In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, West Africa was plagued by successive waves of conflict. Civil wars in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone displaced many and separatist rebels in Senegal’s Casamance region fighting with government troops for over 20 years, displaced tens of thousands. However, accountability for crimes committed against civilian populations of the region have been ongoing, through a variety of means both legal, in the form of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the case against Hissane Habre and at the ICC and non legal such as through the Truth and Reconciliation processes of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
More recently, violent conflict as a result of the activities of Boko Haram and the military counter operations has forced large numbers of civilian to be displaced from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
However, the peaceful transfer of power in Gambia, in part as a result of regional heads of state intervention, is a positive development for the region.
Volume 2, Issue 4 On October 11, 2005, Liberia held its first elections since 1997. This election has spurred many refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their homes in order to vote for their future leaders. Unfortunately, however, the way that the involvement of returnees in the elections was facilitated by the…
Volume 2, Issue 4 In our July newsletter we featured the efforts of African advocates to see justice done by seeing Charles Taylor handed over to the Special Court in Sierra Leone, where he has been indicted on 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. One such effort was a case that was…
As Campaigns for Liberia’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections kick off, African and International Organisations Call on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and African Union Chairperson President Obasanjo of Nigeria to Ensure Charles Taylor Does Not Interfere in Liberia’s Democratic Process from Nigeria where he is currently exiled. In a statement issued today,…
Refugee Rights News Volume 2, Issue 2 July 2005 It has been more than two years since the Special Court for Sierra Leone indicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Since then, Taylor has managed to evade justice, sliding from Liberia as rebels closed on the capital to comfortable…