Mass graves found across Liberia
2007-12-27 22:37
Monrovia - Mass graves have been discovered in several parts of Liberia, said a spokesperson on Thursday for the truth and reconciliation commission investigating back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003.
"In every county where we went, people showed us at least one mass grave, resulting from massacres perpetrated during the war," AFP was told by Richmond Anderson, who stated that several hundred bodies had been found to-date.
Anderson said that people responsible for the killings were certainly among the population commission members met, but he added: "Because we have given them the assurance that we are only there to find out the truth, they led us to areas where they buried the innocents."
Richmond, who would divulge no further details or descriptions pertaining to the mass graves, has been touring the country for the last month alongside commission president Jerome Verdier.
Human rights violations
Of 15 regions, they have so far visited six provinces in the north and the east of the west African coastal state, explaining the role of the commission, inspired by South Africa's self-reflection post-apartheid.
The commission is seeking to take an inventory of all human rights violations throughout a quarter of a century of unrest dating back to 1979.
It has special powers to investigate murders and summary executions as well as corruption and sex crimes, with public hearings pitting aggressors and victims in direct opposition set to begin on January 8.
The commission was established with the signing of a peace accord in 2003, but was not formally set up until 2006.