Sep 24, 2026 · 29 min · 7 segments
Coming up in this episode. The European Union spent 16 million U.S. dollars to help rape survivors get justice. But a struggling justice system has convicted just two rapists in six years. Victims…
Liberia's War and Economic Crimes Court has won some surprising allies, former warlords.
A growing number says they won their day in court to clear their names or their consciences.
At the entrance of a community in Montserrat County, commercial motorcyclists wait for passengers.
But the name of this community, Butt Naked, brings painful memories of Liberia's civil war.
The name comes from Joshua Blaye, the former warlord famously known as General Butt Naked.
Lai told Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission that fighters under his command killed thousands of people during the war.
It's a shame.
It's pointing to my wrong energy in life.
And I'm no more naked.
I don't want to be called that name.
And now, he says the court is important not just for him, but for the whole country.
I think the future of this country depends on whether the war crime court will come or not.
Peterson Sonia heads the Liberia Massacre and Survivors Association, one of the country's largest victims groups.
He says some former fighters, including senior commanders, are now coming forward to his office because they want to clear their names.
But the long wait for accountability has also taken a toll on former combatants who say they were forced into the war.
She says residents in her community have labored her, Prince Johnson's wife.
Liberia's War and Economic Crimes Court has won some surprising allies, former warlords.
A growing number says they won their day in court to clear their names or their consciences.
At the entrance of a community in Montserrat County, commercial motorcyclists wait for passengers.
But the name of this community, Butt Naked, brings painful memories of Liberia's civil war.
The name comes from Joshua Blaye, the former warlord famously known as General Butt Naked.
Lai told Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission that fighters under his command killed thousands of people during the war.
It's a shame.
It's pointing to my wrong energy in life.
And I'm no more naked.
I don't want to be called that name.
And now, he says the court is important not just for him, but for the whole country.
I think the future of this country depends on whether the war crime court will come or not.
Peterson Sonia heads the Liberia Massacre and Survivors Association, one of the country's largest victims groups.
He says some former fighters, including senior commanders, are now coming forward to his office because they want to clear their names.
But the long wait for accountability has also taken a toll on former combatants who say they were forced into the war.
She says residents in her community have labored her, Prince Johnson's wife.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
