FILE - Joseph Boakai, then Vice-President of Liberia, addresses the 64th session of the General Assembly at United Nations headquarters Friday, Sept. 25, 2009. Liberias President Joseph Boakai has signed a resolution to create a long-awaited war crimes court to deliver justice to the victims of the countrys two civil wars, characterized by the widespread and systematic use of mass killings, torture and sexual violence.
Victims and activists for justice have been calling for a court to try those accused of war crimes for decades. A post-war truth and reconciliation commission in 2009 identified a list of people to be prosecuted for war crimes, but the government didn't take action.
Human Rights Watch and other civil society groups published a joint report a year ago calling on the Biden administration to push Liberian officials to set up the long-awaited court and fund its operations.