I asked the same questions five years ago; I carried inside of me the same feeling of disgust and helplessness as others do today. People still want to know why war lords and financiers of the civil war in Liberia continue to enjoy rights and privileges that should have been taken away from them when the war ended in 2003?
I understand the anger and frustration. I have to make the case for why things are as they are:
I feel your pain, Eva. What ever agreement was hammered out in Abuja or wherever to bring our war to an end in 2003, also gave war lords and others in Liberia the rights to the freedom they enjoy today. Had the United Nations taken over Liberia instead of an Interim Government and had it banned all participants or financiers of the war from political activities in Liberia, we won't be having this discussion right now. Perhaps, Charles Taylor himself would have been in Liberia had he not ventured into Sierra Leone.
With that setup in play, all of us had the a choice to make when it came to supporting a candidate for president in 2005. With the same United Nations in Liberia and with 22 candidates wanting to be president, ominous clouds hanging over them or not, some of us chose and continue to support Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to guarantee the future of our country. It is that setup that has General Butt Naked roaming about today as a pastor in Liberia. It is that setup that has Prince Johnson and many others in the Senate and House of Representatives.
The whole thing is a sad phenomenon; but that is the reality of our time. Liberia cannot just sit there. Our people need time to heal in a peaceful environment. The past five years have provided that peace. Our people are getting their lives back. It may not be the perfect, all-encompassing way we want it to be; but all in all, good things are happening and we must appreciate and be grateful for what is transpiring in Liberia.
With all of this in play, the TRC should have come in, hear the stories of the atrocities, recommend reconciliation, and allow the Liberian people to move forward with their lives. To undo what was agreed to in 2003 will open up a new Pandora Box that we may not be able to reseal.
After what you have just read, and knowing all that you know, what do you think?
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