Story and Photos by: Nat Nyuan-Bayjay

Monrovia’s major streets downtown were crowded Friday morning with peaceful demonstrations geared in two different directions, with one calling for general amnesty for all participants of the Liberian civil war, including those recommended by the TRC for prosecution, while the other called for full support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)’s Final Recommendations and the resignation of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

In accordance with the act establishing the TRC, the Commission concluded its three year function and submitted its final findings and recommendations to the National Legislature as provided for in Article X, Section 43 of the TRC Act.

The recommendations, which state that several individuals including President Sirleaf should be excluded from holding any public office for three decades as well as prosecution of over 90 individuals for alleged atrocities against the Liberian populace during the war have since been greeted with diverse views.

A small but energetic group of young men from the Mulbah Morlu’s War Crime Group began an anti-Ellen and a pro-TRC Recommendation demonstration from the Monrovia City Hall in Sinkor to the diplomatic enclave of Mamba Point where they were expected to present a position statement to the international community via the United States Embassy.

The group from the Morlu’s section of the Forum for The Establishment of War Crimes Court, between 40 to 50 young men, peacefully demonstrated with placards and slogans such as, “Ellen-Chief War Fund Raiser”, “Ellen is a bonafide member of NPFL”, “For Peace and Reconciliation, the TRC Recommendations must be fully implemented”, “Impunity Must Be Crushed”, among others as they continued shouting and sang “Ellen Must Resign”.

The Forum for the Establishment of War Crimes Court in Liberia, as the name suggests, has been advocating for the establishment of a war crime court in Liberia to prosecute what it continues to term major perpetrators of heinous crimes during the country’s decade-long and a half civil war.

Monrovians witnessed both the demonstration of the ‘pro-TRC’ group and another group of peaceful demonstrators, a huge number and well-uniformed in printed white T-shirts, with placards and slogans of reconciliation and anti-prosecution messages.

The demonstration, widely believed to be a state ‘stage-managed’ demonstration was held under the auspices of the National Consciousness Movement of Liberia (NACOMAL), a pro-advocacy group and well organized as hundreds of people flocked upper Broad Street downtown Monrovia where they assembled as they were transported from various suburbs of Monrovia in arranged commercial buses.

Information Minister Dr. Laurence Bropleh announced Thursday that the NACOMAL been permitted by the Ministry of Justice to carry out today’s demonstration which a lot of critics started to denounce because it is thought to have been planned by the Government to render the TRC recommendations invalid.

Under the guidance of a heavy police effort from both the LNP and the United Nations Police in Liberia (UNPOL), the group marched from Central Monrovia to the Monrovia City Hall in Sinkor where it presented the obvious statement of anti-TRC to a special representative from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

In its two-count statement, presented to ECOWAS through its representatives Roosevelt Jayjay, the group condemned the TRC’s recommendation of prosecution which it says undermines the peace and stability being enjoyed by Liberia and called for general amnesty for all participants of the Liberian civil, including those recommended by the TRC for prosecution.

It further condemns the 30-year ban for major actors and financiers of the civil conflict, another category of the TRC’s recommendations under which President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and others are caught in the web.

President Sirleaf’s recommended 30-year political ban is one key aspect of the TRC findings and recommendations that has triggered both local and international concerns, with Liberians again being divided on this aspect.

The group’s statement also emphasized settling their differences through genuine peace and forgiveness and not through a war crimes court.

Mr. Jayjay, receiving and promising to present the statement to the relevant authorities, stressed that ECOWAS has invested a lot in building a stablized region and would not welcome any attempt to revert to civil unrest.

Fury Between ‘Pro’ & ‘Anti’

Meanwhile, a verbal wrath erupted between a member of the war crime group and some members of the ‘anti-TRC’ group while on Upper Broad Street , Central Monrovia where the latter group being assembled which officers of the LNP had to intervene.

Asamuwontee Kieh, Public Relation Officer for the Morlu’s section of the war crime group got into a bitter confrontation with some demonstrators of the ‘anti-TRC group’ as he, Kieh, publicly stood in the midst of them and began to shout:

“This is a waste of public resources. There are all indications that Government is purely sponsoring this group because this particular so-called demonstration is completely staged-managed. These are some of the things we are talking about and that’s why these war financiers must be brought to justice. They’re just wasting money on this…….”, Kieh shouted as he was interrupted by a group of demonstrators who said they could not allow him to make such statements in their midst.

They exclaimed, “We can’t allow you to make these kinds of remarks here. Go to your side. We know your are the people wanting to cause problem in this country again”.

Gerald Teahton, one of the several youth leaders from the 72nd Community of Paynesville outside Monrovia told FrontPageAfrica he and his group decided to form a part of the NACOMOL’s demonstration because he chooses peace over war.

“I think prosecuting these people will bring about another chaos in this country. That is why we have gathered here in the masses to champion this cause. We are not paid by anyone”, Teahton told FPA.