Published: February 13, 2026
MONROVIA — Former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. offered a reflective assessment of the late Alhaji G. V. Kromah this week, describing him as a complex figure shaped by Liberia’s civil conflict and urging the country to confront its wartime history with “truth and balance.”
Tweah made the remarks during memorial observances honoring Kromah, a former University of Liberia professor, sports figure, and leader of the ULIMO-K faction during Liberia’s civil war.
His comments come as Liberia continues national discussions on establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court to investigate atrocities committed during the 1989–2003 conflict.
Tweah began by recounting an early memory of Kromah from his youth at G.W. Gibson High School. He described an incident involving then-Lonestar football star James Salinsa Debah, whom Kromah persuaded to return to practice after Debah had attempted to leave.
“That was the first time I paid close attention to G.V. Kromah,” Tweah said, portraying him as a disciplinarian and influential national figure before the outbreak of war.
Before the conflict, Kromah was known as a professor and writer. His later role as head of the ULIMO-K faction placed him among key actors in the armed struggle against Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia.
Tweah acknowledged that this transformation remains central to how many Liberians remember Kromah.
“We saw him as a professor and national statesman, and then the war came,” Tweah said, noting the rupture the conflict imposed on individuals and institutions alike.
ULIMO later split into ULIMO-K and ULIMO-J, factions that were involved in combat operations and have been linked to wartime abuses. No war crimes charges were adjudicated against Kromah before his death.
One of the more debated aspects of Tweah’s remarks was his assertion that segments of Liberian society initially embraced armed rebellion as a response to political frustration under the Doe regime.
“There was a time when young people ran to their radios to listen to Charles Taylor,” Tweah said. “We forget that a segment of the citizenry embraced war as an option.”
He cautioned against selective memory, arguing that understanding Liberia’s conflict requires acknowledging both elite decision-making and broader public sentiment at the time.
Despite his nuanced reflection, Tweah affirmed support for the proposed War and Economic Crimes Court.
“The War and Economic Crimes Court is a good thing,” he said. “People who committed atrocities will have to account for their wrongdoings.”
He emphasized that remembering historical figures does not equate to absolving them of potential responsibility.
Liberia’s legislature continues to deliberate on mechanisms for establishing the court, following recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Tweah also referenced the 1997 elections that brought Charles Taylor to power, recalling debates at the University of Liberia over whether Taylor’s electoral victory could transition the country from conflict to stability.
“He won the election,” Tweah said, reflecting on the gap between wartime expectations and subsequent governance outcomes.
Kromah remains a polarizing figure in Liberia’s post-war memory: a scholar and sportsman who became a wartime faction leader during one of the country’s darkest periods.
Tweah’s remarks underscore the ongoing national struggle over how to remember war-era actors — whether primarily as perpetrators, defenders, political actors or complex individuals shaped by crisis.
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