Efforts to establish a long-awaited war crimes court in Liberia have reached a critical juncture as parliament prepares for decisive hearings, according to a report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

More than two decades after the end of the country’s civil wars, which claimed an estimated 250 000 lives between 1979 and 2003, lawmakers in Monrovia are working to harmonise competing draft legislation to lay the foundation for the tribunal.

The push follows President Joseph Boakai’s submission of a draft bill to parliament, which sits alongside a parallel legislative proposal backed by Liberian civil society groups and the National Bar Association. Both bills advocate for a hybrid model, combining Liberian and international judges, prosecutors, and legal frameworks, as originally recommended by the nation’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2009.

Liberia’s Senate Judiciary Committee has adopted a roadmap to merge the draft laws, with formal parliamentary hearings scheduled for October and a target for a final Senate vote by December.

However, human rights advocates and legal experts warn that time is short. With the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court aiming for full operational deployment by late 2027, civil society groups have raised concerns that political momentum could stall ahead of Liberia’s 2029 presidential elections, while key witnesses, victims, and alleged perpetrators continue to age.

Despite several high-profile prosecutions of Liberian warlords in foreign jurisdictions under universal jurisdiction laws, no individual has faced trial within Liberia for atrocities committed during the two decade-long conflicts.

–ChannelAfrica/HRW–