Remarks by His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.
President of the Republic of Liberia
At the Liberia’s National Reconciliation, Healing, and Unity Program
EJS Ministerial Complex, Congo Town, Monrovia
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives; Madam Pro-Tempore and Members of the Senate;
Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia; The Keynote Speaker;
Members of the Cabinet and Officials of Government; Doyen and Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Distinguished Guests; Civil Society Representatives, Chiefs and Elders;
Women’s Groups; Youth Organizations; Survivors’ Associations; Members of the Media; Fellow Liberians:
We gather here to reflect deeply on the soul of our country; not only to remember but to recommit to reconciliation, to healing, and to a Liberia where unity, dignity, and justice are not just ideals, but lived realities.
At its core, today’s program offers a platform for Liberians, from every county, every background, and every walk of life, to come together, confront our shared difficult past, and begin to build a future rooted in truth, justice, and compassion.
For too long, many of our fellow citizens have carried their pain in silence, with little space for dialogue or closure. This event creates that space.
By acknowledging the past together, we begin the journey of national restoration together. Importantly, this event is open to the public, ensuring that no Liberian is left behind in the process of remembrance and reconciliation.
Your presence, your voice, and your participation are not only welcomed, but they are also essential. Because reconciliation cannot be handed down, it must be lived, shared, and embraced by all of us.
This event follows the national recognition and honoring of two former presidents of Liberia, William R. Tolbert Jr. and Samuel K. Doe, whose tragic deaths reflect a painful era in our history.
By honoring their memory, we acknowledge an entire generation of loss and national trauma. And it was not just about two men. It is about a nation that lost its way and is still fighting to find its soul.
Since the guns were silenced in 2003, Liberia has walked a long, hard road. But it has been a determined journey. We have endeavored to rebuild from ashes and ruins. We have rebuilt roads and schools. But our greatest task has been rebuilding trust, restoring faith, and to reconnect communities.
Basically, rebuilding ourselves and reconnecting to the values and traits that those around us and the world know Liberians to be. This is why today’s event matters.
Let us pause and remember the countless sons and daughters who never returned home. The mothers who buried children too soon. The family members who still search for answers. The children who grew up in refugee camps, makeshift school buildings and in communities where they only came out to play when the guns were temporarily silenced.
Some will say move on and let by-gones be by-gone. But how does a child forget the brutal execution of his parents and then forcibly conscripted to bear arms? We were even forced to sing the Lord’s song in strange lands.
My fellow citizens, you will agree with me that there is hardly a Liberian family that has not been touched by the pain, the violence, and the injustice that have haunted our nation.
From the cruel shadow of slavery, to the struggles of our founding and the deep foundational problems of our country, and the anarchy that consumed our land during the years of civil war, we have all lost something, a loved one, a home, a sense of safety, and a dream.
These wounds are not distant memories. They live with us. Of course, the horror stories may have shaped us in one way or another, but they must not define us! Instead, these painful memories must guide how we live and how we heal.
Ladies and gentlemen, as your President, and as a fellow Liberian, today, on this historic occasion, I offer a formal apology on behalf of the State—To every victim of our civil conflict, to every family broken, to every dream shattered, we say: WE ARE SORRY. The State could have done better but was used as agency. But we are here now, and we must do everything we can to make sure that it never fails you again!
This apology must be followed by action. We are committed to implementing key recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We will revive the National History Project to rewrite a comprehensive and inclusive history of Liberia that reflects our diversity; establish a National Memorial to honor the victims of our conflict including the over two hundred and fifty thousand who departed and to guarantee it never happens again and to preserve the TRC archives as a testament to our national conscience and collective memory.
Reconciliation is not an event. It is a mindset, a journey, a shared responsibility. Let us make reconciliation not a slogan, but a standard by which we govern and live.
We must also take this moment to review our national compass for reconciliation and healing.
In 2012, Liberia launched the Strategic Roadmap for National Healing, Peacebuilding, and Reconciliation, an 18-year framework extending to 2030. This was a bold, visionary commitment to long-term healing and transformation. The Roadmap identified three core strategic outcomes:
Transforming mindsets, Rebuilding relationships, and Rebuilding social, political, and economic institutions.
We are now five years from the conclusion of this national roadmap. Five years left to fulfill a generational promise. We should no longer hesitate. It is now time for bold, and coordinated action.
Ministries, agencies, civil society, development partners, and the private sector must align their efforts in support of the roadmap’s goals. Let us review progress made and push forward with urgency.
I agree with the great American Civil Rights leader, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., when he urged us to “remember that peace is not just the absence of war. It is the presence of justice.” Peace is an opportunity shared. Peace is the voices that are heard.
Let us build that peace together. We owe it to those we lost. We owe it to those who survived. We owe it to our children. We owe it to our future. Above all, we owe it to ourselves!
May this be the turning point where Liberia may also take its deserved place on the global stage.
May God bless you all, and may God bless our nation as we think Liberia, love Liberia, and build Liberia together.
