Truth and Reconciliation Commission Presents Report
By Marian Samu

Tuesday, October 5 - The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), one of the institutions mandated to be set up by the Lome Peace Agreement, presented its final report to President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah at a well-attended and impressive ceremony held at State House, Freetown, on October 5, 2004.

The report, accompanied by a Child-friendly version, was presented in the presence of a galaxy of dignitaries including representatives of the United Nations system, the diplomatic community, International donor organizations, Non-governmental organizations, and representatives of Civil Society and school children.

Delivering the message from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Jose Dougan Beaca said that the occasion of the presentation of the report represented an important milestone in the recent history of Sierra Leone and in a remarkable way underscored the fruitful collaboration between the Government and people of Sierra Leone, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations system as a whole.

The High Commissioner noted that her office's involvement in the effort led by the people of Sierra Leone to rebuild their country on the foundations of the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights, started with the adoption of the Sierra Leone Human Rights Manifesto in June 1999, during the visit of the then High Commissioner, Ms. Mary Robinson.

The report, she also noted, contains the accounts of the people of Sierra Leone during a trying period, characterized by the most grievous violations of human rights, and that it must be seen as part of a universal effort to prevent impunity for violations of human rights and humanitarian law in conflict situations, and a modest but important attempt to respond to the quest for justice by thousands of innocent victims of the war.

She saluted the courage of the many women, men and children who came forward to tell their stories in public hearings as well as the humility and decency of those who came to express their profound regret for the role they played during those dark days. She expressed hope that the recommendations will be implemented as required by the TRC Act (2000), which prescribed legal, political and/or administrative reforms, and that Government must do all in its power to implement them in accordance with section 17 of the act.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Daudi Mwakawago, in his statement described the report and its recommendations as an important milestone in our collective effort to unearth past injustices and to recover the truth about the conflict in Sierra Leone. The testimony of thousands of witnesses who were courageous enough to come forward to share their respective stories, he said, is a vital component of transitional justice in Sierra Leone.

Ambassador Mwakawago stated that as a civil war or conflict comes to and end, many governments are confronted with a series of fundamental questions of legal, political and even psychological nature, and the answers to these questions might invariably determine the future stability of the country. In Sierra Leone, he said, a two-prong complementary approach was adopted in dealing with these questions: Justice and accountability through a Special Court for those who bear the greatest responsibility for the acts and atrocities committed during the war; and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to create an impartial historical record of violations and abuses committed during the war, with the view to address the question of impurity; respond to the needs of victims of the conflict, and promote healing and national reconciliation.

He said that UNAMSIL is proud to have been part of the process as it assisted in the substantive work of the Commission by providing technical assistance in the area of human rights, and served as a conduit between the Commission and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.

Ambassador Mwakawago, however, noted that the report would not have come into being without the selfless sacrifices made by the witnesses and the tireless efforts by all members of the Commission. On behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, and the entire United Nation family, he expressed thanks and appreciation to the Commissioners and staff for the fulfillment of their mandate and to the thousands of witnesses who related their stories, many of them in tears, pain and agony.

No society, Mr. Mwakawago maintained, can build a democratic future on a foundation of a forgotten, denied or incomplete history. The future, he said, depends on the past, and if Sierra Leone is to move forward as a nation, it is essential that she confronts the legacy of her past, regardless of how painful, ugly and horrific it is. He urged Sierra Leoneans to learn from their mistakes and vow never again to repeat them, and that it is only by doing so that the nation and its people can put the past behind them and move forward.

Mr. Mwakawago applauded the work of the TRC, as a significant contribution to the peace process and stability of this country, and to the process of healing and reconciliation, because in the absence of such a legacy, he said, there will be no solid foundation on which to rebuild this great country.

He appealed to all Sierra Leoneans to let this report be a symbol of their commitment to never again engage in those acts that brought this country to its knees through a civil war and to let the report be a symbol of their commitment to move forward in the spirit of peace, national unity and reconciliation.

UNAMSIL, he said, will continue in its work of laying the foundations for peace and stability in the spirit and letter of the Security Council resolution 1562 (2004), which accords primacy to important issues relating to good governance, justice and the rule of law in addition to bolstering the security sector.

A representative of the donor community, Mr. Jean Tunacliff from the European Commission expressed gratitude to all those countries that supported the work of the TRC, as the occasion would not have been possible without funds from those donors.

