MONROVIA – The Executive Director of the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia (OWECC-L), Dr. Cllr. Jallah A. Barbu (Prof.), has returned to Liberia following a successful ten-day study visit to the Republic of Rwanda aimed at strengthening Liberia’s transitional justice process through knowledge exchange and international collaboration.
The study mission provided Dr. Barbu with a unique opportunity to examine Rwanda’s remarkable journey from the devastation of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to becoming one of Africa’s leading examples of post-conflict recovery, reconciliation, accountability, and national reconstruction. The visit focused on understanding the institutions, policies, and community-based approaches that have enabled Rwanda to confront its painful past while laying the foundation for lasting peace and development.
During the visit, Dr. Barbu held a series of high-level engagements with institutions and organizations working in the areas of transitional justice, genocide prevention, memorialization, reconciliation, victim support, and post-conflict healing. These interactions provided valuable lessons that will help inform Liberia’s ongoing efforts to establish a credible and effective War and Economic Crimes Court.
The visit also generated expressed technical support sharing and exchange of transitional Justice for knowledge.
A significant aspect of the mission was Dr. Barbu’s engagement with victims’ and survivors’ organizations in Rwanda. During these discussions, survivors shared their experiences, challenges, and the important role they have played in ensuring that justice, truth, accountability, and reconciliation remain central to Rwanda’s national development agenda.
Dr. Barbu emphasized that the voices of victims and survivors are indispensable to any meaningful transitional justice process. He noted that Liberia’s journey toward justice must equally recognize and empower victims of the country’s civil conflict while ensuring that their experiences contribute to national healing and reconciliation.
The Executive Director disclosed that the engagements have opened the door for future collaboration between victims’ and survivors’ organizations in Rwanda and similar groups in Liberia. According to him, establishing networks between these organizations will encourage the exchange of experiences, strengthen victim advocacy, and promote international solidarity in support of Liberia’s transitional justice agenda.
“Rwanda’s experience demonstrates that accountability and reconciliation are not mutually exclusive,” Dr. Barbu said. “The country has shown that even after one of humanity’s darkest chapters, it is possible to rebuild institutions, restore confidence, and unite a nation through justice, truth, and reconciliation. Liberia can draw important lessons from that experience while developing a process that reflects our own history and national realities.”
Dr. Barbu stressed that OWECC-L remains committed to ensuring that the establishment of Liberia’s War and Economic Crimes Court is inclusive, transparent, victim-centered, and consistent with international standards and the recommendations of Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
While in Kigali, the Executive Director also received a courtesy visit from members of the Liberian Students Association in Rwanda. During the meeting, the students expressed admiration for the Government of Liberia’s efforts to advance accountability and pledged their full support to the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court.
The students encouraged OWECC-L to continue engaging Liberians in the diaspora, noting that young professionals and students studying abroad are eager to contribute their knowledge and expertise toward national development and the strengthening of democratic institutions.
Dr. Barbu thanked the students for their patriotic commitment and encouraged them to continue pursuing academic excellence, reminding them that Liberia’s future depends significantly on an educated, responsible, and service-oriented generation of young leaders.
He further urged the students to become ambassadors of peace, unity, accountability, and good governance wherever they find themselves, adding that the skills and experiences they acquire abroad will be invaluable to Liberia’s reconstruction and long-term development.
The Executive Director reaffirmed that OWECC-L will continue to strengthen partnerships with regional and international institutions as Liberia moves steadily toward the operationalization of the War and Economic Crimes Court and the National Anti-Corruption Court.
He noted that international cooperation and the sharing of best practices remain critical to ensuring that Liberia establishes institutions capable of delivering credible justice, promoting reconciliation, protecting victims’ rights, and preventing future atrocities.
Dr. Barbu expressed appreciation to the Government and people of the Republic of Rwanda, partner institutions, victims’ organizations, and the Liberian community in Rwanda for the warm hospitality extended to the OWECC-L delegation throughout the visit.
He described the mission as highly productive and reaffirmed OWECC-L’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Government of Liberia in implementing a transitional justice process that promotes accountability, restores public confidence in the rule of law, honors the dignity of victims, and contributes to lasting peace and national unity.