BRIEFING BY THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION ON THE MAKING OF SUBMISSIONS TO THE COMMISSION ON MONDAY 2ND DECEMBER 2002
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established by the Government of Sierra Leone, in terms of the Lomé Peace Agreement, by a special Act of Parliament on the 22nd March 2000. In terms of the provisions of the Act, the Commission is made up of 4 national Commissioners and 3 International Commissioners. The Commissioners were appointed through the assistance of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Sierra Leone and the Office of the President of Sierra Leone.
The mandate of the Commission includes the following:
- To create an impartial historical record of the violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law related to the armed conflict in Sierra Leone; To address impunity
- To respond to the needs of victims
- To promote healing and reconciliation
- To prevent a repetition of abuses suffered
- To investigate and report on the causes, nature and extent of the violations and abuses to the fullest degree possible, including the antecedents;
- To investigate the context in which the violations and abuses occurred;
- To investigate whether the violations and abuses were the result of the deliberate planning, policy or authorisation by any government, group or individual, and the role of both internal and external factors to the conflict.
The Commission has already commenced its deployment phase with the recruitment and training of Statement Takers to take statements from victims, perpetrators, and witnesses in preparation for its intended hearings and in order to compile its final report. The official commencement of the statement taking process will take place on the Wednesday 4th of December 2002, at Bomaru in Kailahun District, Eastern Region of Sierra Leone. Bomaru is significant because it was that community that the first shot in the armed conflict was fired.
The Commission has also decided to invite different role-players including political parties, the legal sector, the medical sector, the military, the police, international and national agencies, NGOs and governments as well as other interested parties to make submissions to it in regard to its mandate as mentioned above.
It is within this context that the Commission has invited the following institutions and persons to make submissions to it:
1. The Government of Sierra Leone
2. The Government of the United States of America
3. The Government of the United Kingdom.
4. The Government of the Republic of Liberia
5. The Government of the Republic of Guinea
6. The Government of Belgium
7. The Government of the Republic of Burkina Faso
8. The Government of the Republic of Ghana
9. The Government of Libya
10. The Government of the Republic of Nigeria
11. The Government of Ukraine
12. The Government of the Republic of South Africa
13 The Government of the Republic of Gambia
14 Council of Paramount Chiefs
15. The Sierra Leone Peoples Party
16. The All Peoples Congress Party
17. People's Liberation Party
18. The Revolutionary United Front Party
19. The Sierra Leone Armed Forces
20. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and ECOMOG
21. Civil Society Movements
22. The Civil Defence Forces
23. The National Union of Sierra Leone Students
24. The Law Society of Sierra Leone
25. The Drivers Union of Sierra Leone
26. The Sierra Leone Judiciary
27. The Sierra Leone Medical Association
28. The Sierra Leone Prison Service
29. The Sierra Leone Police Force
30. The United Nations Security Council
31. The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL)
32. UNICEF
33. UNIFEM
34. Human Rights NGOs
35. Other United Nations Agencies
36. Chief Hinga Norman
37. Rtd. Capt. Valentine Strasser
38. Rtd. Brig. General Maada Bio
39. All other persons who served in the Government of the NPRC
40. Mr. James Jonah
41. Mr. Johnny Paul Koroma
42. Mr. Allieu Kamara
43. All other persons who served in the government of the AFRC
44. Mr. Foday Sankoh
45. Col. Komba Mondeh, Defence Attaché to Nigeria
46. Mrs Elizabeth Lavally
47. The Pan African Students Union of Sierra Leone, c/o Mr. Olu Gordon, Publisher Peep Newspaper
48. Ms. Fatmata Asaad
49. Radio 98.1 FM
50. Dr. Julius Spencer
51. Mr. Alie Bangura
52. Mr. Khalil Basma
53. Mr. Kandeh Bangura
54. Mr. F.D. Konomani
55. Chief S.M. Gborie-Gbasse
56. Mr. Kassim Basma
57. Maj. General J.S. Momoh
58. Mr. Joe Blell, Deputy Minister of Defence and Former High Commissioner to Nigeria
59. The High Diamond Council in Belgium
60. Executive Outcomes, South Africa
61. Sandline Investments, U.K.
62. De Beers PLC, United Kingdom
63. The NGO Community (Local and International)
64. The Faith Community in Sierra Leone
65. Children's Organisations
66. Women's Organisations
67. The Sierra Leone Anti Corruption Commission
68. The Commission on Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration.
Other persons and institutions will be added to the list of invitations in due course.
The Commission would find it useful if in their submissions, they address the question of the causes of the conflict, the roles of actors, institutions and countries as well as recommendations in regard to how a repetition of the conflict can be avoided, how victims may be assisted to overcome their suffering and have their dignity restored, as well as addressing the issue of how perpetrators may be reintegrated into the society in order that the nation may be healed and this society rebuilt.
Submissions should be in 10 copies and the Commission would be grateful if their submission could reach it no later than the 30th January 2003.
If any further information is required the Commission may be contacted at its temporary office at 114 Pademba Road, Freetown, or at its permanent office at Block A, Brookfields Hotel, Freetown.