War Survivors in Liberia Need Opportunities “to tell their stories”: Catholic Entities

The West African nation had civil wars from 1989 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2003.

“The victims’ fear is compounded where there is a lack of public acknowledgement of the suffering that has occurred and the lives that have been lost,” representatives of the Catholic entities in Liberia say in their communiqué that was signed by CABICOL President, Bishop Anthony Borwah, the Vice Managing Director of AGIAMONDO, Martin Vehrenberg, and Dr. Jorg Luer, the General Secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of Germany.

They also say that it is important to listen to the stories of the perpetrators of violence as “those who have been responsible for acts of violence are also in need of healing.”

“It is important to create space to explore and understand these realities, while giving due priority to the suffering of victims and survivors and respecting the memory of those who have lost their lives,” say representatives of the Catholic entities.

Credit: CABICOL

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They add that while the stories of the perpetrators of violence are difficult to listen to, “they convey difficult but important messages about the complexity of violent conflict.”

The stories of the perpetrators of violence, the representatives of the three Catholic entities further say, “bring an important perspective on the cost of war.”

In their statement, they also pay tribute “to the courage of those who worked for peace at the height of war, at great personal risk and cost.” 

“Many of these people played critical roles in holding communities together at times of fear and threat. Their leadership brought light to very dark places. They too have experienced trauma and loss and need to be supported to find healing,” they say.

Credit: CABICOL

The representatives of the three Catholic entities continue, “We hope that political leaders will be open to learning from their experience and provide them with the space needed to carry out this work.”

They also underscore the need “to honor the memory” of those who died as a result of the civil war. 

“One concrete contribution we can make is to honour the memory of all those who lost their lives in the places where acts of violence occurred. In this way we bear witness to the dignity and worth of every human person,” say the representatives of CABICOL, AGIAMONDO and the Justice and Peace Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of Germany.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.