Liberia Follows South Africa's Lead Toward A Peaceful Society
an article by Tony Dominski

On June 22, 2006 Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) (see website) formally began work Thursday to document atrocities committed during nearly a quarter-century of conflict in which 250,000 perished. The conflict included a bloody 14-year civil war.

The Liberian TRC is modeled after South Africa's successful commission, which was launched in 1995 at the end of apartheid to document human rights abuses and their long term effects. See CPNN article.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said a full accounting of the massacres and other atrocities since 1979 will set the stage for long-term peace. She said: "We must make collective restitution to those victimized, rehabilitate the victimizers, while at the same time visiting some forms of retribution upon those whose violations qualify as crimes against humanity." "The future and the stability of our country will remain in doubt unless we face ourselves as a people, unless we tell the truth of what we did to ourselves and to our nation.

Sirleaf's inauguration in January 2006 ended a transitional period meant to ease Liberia toward peace after years of fighting. As stated in Wikipedia, she has been widely celebrated as the world's first black female president and likewise Africa's first elected female head of state.

Some 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers are providing security in Liberia under a 2003 peace deal that ended fighting and arranged the transitional administration succeeded by Sirleaf's government. Liberia, a country of 3 million, was founded by freed American slaves in 1847. It has struggled with colonialism and conflicts between the American settlers living in coastal counties and the tribal population living inland.

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Israel/Palestine, is the situation like South Africa?
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MIDEAST PEACE

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Since the above was written, CPNN has received an important report from the Middle East about a new Palestinian/Israeli peace initiative which includes plans for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission modeled on the one in South Africa.  See the report Israeli Activists Elude Roadblocks to meet Palestinians for Peace .

This report was posted on August 8, 2006. The moderator is Danielle Brauer.

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