West Africa Justice Reporting Project

Since 2017 New Narratives has supported West African journalists to cover groundbreaking universal jurisdiction cases that have held accused perpetrators of crimes against humanity to account in Europe and North America. This important movement in international justice has allowed justice systems around the world to prosecute those who seek to hide out in their territory and avoid justice at home.

Journalists from Liberia, Gambia and Sierra Leone have travelled to the United States and Europe to cover trials of accused perpetrators for audiences across West Africa. They have also covered the quest for justice, reparation and reconciliation in all its forms, at home.

Hassan Bility, Liberian justice advocate.

“New Narratives, I expect and hope, should keep up the world and the Liberian people informed of developments every step of the way. I believe NN deserves a justice prize. Your journalism gave Liberians hope when no one believed there was a chance.”

Massa Washington, former commissioner with the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

”New Narratives has played a pivotal role in assisting Liberians to understand the importance of establishing a war crimes court and why holding alleged perpetrators accountable is good for Liberia’s stability, peace, security and growth. New Narratives is the “window” through which Liberians and the rest of the world are informed and educated about transitional justice processes concerning Liberia. Since its inception on the Liberian scene, New Narratives has established itself as Liberia’s premiere news outlet and authoritative source for accurate, timely and in-depth reporting and analysis on efforts to address issues of accountability for crimes committed during Liberia’s turbulent 14 years civil conflict and efforts aimed at ending impunity. Through the dedication, commitment and hardwork from project staff, New Narratives is playing a pivotal role in shaping the narrative in transitional justice reporting on Liberia. The consistency and quality of New Narratives’s coverage of events ensures that  Liberians are continuously equipped with appropriate, factual information to assist them understand what is happening which ultimately bolstered their courage to finally commit to establishing the Court.⁠ ⁠Continue to play the role you’re playing.”

The project has been funded by the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund and Australia Aid.


At U.N. Liberian Government Seeks Endorsement of War and Economic Crimes Courts; Commits to Government Apology and Reparations

By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives The Liberian government sought the endorsement of its war and economic crimes courts from the United Nations in a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting comes three months after President Joseph Boakai quietly sent a letter to the U.N. Secretary General, asking for technical and financial support for the courts. Though the…

Ivorian Man on Trial As Stalled Human Trafficking Trials Resume

By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia—An Ivorian man is standing trial in Monrovia over human trafficking allegations in the first trial since Liberia was downgraded to the US State Department’s tier two Trafficking in Persons Watch List after the Weah administration cut off funding to trafficking prosecutions. The US government has warned the…

Liberia Debates War Crimes Court, Experts Urge Forced Marriage Be Treated as a Crime

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: As Liberia intensifies debate over establishing a long-awaited war crimes court, justice experts are urging lawmakers to explicitly criminalize forced marriage in the court’s founding statute, warning that failure to do so risks sidelining one of the civil wars’ most pervasive abuses. One of these…

A General’s Final Days: Inquest Reveals Lapses in Care Before Death of Bora Colley in Military Custody

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives Magistrate Dawda Phatey of the Bundung Magistrates’ Court delivered the conclusion of a coroner’s inquest that sought to answer troubling questions surrounding the death of General Bora Colley. Over the course of nearly a month, nine witnesses—ranging from senior military officers to family members and medical professionals—offered testimony about…

US Shifts From Aid to Investment in Africa

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives In a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa, Ambassador Troy Fitrell, Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. State Department announced a dramatic shift in US foreign policy in Africa last month, which he said was aimed at transitioning the U.S.-Africa…

Beyond the Bars: Is Gambia Reforming Its Notorious Prisons?

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives In the early 2000s, Ebrima was silently led through the rusted gates of Mile 2 Central Prison in handcuffs. Convicted of rape during the former regime of President Yahya Jammeh, he remembers his first night vividly — the darkness, the stench, the heat, and the fear. “There was no…

Gambia Orders Inquest into Death of Ex-Jungler Brigadier General Bora Colley

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives  The Gambian government has ordered a coroner’s inquest into the death of Brigadier General Bora Colley, a former military officer accused of grave human rights violations under ex-president Yahya Jammeh’s regime. Colley, who had been in custody since August 2024 after voluntarily returning from exile, died on March 9, 2025,…

Undoing Jammeh’s Legal Legacy: Gambia’s Dormant Reform Engine

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives  When Yahya Jammeh’s authoritarian regime crumbled in 2017, a wave of hope swept across The Gambia. The new government, under President Adama Barrow, pledged to right the wrongs of a 22-year dictatorship that had silenced dissent, trampled rights, and governed through fear. At the heart of this reform agenda…

Justice Delayed: The Gambia’s Victims Demand Broader Accountability

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives  The long-awaited arrest warrant for Sanna Manjang, accused of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and other human rights violations during Jammeh’s 22-year rule, has been met with a mix of relief and frustration among victims of Yahya Jammeh’s regime. The country’s 2018 Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission accused Jammeh and dozens…

International Expert Says Hope Not Lost for Justice After US Funding Cuts As Victims Demand Speed

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives  The long-awaited arrest warrant for Sanna Manjang, accused of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and other human rights violations during Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule, has been met with a mix of relief and frustration among victims. The country’s 2018 Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission accused Jammeh and dozens of his lieutenants…

Gambia’s Victims Push for Reparations Amid Delays

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives  Victims of human rights violations in The Gambia are growing increasingly frustrated over delays in processing reparations, which they say are long overdue. While the government has taken steps toward justice, including the establishment of a Special Criminal Division to prosecute crimes from the Yahya Jammeh era, victims say…

USAID Cuts Threatens Gambia’s Transitional Justice Process

By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives For victims of The Gambia’s brutal dictatorship, the country’s transitional justice process represents hope for accountability and reparations. But last month’s sudden decision by the incoming administration of United States President Donald Trump to cancel almost all foreign aid has casted a shadow over that hope. President Trump’s decision…

U.N. Begins Training Lawyers Ahead of War Crimes Court’s Establishmen

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the primary United Nations body responsible for global human rights, is today beginning the training of Liberian lawyers focused on accountability for past crimes, as momentum rebuilds toward the establishment of a war crimes court in…

Trump Aid Cuts Bad News for The Gambia’s Hybrid Court 

By Yankuba Jallow, Justice correspondent In one of its first moves the Trump administration has frozen all government assistance programs across the world for 90 days. Though much remains unclear, the new administration has indicated most of those programs – funded by USAID and the State Department – will be shuttered. The Gambia is not…