BEHN TOWN, Grand Bassa/BLOE TOWN, River Cess – June 18, 2025 – Grief, remembrance, and calls for justice filled the air as the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Liberia, officially handed over two Civil War Massacre Memorial Sites to residents of Behn Town in Grand Bassa County and Bloe Town in River Cess County.
The ceremonies, held on June 17 and 18, marked a significant step in Liberia’s ongoing journey toward national healing and reconciliation.
Survivors, relatives of the victims, and local community members gathered in sorrowful unity, many shedding tears as memories of Liberia’s brutal civil conflict resurfaced.
The memorial in Behn Town honors the more than 700 civilians who were massacred on December 24, 1993, at the African Gospel Church—then a sanctuary for those fleeing violence.
In Bloe Town, over 500 people were killed in February 1994, adding another dark chapter to Liberia’s devastating war legacy.
“These sites are not just monuments—they are sacred grounds and symbols of our commitment to remember, heal, and never repeat the horrors of our past,” said Louis Kuukpen, UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative, during the dedication.
He emphasized the memorials’ alignment with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) recommendations on reparations and historical remembrance.
Kuukpen urged INCHR and local communities to collaborate on preserving the sites and training local storytellers to share Liberia’s history with future generations and visitors.
The memorials, constructed under the Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, and Social Cohesion Project (2020–2025), are part of a nationwide initiative that has established nine such grave sites. Similar dedications are scheduled for Lofa, Gbarpolu, and Bong counties.
At the emotionally charged event, Cllr. T. Dempster Browne, Chairperson of the INCHR, delivered a firm message on accountability.
He vowed that individuals responsible for wartime atrocities would face justice under a proposed War and Economic Crimes Court.
“Our greatest national mistake was empowering warlords and allowing perpetrators to enter government,” Browne said. “Some now sit in the Senate and House, actively sabotaging efforts for justice.”
He commended President Joseph Boakai’s push for the court’s establishment and accused certain lawmakers of obstructing progress by withholding legislative and financial support.
“Enough is enough. The War and Economic Crimes Court will be established.
The blood of innocent Liberians cries out for justice,” he declared.
Community members welcomed the memorials as a long-overdue acknowledgment of their suffering.
River Cess County Development Officer, Madam Esther A. Logan, thanked the INCHR and UNDP, calling the initiative “a foundation of peace.”
“This is a sad but meaningful day. Our people’s pain is finally recognized. Their lives mattered,” she said.
One survivor, Madam Elizabeth Biamu, gave a chilling testimony of the Bloe Town massacre.
“They killed three of the children and struck me. I collapsed and they thought I was dead,” she recalled, fighting back tears. “That night, I gave birth in the bush.”
Behn Town’s Town Chief, Mr. Joseph Zoe, expressed gratitude for the initiative and appealed for additional support, including chairs, solar lights, and a mural honoring the fallen.
The Behn Town and Bloe Town memorials stand as solemn markers of a dark past and enduring resilience.
They serve not only as burial sites but as calls to action—for justice, reconciliation, and national unity.
As Liberia continues its quest for peace and accountability, these memorials remind all of the cost of silence, and the power of remembrance.
