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Sierra Leone |
HUMAN RIGHTS
After a decade of civil war, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been established in Sierra Leone with the aim of bringing divergent parties together
In the year 2000, in compliance with the provisions of the Lome Peace Agreement (signed between the Government and the rebels in July 1999), a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was enacted in Parliament. The Commission’s main aim is to bring divergent parties together, by allowing both victims and perpetrators to reveal what happened during the war. The nation was rent asunder by the effects of the brutal war and for this the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels must bear initial responsibility. A similar responsibility lies on the shoulders of renegade soldiers.
The war itself was officially declared over by President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah at a symbolic burning of arms and ammunition on 18 January 2002. But the relationship between various segments of the population was still observed to be acrimonious. The launching of the TRC on 5 July 2002 in Freetown by President Kabbah, raised hopes of achieving reconciliation.
The TRC
During the launching ceremony, President Kabbah said the TRC will investigate and report on the causes, nature and extent of human rights violations. «The Commission will create an impartial and historical record of atrocities perpetrated against innocent civilians during the ten-year war. However, it is necessary that we look beyond a mere record and see the TRC as a therapeutic process».
The President observed that the war had created divisions between families and among neighbours and friends. To a large extent, the body politic had come apart. «The guns may be silent or destroyed, but the trauma of war still lingers on. This is why the TRC is, and should be seen, as an instrument of national reconciliation, and another means of strengthening the peace».
TRC commissioners have been drawn from various countries, and with this in mind President Kabbah stated: «I am satisfied with the selection process in which the international community participated fully». However, he warned: «No one, not even the President, should control, direct or seek to influence the Commission or Commission members in the performance of their functions. Commission members will be dismissed if found guilty of misconduct». He insisted on the Commission’s integrity and independence. The President called on everyone to cooperate with the work of the Commission. «I know it will be painful or even humiliating for some people to relate their experiences. However, I encourage them to come forward and help in this work of national unity».
The TRC’s task
The TRC‘s task is Herculean. The RUF Party spokesman, Eldred Collins, says: «There were many factions who fought each other during the civil war, and this includes soldiers of the Sierra Leonean Army and government forces». He also alleges that pro-government forces, including Executive Outcome mercenaries from South Africa, also committed human rights violations.
But who is to determine what really took place? Bishop Joseph Humper is the TRC‘s chairperson. He says the Commission must be impartial. «Why were civilians the main targets, rather than the opposing armed forces? Why were our women and children made objects of pleasure and abuse during the course of the war? Why were our buildings and other infrastructure deliberately and systematically targeted? What happened to our loved ones who have yet to return home, even though the war is now over? These questions must be answered. Even if our loved ones were killed during the course of the war, their families need to know what happened so that they can at least give them a decent burial. Our people are entitled to explanations. It is only by grappling with these issues that we can chart the way forward».
The United Nations has been very supportive in the establishment of the TRC. It should also be noted that the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has supported the disarmament process. Kofi Annan’s special representative in Sierra Leone says: «In order to build a truly sustainable peace for the future, Sierra Leone must first of all look back on its past. However painful it may be, Sierra Leoneans must have the opportunity to document, discuss and come to terms with events which took place during the ten-year conflict. The TRC is not meant to open old wounds, but to examine them in the spirit of healing, so as to move forward to a better future».
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PeaceLink 2002 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement