Samuel G. Youhn, 62, has lived almost his entire life without electricity. His native Nimba County, like every part of Liberia, felt the pinch of the country’s brutal civil wars that destroyed electricity and other infrastructure, in addition to the estimated 250,000 lives they claimed. …
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Land Title Authorities Overwhelmed By Disputes
GBONYEA, Bong County – Emmanuel Tokpah always wanted a home of his own. The 27-year-old bike rider had saved enough money to begin construction on a house in this village. But his dreams were shattered in July 2016 when a group of men from neighboring Gbonata came and ordered him to stop work. The men claimed…
Liberia: Farmers Demand ‘Balance’ Payment In Land Deal with Equatorial Palm Oil in Grand Bassa County
Editor’s Note: This story is the first of a two-part series on growing tension between Equatorial Palm Oil and villagers in Grand Bassa County over land rights. JOGBAHN CLAN, Grand Bassa – October 6, 2016 was a happy day for Morris Beah and other townspeople of Gmenee, Wesseh Village, Paye Town, Morb Town and Kampala, which…
Women Farmers Made Destitute by Pandemic
MONROVIA – Weatta Gbelly has seen hardship in her 35 years but nothing prepared her for the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms. Gbelly has never had the virus, neither does she know anyone who has, but she has suffered just the same. Ms. Gbelly is a mother of six. She and her husband used to farm to support…
Lofa War Victims Cry Out for Justice
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War Crimes Trial of Alieu Kosiah ends
Anthony Stephens of Power FM/TV reports on Alieu Kosiah’s war crimes trial in Bellinzona, Switzerland, where Kosiah is demanding over $ 1.3 million in compensation. In this report, he also speaks to the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, Alain Werner, who Kosiah’s lawyer accused of “advertising his client’s statements for his personal benefit”. James Harding…
NN co-founder lays out a new way for aid to help media and stop hurting it
The pages of newspapers in low-income countries often look more like promotional material for development groups than reportage of the major issues impacting society. A group of experts met, a hospital is planned, new wells are installed. Press release copy-and-paste, no context, no second source, no new perspective. And no insight for citizens hoping to…
Liberia: Villagers Hold Vigil outside Forestry Development Authority over Logging Dispute in Nimba
WHEIN TOWN, PAYNESVILLE – More than 60 townspeople of Doru chiefdom in the Gbi/Doru District of Nimba County spent the sixth straight night at the headquarters of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) here, demanding the cancellation of a logging contract between their community and the Liberia Tree and Trading Corporation (LTTC). LTTC, owned by former Representative…
VIDEO: Street Vendors Accuse Liberia’s Government of Rights Violations over Coronavirus Shutdown
Liberia declares a nationwide state of emergency with tougher restrictions to curb coronavirus. This comes 17 days after a health emergency order led to police demolishing market tables in the capital, Monrovia. Anthony Stephens of Power TV looks at the impact on street vendors, who say the actions are violating their rights. Street Vendors Accuse…
Liberia: Woman Claims Police Won’t Investigate Abduction
CONGO TOWN, Monrovia, Liberia – A woman who alleges she was abducted from outside her compound by unknown men, drugged, raped and dumped on the Robertsfield Highway, has accused the police of failing to launch an investigation into her ordeal. She claims the police are intimidating her and her visitors as she undergoes treatment in hospital. …
Survivors Still Calling for Help 16 Years After War End
The Liberian civil wars officially ended 16 years ago. But victims continue to carry powerful scars. This story first appeared on Power TV as part of a collaboration for the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. A report by Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, recommended the Liberian government pay reparations of $30m to victims and communities of the…
Wartime Murder of Musician Casts Pall on Liberian Music Scene
Liberia’s music industry will mark a poignant moment this weekend. It is 28 years since musician Tecumsay Roberts was gunned down. Witnesses say the killer was General Samuel Varnii acting under the command of Prince Johnson. This story first appeared on Power TV as part of a collaboration for the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Liberian musicians will…
Former Fighters Embrace War Crimes Court
They may be the most unlikely group of people expected to support the push for a war crimes court in Liberia. More than 100,000 of them, now former combatants, laid down their weapons at the end of the civil wars in 2003. Now some of them say justice must be served. This story first appeared…
River Cess Survivors Join Calls for War Crimes Court; Perpetrator Denies Responsibility
BLOH TOWN, River Cess – For Elizabeth Byamue, 63, the horror of the day that destroyed her world has never gone away. This story first appeared on River Cess Radio and Bush Chicken as part of a collaboration for the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. “I can still remember – it was on a Friday when the…
Former Fighters Embrace War Crimes Court
They may be the most unlikely group of people expected to support the push for a war crimes court in Liberia. More than 100,000 of them, now former combatants, laid down their weapons at the end of the civil wars in 2003. Now some of them say justice must be served. This story first appeared…
Liberians against Amnesty for War, New Survey on Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Shows
Monrovia – A new survey on social cohesion and reconciliation (SCORE) has found that majority of Liberians do not support amnesty for perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, the survey revealed that majority of Liberians seek apology, the truth and compensation from perpetrators as preconditions for amnesty. This story first appeared on FrontPageAfricaOnline as part…
Leslie Lumeh Court Illustrator
LESLIE LUMEH is New Narratives’ court artist. He traveled to Switzerland in December 2019 to illustrate the historic trial of Alieu Kosiah, the first Liberian tried for war crimes in the Liberian civil war and also illustrated the trial of Gibril Massaquoi, the Sierra Leonean former Revolutionary United Front commander, by a court from Finland….
Liberia: Quiet Pursuit of War Criminals Signals Hope Against Impunity
Monrovia – When jurors in a U.S. Federal Courthouse in the city of Brotherly Love found former Liberian rebel commander Mohammed Jabbateh, aka “Jungle Jabbah,” guilty of two counts of fraud and two counts of perjury for lying to U.S. government officials about his role as a combatant in the Liberian Civil War, last week, it…
Bettie Johnson Mbayo NN Fellow, Senior Reporter, Front Page Africa
Bettie Johnson Mbayo is a Senior Reporter for Front Page Africa. She has been a journalist for more than seven years. Bettie is a prolific journalist whose reporting focuses on gender, health, economics, corruption and politics. As a Senior Reporter, she has investigated and reported at least 6 major scandals involving major security institutions in…
Adrienne Tingba Justice Reporter,
Adrienne Tingba is a young creative professional with a variety of experiences, giving her titles like Editor, Model, Creative Director, Humanitarian, Coca-Cola Liberia Executive, Fashion Designer, Writer, Reporter, and Journalist. With all these interests and experience, she mostly likes to refer to herself as a storyteller. Ms. Tingba studied Criminal Justice at Temple University in…