing atrocities committed by ULIMO-K forces.

“The people came there, they destroyed so many things from us,” said Madam Dumbar. “I left from in Gbarnga with night gown, with one under cloth to come in Nimba, without wearing slipper. Some of our children them left in water [drowned]. They started catching us on the road and killing your husband and children in front of you.”

Her account reflects a broader sentiment expressed by participants: they said their support for a court is not driven by revenge, but by a desire for accountability and historical truth.

Advocates in Nimba welcomed the survey findings.

“Once ninety persons agreed for the War and Economic Crimes Court to come, it means that the advocacy we being doing it means that we are making progress,” said Carlton Zayzay, 39. And he had a warning for opponents.

“Those remaining ones that say War and Economic Crimes Court should not come in Liberia; it means that those people were not affected during the war time. Or those people don’t know about war. It means those people parents were not here.”  

Joseph G. Suah, an attorney-at-law at the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in Sanniquellie said the court would set important precedents for accountability and help strengthen the country’s justice system. “

“Nobody will commit crime and just go free. If you commit crime, you need to be given a due process of law,” Suah said. “And those that all involved should be arrested and go to court let them explain themselves as they have been accused.”

The survey also carried a warning for Nimba’s lawmakers including Nyah Garmie Flomo, Ernest Manseah, Samuel N. Brown Sr., Nehker E. Gaye, Kortor Kwagrue, Dorwohn Twain Gleekia, Musa Hassan Bility, Saye S. Mianah, Taa Z. Wongbe and senators Nya D. Twayen Jr. who will be seeking reelection in 2029. The overwhelming number of survey participants said they would not vote for them again if they did not support a court. Just seven said they would.

“I will not vote for any representative who will say no to the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes court,” said Zayzay. “They are on their way already before 2029 if they don’t pass the bill.”  

The survey also exposed potentially misleading statements on the part of lawmakers. They went on break in July without passing the war crimes court bill claiming they needed to consult their constituents before the house reopened in October. But of the 100 people interviewed, just three said they had heard of any consultation by their senators or representatives about the proposed legislation.

Nyah Garmie Flomo, Sr., Nimba County District Two representative, said he supports the establishment of the court but admitted that he has not consulted constituents. Flomo said that he and colleagues will consult constituents once they have a chance to understand it.

“I have a plan: before our break can be over, certainly I will be having engagement with my people and one of the things we will be discussing is the War and Economic Crimes Court,” said Flomo. “If, for example, a document is introduced, you need to fully understand the document because you have to explain to your people. So, a document that was introduced to us about two months ago, you don’t expect all of the lawmakers on their feet passing with the document.”

Nimba citizens are watching what happens next. But experts say the message from the survey is clear: pass the law, consult the people and move Liberia’s long-delayed search for justice forward or pay a price in the next election.

This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the “Investigating Liberia” project. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia. The funder had no say in the story’s content.