Global Policy Forum

By Janet Adongo

Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which started its operations eight months ago, is now drafting a report of its public hearings. As this continues, political analysts are taking stock of its achievements and shortcomings so far. Our writer, Janet Adongo, reports.

At the start of public hearings of Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on April 14 this year, President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, said that the most important accomplishment of the commission would be "the reconciling of our population, and ensuring that Sierra Leone shall never again experience the evils of the past 11 years." And facing a barrage of questions fringing on reparations, the commission's chairman, Rt Rev Dr Joseph Christian Humper, calmly explained time and time again during the initial stages of the hearings, that "guidelines for reparation and measures aiming at preventing the recurrence of the abuses would be included in the TRC's final report in the form of recommendations to the government, and to other bodies". "A special committee will be set up after the TRC, to monitor their effective implementation by all concerned," he clarified then. The commission, which was conceived in July 1999 at the signing of the Lome Peace Agreement, was established by an Act of Parliament in February 2000 to create an impartial record of violations of human rights during the 1991-1999 civil war, to promote healing and reconciliation. Its ultimate aim is to prevent a repetition of the heinous acts committed during the war. It was commissioned to last 18 months, and just recently, it completed its first stage, which involved listening to testimonies and statements by members of the public. As it now sits down to compile a report of the public hearings, reactions concerning the work done so far, are beginning to emerge. Those who generally view the commission's work as a success, base their opinions on the number of people who turned up to record statements, and also the commission's ability to reach deep corners of the country to hear testimonies. Edie Vandy, a Sierra Leone national and political analyst, says of the TRC's hearings stage: "For the victims, it provided a forum to speak out and to be heard... and by speaking out, there was an innate healing power behind it all, regardless of any material or physical compensation that might be provided at the end of the day." He adds: "One critical element that ushered in the war, and which was re-echoed throughout the deliberations, was the denial of justice, or the lack of it."

A suggestion was made that the TRC be transformed into a "People's Court", manned by councilors, where civilians can take their cases, complaints and grievances for fast and quick remedial action. Vandy explains this suggestion: "The people of this nation have lost trust and faith in the court systems, and much needs to be done to win [their] confidence. Perhaps the TRC will provide that answer." The Sierra Leone TRC, unlike its South African counterpart, does not have an arm that looks into justice. Instead, the country has a special court, established jointly by the government and the United Nations (UN), which will try those who bear the greatest responsibility for the abuses. But Vandy feels that the real purpose and essence for which the Special Court of Sierra Leone (SCSL) was established has been lost. Says he: "The main players are either dead or on the run like Johnny Paul Koroma. And people who fought for peace like the Civil Defense Force leader, Sam Hinga, have been indicted. At the same time, Charles Taylor is in Nigeria, and no one knows if he will be handed over to the court, following his indictment (in June)." Taylor, immediate former president of Liberia, has been accused of having played a major role in fanning the war between rebels belonging to Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (RUF/SL) and the government. Vandy's sentiments on this matter are echoed by Kenneth Conteh, a lawyer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "It is a very complicated situation, which will only be understood as it unfolds. The accused are dead, on the run or in exile, and Sierra Leoneans do not know for sure whether this is a good or bad thing," observes Conteh. He says that the general feeling among nationals at the grassroots level is that the rebels are being treated better than the common man who suffered the atrocities the rebels committed. "The perpetrators have been disarmed, rehabilitated and reintegrated. Some have been absorbed into the army, while others have been taken for training in basic skills that they can use to earn a living," he says, but poses: "What has been done for the amputees? What has been done for those who lost breadwinners, for the orphans, for those whose properties were destroyed?" Currently, a large number of Sierra Leone's amputees, the living testimony to the extent of cruelty meted on civilians, depend on UN agencies for their survival, and that of their families. According to Conteh, it is vital that their needs are considered by the TRC before tables turn. "Understandably, there is a lot of bitterness flowing among those who believe they suffered and are not being helped. These are people who... just want something to be done that puts them into the picture," says the legal expert. According to President Kabbah, "it is difficult and expensive to repair the physical damage done during the rebel war. It is more difficult to heal the physical wounds inflicted on the thousands of victims who survived the onslaughts. Even more difficult still is the healing of the trauma and removal of the emotional scars of that unnecessary armed conflict".

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