A representative of the Truth and Reconciliation Working Group, a coalition of civil society groups, Mr. John Caulker, appealed to government for an effective dissemination of the report, and for the setting up of the war victim's reparation fund. He noted the importance of the rights of victims to truth and justice and encouraged both victims and perpetrators to be involved in the reconciliation process.

The UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr. Rima Salah, extolled the TRC for the production of the child-friendly version of the report, adding that this was the first time in the world that a children's version of a Truth and Reconciliation report has been prepared. She said it is important for the children to better understand the things that happened and recommended that young adults be given a stronger voice to participate in governance so that they may not be frustrated.

Representatives of children in their statements expressed their pleasure for consulting with them and involving them in the development of the Child-friendly version of the report. They called on government to ensure the proper implementation of the recommendations of the report and recommended that government put an end to the recruitment of children by armed groups, eliminate child labour and sexual exploitation and support children whether victims or perpetrators. They requested that government support family reintegration for those children that were separated from their families by the war and render support to child-friendly associations.

Presenting the report to President Kabbah, the Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Bishop J.C. Humper, amongst the many recommendations embodied in the report, asked that January 18 be declared a National Reconciliation Day, as it was on the 18th January 2002 that President Kabbah formally declared the end of the war, when he pronounced at Lungi that "the war don done", meaning in krio that the war was over.

Receiving the Report from the TRC Chairman, the President, Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, said that by listening to the presentations of the representatives of children, he was relieved from any doubt he had had about the future of Sierra Leone, since the children manifested by their brilliant performances that, indeed, there was hope for a bright future for the country. He confessed that he could now return to his maker, confident that all was not lost and that Sierra Leone's glorious future was only a matter of time and determination.

The President described the occasion as another significant milestone in the history of the country and noted that the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was not just another Report, but a sacred document that embodied the collective reflections on the ten-year destructive conflict which he referred to as the greatest tragedy the country has ever known. He thanked the Almighty God that the nation survived this tragedy, adding that it was the courage and resilience of the people that enabled Sierra Leoneans to accomplish the arduous task of not only putting the war behind them, but of documenting the sad and painful experiences of the war.

He said that while Sierra Leoneans should be proud to acknowledge that their nation survived the war intact, it is obligatory on them to always remember with deep sorrow that this came at the cost of the lives of many of their compatriots and citizens of friendly countries, in addition to the severe physical and emotional damage inflicted on many others. On behalf of all the citizens of the country, he paid homage to the illustrious heroes of the war and asked that special prayers be offered for the souls of those who lost their lives.

The event, President Kabbah said, marked a major step in the reconciliation of Sierra Leone society through the transitional justice process, stating that the process which addresses the issues of guilt, contrition and forgiveness was critical for the restoration of trust and harmony among the people, after the horrible and divisible experiences of the war.
The President paid special tributes to the Commission for having carried out their mandate so thoroughly under very difficult circumstances, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, particularly Mary Robinson, the UNDP, UNAMSIL, UNICEF, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Working Group, and Civil Society organizations. He also expressed sincere gratitude to the Donor community for the support rendered to the Commission.

President Kabbah also noted that the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report was that it would remind the people of Sierra Leone about where things went wrong so that they can learn appropriate lessons as to how to ensure that the hard-earned peace is sustained and conflicts are avoided, adding that he has no doubt that the Report will contain a clear statement that bad governance over a long period is an important contributory factor to the conflict. The present Government, he said, realized this fact from the moment it took over the administration of the country in 1996 and for this reason, it introduced measures to eliminate the worst and obvious elements of bad governance. The emphasis since then, he said, has been to ensure that such matters like transparency in public affairs and accountability by public officials and in Government are maintained.

The President said he believed that the report would have found out that the lack of patriotism, selfishness and greed by a good number of our people facilitated the destruction of our nation, and it is for this reason that his Government is constantly urging the people to be public-spirited, to know and enjoy their legal and constitutional rights, but do so without trampling on the rights of others as well. This, he maintained, is in accordance with Section 15 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone and said that it will promote harmony and further help to sustain the peace in our communities.

President Kabbah emphasized that Government will not relent to call on the perpetrators to continue to show remorse and the victims to show forgiveness, as this will be the greatest assurance for healing and reconciliation to take place effectively, adding that we can only build a better future if we all learn to forgive others for the pains inflicted on us during the conflict.

He assured all that Government is committed to take the Report and its recommendations seriously and that it will study them diligently and state its position soon. He urged the entire international community to work together with, and assist Government in the implementation of the Commission's recommendations. "There can be no better opportunity for such cooperation and international assistance to this country", he concluded.