With days to the expiration of Executive Order No. 131, creating the Office for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia, United States Ambassador to Liberia His Excellency Mark Toner has expressed hope for its renewal.
Ambassador Toner acknowledged the inadequate funding allotted for the implementation of OWECC-L mandates, in addition to expressing hope for the renewal of the Executive Order.
Speaking Thursday when he and his team paid a courtesy visit to Executive Director Dr. Cllr. Jallah A. Barbu, the US Ambassador said President Joseph Nyumah Boakai doing more for the OWECC-L would further demonstrate his commitment to his campaign promises.
During the visit, the Ambassador was given a guided tour of the office facilities, introduced to the staff, and briefed on the mandate, activities completed and ongoing, and the institutional framework being laid for the eventual establishment of both the War Crimes Court and the National Anti-Corruption Court for Liberia.
Ambassador Toner then pledged the US mission’s continuous engagement and advocacy with his government for the full fulfillment of OWECC-L’s mandate.
“While the advocacy and engagement are ongoing, the Liberian government should convince the international community why Liberia needs a war crimes court,” the US Ambassador said.
The United States Ambassador was responding to briefings on the operation of the Office by its Executive Director Dr. Barbu.
The Executive Director, Dr. Barbu, described the Ambassador’s visit as a sign of goodwill toward Liberia’s peace process. He also highlighted the severe challenges in securing government funding for operations, which has demotivated his staff—who, he noted, have not been paid for the past three months.
“We are not discouraged but not happy with the trend, and despite these administrative challenges, the staff are tremendously making progress toward archiving OWECC-L’s mandates.
Despite the challenges, according to Dr. Barbu, a lot of progress has been made in the areas of outreach, producing roadmap and framework documents, and at the same time working with civil society organizations.
“The Office extends its gratitude to the U.S. Embassy for this meaningful engagement and looks forward to continued collaboration in the spirit of justice and national healing,” he said.
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