Justice Delayed: Can Liberia Deliver on Its War Crimes Promise?
On 2 May 2024, Joseph Nyuma Boakai signed Executive Order No. 131 establishing the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court (OWECC). The order has been renewed twice since then, most recently on 3 May 2026 for one more year. The office is tasked with the establishment of both a National Anti-Corruption Court and a War and Economic Crimes Court to address crimes committed during the Liberian Civil Wars (1989-2003). Following decades of impunity, the creation of the office was welcomed. However, despite visible political intent, progress has been painfully slow.
A Roadmap for the Establishment of the Courts
Since the end of 2024 OWECC has begun, under the leadership of Cllr. Jallah Barbu, to make meaningful progress on the colossal task before it. Although OWECC’s work is still subject to criticism, for being too slow, for not setting clear priorities and for lacking concrete, tangible outcomes, in 2025 OWECC issued a promising National Roadmap, laying out a timeline for the establishment of each judicial body. The Roadmap promises an operational Anti-Corruption Court by November 2026 and a War and Economic Crimes Court in November of the following year. The Roadmap also includes a national outreach strategy which aims to engage citizens and stakeholders in the process beyond Monrovia. The outreach campaign itself has begun in earnest, and consultations have been held in many locations across the country.
Agreeing on a founding statute
On the technical side, the roadmap indicated that statutes for each of the courts would be drafted by 2026 and indeed Cllr. Jallah Barbu submitted draft legislation to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai – who has given the legislature 90 days to act. These are not the only bills up for consideration. In October 2025 Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence and Senator Joseph Jallah introduced two separate bills to the Senate. In response, in December 2025 Civil Society Groups, led by the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, submitted their own bills. These competing bills are now also up for consideration by the legislature. Cllr. Barbu’s bills are facing significant setback by the Senate, following the latter’s decision to restrict the Judiciary Committee’s review of the bills adding further hurdles.
The Funding Question and Growing Public Frustration
While Joseph Nyuma Boakai continues to voice his support for the establishment of the courts, those around him continue to block and limit-effective follow-through. Civil Society advocates have warned that any further delay to move the process forward comes with a serious risk of losing momentum. A new election cycle will begin in 2029, and given it took decades to get this close to a Liberian-owned accountability mechanism, advocates are rightly worried that a potential new administration may not wish to continue to push forward Liberia’s justice project.
Until now the financial support that OWECC was promised to carry out its mandate has not materialized. Indeed, of the two million USD that the office was supposed to receive from the government this year, only 800,000 USD has been delivered. The complexity of the task at hand cannot be underestimated, and without funding OWECC will struggle to achieve the goals laid out in the Roadmap. The challenge is not whether Liberia faces financial constraints — it does — but whether accountability has yet been treated with the urgency officials publicly attach to it. As Liberian lawmakers continue to take home salaries comparable to US lawmakers, the argument that there are not enough funds rings hollow. The need for Liberia to fund the court is crucial, especially given the landscape of international donors ready to co-fund the establishment has shifted significantly under the new US administration.
Translating political will into meaningful action
The discussion on accountability in Liberia has undoubtedly moved from whether Liberia should establish a war crimes court, to whether the political commitment repeatedly expressed will finally translate into meaningful action. History shows that building a credible court takes time. Indeed, courts in Sierra Leone, Central African Republic and the Extraordinary Chambers in Senegal took years to realize. However, this cannot be a reason for Liberia to lose a unique opportunity to demonstrate genuine commitment to accountability. The creation of OWECC was a crucial first step, but without financial and technical support the plan proposed by the Office will not be realized. While there is a need for the OWECC to clearly define their most urgent operational needs, the Liberian government has to prove its full support to that process through reliable funding and technical assistance. Anything else risks that efforts stagnate. Moreover, as more time passes victims, witnesses and perpetrators continue to age. It is critical justice does not arrive too late.
Image: Jean-Philippe Kalonji (artist)
