Activates Long-Dormant Strategic Roadmap, Commits to TRC Recommendations, Memorials, and Justice.
Monrovia, Liberia – The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), which prioritizes national unity, reconciliation, and the implementation of long-overdue transitional justice measures, has reiterated its steadfast commitment to repairing Liberia’s deep-seated wartime scars.
Following the historic July 5, 2025, inauguration of the National Healing, Reconciliation, and Unity Program by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., a daring endeavor to end the agonizing chapters left by Liberia’s 14-year civil conflict, this renewed commitment was made.
Minister of Internal Affairs Francis Sakila Nyumalin emphasized the need to address Liberia’s violent history in order to establish a solid basis for long-term peace and prosperity during a news conference in Monrovia.
“The President has taken bold and practical steps that mark a crucial turning point for our country, realizing that the development and prosperity of Liberia depend on confronting and closing the legacies of the civil wars,” the Minister said.
The Strategic Roadmap for National Healing, Peacebuilding, and Reconciliation (2013–2030) is the cornerstone of the government’s new strategy. It was first created during the Sirleaf administration but has mainly remained in recent years. The roadmap offers an extensive blueprint addressing Liberia’s wartime injustices and fostering lasting reconciliation.
The formal commencement of the National Healing, Reconciliation, and Unity Program, a National Apology to victims of civil war crimes, and the creation of a Palava Hut System in conjunction with a National Memorial effort are among the significant initiatives announced by President Boakai’s government.
The program also entails the symbolic reburial of former Presidents William R. Tolbert Jr. and Samuel K. Doe, two important individuals whose deaths continue to be a painful legacy of Liberia’s turbulent history, as well as the return of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) archives from the United States to Liberia.
These initiatives are in line with the 207 recommendations made in the 2009 TRC Final Report, which were essential to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended years of bloody fighting in Liberia in 2003.
Minister Nyumalin stated that previous attempts to put the TRC’s findings into practice failed because of a lack of political will and budgetary limitations. “This call to action is nationwide. “We must work together to change the past and mend our country,” he stated firmly.
In order to guarantee efficient coordination and supervision, the Ministry is seeking the President’s approval to establish a National Reconciliation Steering Committee. In order to guide the reconciliation process, coordinate institutional efforts, and offer precise policy recommendations, this council will be made up of traditional leaders, civil society groups, and government institutions.
To offer crucial operational and technical support, a Technical Committee has already been established. Along with important civil society and religious groups, its members include the Liberia Peacebuilding Office, the Office of the National Peace Ambassador, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, the Governance Commission, the Law Reform Commission, the War and Economic Crimes Court, and others.
To guarantee that the reconciliation process stays open and transparent, this committee will plan national consultations, create a plan for mobilizing resources, and draft the terms of reference for a proposed Independent National Reconciliation Council.
The creation of a National Memorial Park and War Museum, which is slated to be situated in Palm Grove Cemetery, is one of the roadmap’s main projects. Minister Nyumalin emphasized that a wide range of community representatives, including traditional chiefs, elders, women’s and youth organizations, people with disabilities, religious leaders, and others, will be involved in the memorial’s design.
“This process needs to be driven by people and represent our common past,” he stated. “Learning, healing, and moving forward together are more important than going back to assign blame.”
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator, and human rights organizations are among the international partners Liberia will work with to support these initiatives by securing funding and technical assistance.
Minister Nyumalin further emphasized how crucial the media and civil society would be to maintaining openness and raising public knowledge of the national healing initiative. “To carry out these initiatives, we will collaborate closely with the media. Openness is essential. All Liberians are entitled to this effort,” he said.
The Ministry will also tap into the strength of Liberia’s diaspora through coordinated efforts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora Affairs Office at the Ministry of State, aiming to build broad-based ownership and support for reconciliation.
Former Presidents Tolbert and Doe’s reburials, whose brutal deaths were pivotal points in Liberia’s history, represent a national move toward reconciliation and reverence for the nation’s former leaders. The TRC archives’ repatriation from the US is also anticipated to yield important records required for institutional learning and transitional justice.
Finally, Minister Nyumalin emphasized that the reconciliation effort in Liberia must be based on true justice, remembrance, and accountability rather than only symbolic actions. “We are dedicated to doing something, not simply talking. Reconciling our past and future is the goal of this strategy,” he said.
