African Truth Commissions and Transitional Justice

John Perry, SJ, is a Canadian academic who has been a volunteer working at the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation at the University of Liberia since 2008.T. Debey Sayndee is associate professor and director at the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation (KAICT) at the University of Liberia.

John Perry and T. Debey Sayndee have written a comprehensive analysis of the evolution and dynamics of transitional justice, in particular, the use of truth commissions as instruments of fact-finding and reconciliation of bitterly divided communities in the aftermath of political conflicts and monstrous dictatorships in different parts of the world. This book presents well-researched and highly informative case studies using the truth commissions that have been established in selected African countries—Liberia, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, and Morocco. This book is a must read for all students and practitioners of transitional justice, post-conflict reconstruction, and peacebuilding in Africa and other regions of the world.

• IntroductionChapter One: Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Chapter Two: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South AfricaChapter Three: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone Chapter Four: The National Human Rights Commission of Ghana Chapter Five: The National Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Violations Commission of Nigeria Chapter Six: Chad: Africa’s Second Truth Commission Chapter Seven: The Equity and Reconciliation Commission of Morocco Conclusion Conclusion