Reform of the justice system needs to be a top priority
for Liberia’s new government and donors alike.1 After
fourteen years of civil war, the system is in shambles.
Impunity prevails, and in this atmosphere, the government
cannot adequately address economic governance,
transformation of the military and reconstruction of warscarred
physical infrastructure – all primary areas for
reform and reconstitution in 2006. Courts that do not
prosecute those who siphon resources from government
coffers impede progress in all other areas. Within the next
six months, stronger and impartial mechanisms are
required in both the statutory and customary law systems,
and community-based justice programs should be created.
