Monrovia, Darius T. Kollie, a leading Liberian Justice Advocate left the country and is now in the United States seeking political asylum. Kollie feared returning to Liberia may expose his life and that of his family to danger given the ‘circumstances’ he faced prior to fleeing Liberia. In an interview recently, he narrated that “circumstances that I faced in Liberia prior to coming to America mean I cannot return home due to fear of my life and that of my family. There are a lot of people, who for some selfish reasons, are still hurt by our advocacy”. At the moment, Darius T. Kollie’s wife and children are out of their house in Liberia and are now staying with relatives due to fear of being targeted because of his advocacy. He believes, given US stance on global justice, getting an asylum there will allow him to have a safe place where he will not be targeted by actors of the Liberian gruesome civil war whom we have campaigned against vehemently in the last two and the half decades.

History of Advocacy and Campaign for Justice

In the early 2000s, while living in the Republic of Ghana as a refugee, Kollie began a campaign aimed at prosecuting all key actors of the heinous crimes committed against the Liberian people during the fourteen year civil war. At the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana, other colleagues joined him to strengthen this advocacy campaign. The coming in of comrades Moses Teswen, Anthony Tokpa and Joshua Gaye strengthened their push for justice and accountability. The aim was to make warlords and the other perpetrators account for their actions in bringing mayhem and untold sufferings to the people of Liberia. During their time at the refugee camp, they would engage high profile visitors from the United Nations and other International organizations asking them to prevail on the country’s duty bearers to bring the War Crimes Court to Liberia. Kollie then led series of peaceful assemblies and protests where they held placards high to call the world’s attention to the need for justice in Liberia. These efforts were recognized by UN Officials and other stakeholders and members of the International Crisis Group on Liberia.

By 2006, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had just taken office and. Kollie and his family were repatriated to Liberia in an effort to rebuild their lives after living as refugees in Ghana. Two years after, in 2008, he established a civil society organization and pressure group known as Justice for All. The main goal was to push the government and our political leaders to establish a War Crimes Court in Liberia. The organization partnered with several human rights campaigners, including the Movement for the Establishment of War Crimes Court in Liberia to heighten tension on the country’s political authorities to address a long-standing scar of the Liberian Civil War, the citizens’ cry for justice and the need for families of victims to finally get closure. Through collaboration with partners, they put out a public listing of key perpetrators of the war, published and distributed it at public places and tea shops across Monrovia and its environs. There were also regular radio appearances in and out of the Capital, Monrovia naming and listing individuals who have committed massacres, sufferings of the people and crimes against humanity. In addition to these engagements, Kollie and others prepared and submitted to the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a list of several notorious fighters from various warring factions along with their crimes committed. This was to help the TRC in their research and information gathering on perpetrators who could be invited to provide testimony to the Commission.

Soon after, problems started emerging for Kollie and his team. They reported that strange individuals were following them around and tiling their movements and activities. The group’s Public Relations Officer Sarah Togbah was physically attacked while on her from a local radio station after she had been invited for an interview to discuss the ‘Perpetrators List’. Months later, Mike Dennis, the Community Organizer, was stabbed at night on his way home from work. “Following the attack on Mike, we convened an emergency meeting to discuss the emerging threats to our lives. We informed the Liberia National Police and the UN Mission in Liberia that our lives were not saved and that we are being followed by these people, we been campaigning to face justice and account for their role in the war. Our team from, Justice for All, a community-based organization, informed those two institutions that the attacks on our members were reprisals staged by some of those warlords and rebel fighters listed by the organization. We started raising awareness on the radio and other media about what we were experiencing and called on the Government of Liberia and UNMIL to provide additional protection for us. Officials only gave us emergency contact numbers to call for quick response in case we are attacked. There has never been an investigation, leaving those behind the attacks to still be active and waiting for any opportunity to pounce” Kollie added.

Amid these developments, Kollie started taking all necessary precautions, including sending his wife and children to stay at his brother’s place in Carreysburg, about 20 minute drive from Paynesville, outside Monrovia. Prior to their relocation, Kollie’s home in Monrovia was attacked at mid night. The attackers tried hard to enter the house but could not get access despite getting pass the fence. The house is elevated with steel gates on all sides, making it extremely difficult for anyone to enter without being allowed in. Kollie recounted, there was a thunderous attempt on the door that made everyone to wake up, even drawing the attention of neighbors. “At this point, it was clear that it was an attack by desperate and bitter thugs who wanted to cause serious harm on me and my family. But lucidly, I and my family crawled to the dining area which was about two feet below the level on of floor. It provided safe haven for us on that night. After several failed attempts to enter the house, they then shot through the window twice with the hope of getting a target, but fortunately everybody was safe”.

Kollie’s neighbors corroborated these assertions, telling this publication that they heard the shooting and banging of the doors and gates, but were afraid to come over. 42 year old Moses Wornie, recalled how they were all left in distress and traumatized just as the affected family, asking why if they had hit the target during the shooting? In the aftermath of this incident, other neighbors and relatives also advised Kollie to abandon his advocacy for the sake of his life and that of his wife and children. Emmanuel S. Flomo who had just been in the neighborhood about three months before the incidents stated, “I was part of a meeting where the Community Chairman and others begged Mr. Kollie to put his family first and leave this risky work”. Others suggested that he leaves the neighborhood for security reasons. At this point, Kollie became worried about his wife and innocent children, finally accepting that relocation was inevitable. He made his wife to move to Careysburg outside Monrovia while he too moved out to a secret location, in Brewerville, on the western outskirts of Monrovia. Kollie’s father was then taken to his daughter’s place.

While in hiding, Kollie continued his advocacy through phone calls on local radio stations and continue to explain to the public about what he was going through. His family had never been together again since then. Darius had to sneak out to go and see them in Careysburg and also hide to go to his sister’s place to see his dad. It was a very depressing and frustrating experience for him, thus triggering the bold decision to leave Liberia and push for an asylum in the United States. The recent decision by the Liberian government to finally establish the War Crimes Court has vindicated struggles such as Kollie’s in the long cry for justice. But while this is welcoming, it remains clear that individuals who made Kollie and others target yesterday are still around and had been pointing fingers. Warlords are bent on fear mongering and intimidating human rights and war crimes court campaigners in Liberia. Kollie believes this has made the country uncomfortable for those in the campaign, because perpetrators are now threatening not to go down alone. The meaning of this speaks volumes.