Liberia: Resurrecting the justice system

Reform of the justice system needs to be a top priority for Liberia’s new government and donors alike, says the International Crisis Group. "After fourteen years of civil war, the system is in shambles. Impunity prevails, and in this atmosphere, the government cannot adequately address economic governance, transformation of the military and reconstruction of war-scarred physical infrastructure – all primary areas for reform and reconstitution in 2006. Courts that do not prosecute those who siphon resources from government coffers impede progress in all other areas."