The Attorney General and Acting President of the Republic of Liberia, Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh over the weekend delivered a Special Peace Message on behalf of the President of Liberia, H. E Joseph N. Boakia , Sir at the Anniversary marking 21 years of peace after the signing of the Accra Comprehensive Peace Accord.

SEE HIS FULL MESSAGE BELOW:

“It has been 21 years since the signing of the Accra Peace Accord and we as a nation and people have shown our commitment and willingness to maintaining and sustaining the peace through our collective efforts and actions.

We have held 4 democratic and peaceful elections, the 4th election being the one which brought H. E Joseph N. Boakai, Sr. to the Presidency, and the peaceful transfer of power which occurred at each stage.

At each stage of these processes of power transfer and leadership, our former presidents have demonstrated and continued to demonstrate their willingness and resolved to maintaining the peace we have enjoyed these 21 years and counting.

The people of this country are the real MVPs for the peace we now enjoy and for that as their leaders, we say thank you.

Today, as we celebrate this remarkable milestone , let us be reminded that we still have a lot of work to do, in reconciling, healing and bridging the gaps that still exists in the dispensation of Justice, holding law breakers responsible and ensuing that the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are fully implemented. For peace to be sustained, we must hold people accountable for their actions so that they do not go with impunity.

Immunity breeds lawlessness, encourages conflicts and cause victims of conflicts to suffer in silence without any opportunity for healing, reconciliation and compensation for the wrongs done to them by perpetrators .

Cognizant of these hurdles, H.E , President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., issued Executive Order Number 131 on May 2, 2024, creating the War and Economic Crimes Court which is charged with developing the necessary framework for a Special War Crimes Court to prosecute individuals responsible for the most egregious crimes committed during our civil wars.

As Minister of Justice and Attorney General, I am very committed to seeing the President’s agenda of maintaining the peace of our country and to ensuring that the systems and processes that will lead to healing, reconciliation and accountability are instituted and implemented .

Recently, I attended the United Nations Security Council’s 9710th Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining International Peace from August 21-23, 2024 in New York, United States of America, and in my statement to the Peacebuilding Commission, I outlined Liberia’s Peacebuilding initiatives and future plans which are : To address the root causes of conflict; ensure justice for victims; and create an environment where, all Liberians, especially our youths can thrive in a peaceful and stable society.

As I stated to the Commission: The establishment of the war and economic crimes court is not just a legal imperative, but a moral one. It represents Liberia’s commitment to ending the cycle of immunity and to delivering justice to the victims of our civil wars and their families, and to send a clear message that such atrocity will never again be tolerated in our Nation.

Moreover, Justice alone is not enough, it must be accompanied by efforts to heal and rebuild our communities. As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended, the Government of Liberia is also committed to establishing a Repatriation Trust Fund to support conflict victims. This fund will help victims rebuild their lives and communities, ensuring that they are not forgotten as we move forward.

I want to thanked the organizers of this program for reminding us, as people and nation of the commitments we made when we signed the Accra Peace Agreement.

In conclusion, sustainability of peace is for each and every Liberian to commit to, demonstrate respect for the rule of law, trust in the justice system and do everything within their power to not take the law into their hands, are ways that each of us can sustain the peace.

Trust the Government you elected to do the right thing. It might take time and it may seem too slow-paced , but what is not done right, is not done at all.

As President Boakai said, this is not business as usual and sustaining the peace of this country is everybody business. “

Thank You!

Take a listen to his delivery below.