Civil Society and Transitional Justice in Liberia: A Practitioner's Reflection from the Field

Liberia presents an important opportunity for civil society,national government and the international community to cooperatein rebuilding a post-conflict country in a way that addressesthe essential and elemental basis for building a just and durablepeace. In other words, the country is poised to be a potential‘success story,’ one that could set new trends inhow African people negotiate a post-conflict coexistence onthe basis of shared values, popular participation and economicand social justice. The role of civil society in particularin this process of reconstruction, and specifically issues oftransitional justice, is central to ensuring that policies havebroad input amongst the Liberian population, all of whom havebeen directly impacted by the war. This article outlines thecountry's trajectory from conflict to peace, the challengesof addressing the crimes of the past, the risks to newly establisheddemocratic institutions posed by a truncated or incomplete transitionaljustice program and the role of Liberian civil society bothbroadly in a newly democratic Liberia as well as specificallyin regards to the establishment and functioning of the Truthand Reconciliation Commission.