In a landmark moment for Liberia’s post-conflict history, President Joseph Boakai delivered a formal state apology on Saturday to the victims of the country’s two brutal civil wars (1989–2003), which claimed an estimated 250,000 lives and left deep scars across generations.

“To every victim of our civil conflict, to every family broken, to every dream shattered, we say: We are sorry,” Boakai declared during a National Healing, Reconciliation and Unity Program held in Monrovia.

This marks the first time a sitting Liberian president has issued such an apology, fulfilling a key recommendation of the 2009 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report.

Boakai acknowledged the state’s failure to protect its citizens, stating, “The State could have done better but was used as an agency,” and pledged to ensure it “never fails you again”.

The apology comes amid renewed momentum for transitional justice in Liberia. In 2024, the government endorsed the creation of a War and Economic Crimes Court, though the process faces a major hurdle: $100 million in required funding.

While foreign tribunals in Switzerland, France, Sweden, and the U.S. have prosecuted some war-era figures, no trials have taken place in Liberia itself. Boakai’s administration has vowed to change that, with plans to implement TRC recommendations including national memorials, death certificates for victims, and preservation of historical archives.

Civil society leaders and transitional justice experts have welcomed the apology as a genuine step toward healing, though they stress that accountability must follow. “There can be no true healing without justice,” said House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon.

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