Journalism

Swedish Ambassador Pledges Continued Support for Post-War Justice, Sexual and Reproductive Rights Among Other Priorities After Embassy Closure

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives  Summary: Sweden’s ambassador to Liberia has used an exclusive interview with Frontpage Africa/New Narratives marking the end of the country’s sixteen years of direct bilateral support since the end of the war, to reaffirm his government’s commitment to Liberia’s post war justice and accountability process.   Ambassador…

Anthony Stephens
Frontpage Africa

Swedish Ambassador Pledges Continued Support for Post-War Justice, Sexual and Reproductive Rights Among Other Priorities After Embassy Closure

Despite closing its embassy and ending direct bilateral development assistance to Liberia, Sweden says it remains committed to supporting the country’s post-war justice, human rights and sexual and reproductive health priorities through the United Nations, European Union and other multilateral programs. Swedish Ambassador Karl Backéus urged progress toward establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court,…

Anthony Stephens
Video

A Coalition of African Civil Society Groups Demands Control of Development Money. But Can They Afford to Say No to Donors?

African civil society leaders are calling for a major shift in how development money is managed, arguing that African organizations and communities should have greater power to decide their own priorities rather than simply follow donor agendas. At a gathering of more than 200 civil society leaders, funders and policymakers in Accra, participants pushed for…

Tetee Gebro
Video

A Coalition of African Civil Society Groups Demands Control of Development Money. But Can They Afford to Say No to Donors?

By Tetee Gebro, gender and health correspondent with New Narratives Summary ACCRA, Ghana — When a donor offered money to an organization working in Kenya, it came with an opportunity to expand its work into more communities. For a small organization that needed funding, it might have seemed like an easy decision. It wasn’t. The donor wanted the…

Tetee Gebro
Frontpage Africa

Saudi Rice Trial Goes to Court, But Victims Say They Still Want the Help They Were Promised

By Joyclyn Wea, gender correspondent with New Narratives Summary INTERNATIONAL TIMBER INDUSTRY VILLAGE, River Cess County — When Eric Kollor learned that former government officials were finally on trial over thousands of bags of Saudi-donated rice meant for vulnerable and disaster-affected Liberians, he was surprised. The case had been moving through the courts in Monrovia,…

Joyclyn Wea
Frontpage Africa

War Crimes Court Office Chief Urges Boakai to Recall Lawmakers for Special Session to Pass Court Bill Before U.N. General Assembly This Month

Summary PAYNESVILLE CITY, Montserrado County—Jallah Barbu, executive director of the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court, has urged President Joseph Boakai to exercise his constitutional power by recalling lawmakers from their annual constituency break to act on legislation establishing the long-promised court. Speaking Saturday at a Paynesville hotel during the 17th…

Anthony Stephens
Frontpage Africa

Proposed War Crimes Court Has Some Surprising Allies: Warlords

Joshua Blahyi, once feared as “General Butt Naked,” confessed to killing thousands during the civil war and now insists that only a war crimes court can free him and his family from the burden of his past. He is joined by other former fighters like Victoria Zeh, who was forced into combat as a teenager…

Gloria Wleh
Video

23 Years Into Peace, Victims Celebrate Progress but Say Justice Remains Unfinished

Twenty‑three years after Liberia’s hard‑won peace, survivors celebrate progress but remind us that justice is still unfinished. This powerful piece shows how the wounds of war linger even as the nation rebuilds. Anthony Stephens reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: Liberia: 23 Years Into Peace, Victims…

Anthony Stephens
Video

A New Survey Warns Legislators: Liberians Overwhelmingly Want a War Crimes Court and They Won’t Vote for Lawmakers Who Oppose It

By Eric Opa Doue, chief county correspondent with New Narratives Summary: BOLA, Bomi County– Kumba Thomas returns home from a long day at her farm. Around her, life in the community continues at its ordinary pace, but ghosts follow Thomas, weighing down every step of her day. Thomas says she was a new mother when fighting reached…

Eric Opa Doue
Frontpage Africa

Ghana’s silent poison: Three years after landmark survey found children being poisoned by lead, slow pace of reforms is putting more children at risk

By Joyce Gyekye Summary: TEMA, Greater Accra Region — In this community and others around it, a threat that cannot be seen is quietly harming adults and children. E-waste and battery recycling operations are a growing industry in West Africa as the region becomes a dumping ground for waste products from Europe and the United States….

Joyce Gyekye
GBC

Seven In 10 Women Take Antibiotics Monthly, Experts Raise Alarm To Catastrophic Public Health Outcomes

Health experts in Ghana have raised serious concerns after research revealed that seven out of ten women reportedly take antibiotics every month. They warn that this widespread practice could accelerate antimicrobial resistance, making common infections harder to treat and posing catastrophic risks to public health if urgent action is not taken. This story was a…

Jennifer Ambolley
The Chronicle

They Were Found Guilty in Liberia’s Biggest Human Trafficking Trial But No one Has Been Charged Over a Death in the Case. Now the Family Wants Justice

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives  Summary: It was Liberia’s biggest human trafficking trial to date. At the end of 22 days of hearings in June and July, a jury took just 23 minutes to decide eleven defendants were guilty of a range of crimes against 57 victims who were trafficked, starved, forced…

Anthony Stephens
Frontpage Africa

Fed, But Starving: Health Workers Say Misinformation, Fees and Aid Cuts are Causing a Dramatic Rise in Severely Malnourished Babies

By King Brown with New Narratives Summary: BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa County— The sun is hot here in Big Joe Town, outside Grand Bassa’s capital city. Lovetee, 21, sits on a wooden chair watching her four-month-old daughter, Princess, lying weak on her lap, suffering from diarrhea. Princess’s ribs show through her skin, and her hair is thinning…

King Brown
Frontpage Africa

23 Years Into Peace, Victims Celebrate Progress but Say Justice Remains Unfinished

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives  Summary: SOUL CLINIC, Montserrado County — Twenty-three years after Liberia’s warring factions signed an agreement ending more than a decade of civil wars, survivors and peace advocates gathered at the site of a wartime massacre to celebrate the country’s sustained peace — and warn that reconciliation remains incomplete without…

Anthony Stephens
Frontpage Africa