West Africa Justice Reporting Project

Since 2017 New Narratives has supported West African journalists to cover groundbreaking universal jurisdiction cases that have held perpetrators accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity to account in Europe and North America.

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. Advocates have credited our reporting with the public support that led Liberian President Joseph Boakai to commit to holding a war crimes court, 22 years after the end of the war.

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. Through the dedication, commitment and hard work 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, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and Australia Aid.


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…

Liberia and Ghana Stand Almost Alone in Region as U.S. Travel Ban Hits Neighbors, Experts Cite Acceptance of U.S. Deportees and Other Strategic Factors

Liberia and Ghana now stand almost alone in West Africa as a U.S. travel ban hits neighboring countries. In this New Narratives video, experts explain the political and strategic decisions behind the exemptions and what the shifting policy means for ordinary people whose plans to travel, study, or reunite with family are suddenly at risk….

American War Crimes Investigator and Former Liberia Lobbyist Found Guilty of Defaming Justice Activist

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives A criminal court in Switzerland has found Alan White, an American war crimes investigator with a long history of involvement in Liberia’s politics, guilty of defaming Alain Werner, the head of Civitas Maxima, which has led efforts to bring prosecutions against more than a dozen perpetrators…

More Than Three Quarters Liberians Approve War and Economic Crimes Courts in Latest Continental Survey

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives   More than three quarters of Liberians have openly backed a war and economic crimes court for their country, according to a new survey released this month by Afrobarometer, an Accra based Pan African non-profit research organization. The survey is a big jump in confidence of citizens for the…

President Boakai Quiets Doubters with Renewed Mandate for War Crimes Court Office and $US2 Million Yearly Budget

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Joseph Boakai, Liberia’s President, has renewed the mandate of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia and given the court a six fold increase in annual budget, quieting growing concern about the government’s commitment to the court after numerous funding delays. The president’s action will…

Leading Human Rights Organizations Urge President to Renew Expiring Executive Order for War Crimes Court Office as US Ambassador Meets with Office Head and Justice Minister

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Leading local and international human rights organizations have joined together to issue a statement urging Liberian President Joseph Boakai to renew an executive order for the Office of War and Economics Crimes Court set to expire tomorrow, May 1. The groups, including the Liberian based Civil…

Advocates Warn Trump Administration’s Plans to Shut Offices Devoted to Global Justice and Human Trafficking Will Be Big Blow to Liberian Victims

By Anthony Stephens, Senior Justice Correspondent with New Narratives Human rights advocates working on transitional justice and human trafficking in Liberia say they are shocked by this week’s announcement by Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, that the US government will shut down the Office of Global Criminal Justice and the Office to Monitor and Combat…