Liberia’s upper house gave the nod to the creation of a War Crimes court to seek justice for victims of the two horrendous civil wars that wrecked the country between 1989 and 2003. The lower house had earlier given its backing to the move last month.
President Joseph Boakai had promised to deliver justice to victims of the wars that claimed many lives during his presidential campaign.
It now only needs presidential approval after 27 out of 29 senators voted in favour of its establishment.
The move has stirred a furore with activists and civil society welcoming the idea while critics say it only serves to reopen old wounds and could threaten an existing amnesty law that helped to down weapons.
About 250,000 people lost their lives in the two brutal wars that were pervaded by the use of child soldiers. Many more suffered serious abuses, including rape.
There had been earlier attempts to bring war criminals to justice, but there’s been little progress until now.
While the court will sit in Liberia, it will also receive support from some foreign institutions including the UN. Some economic crimes will also fall under its purview.