Mandate: Established by Parliament through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act 2000 in accordance with the Lomé Peace Accord “to establish historical record of violations and human rights abuses from July 7, 1991 – 1999; to address impunity; to respond to the needs of victims; to promote healing and reconciliation; and to prevent a repetition of such events in Sierra Leone.” 

The commission had the power to compel persons to appear before the commission.

Staff: 7 commissioners, four citizens of Sierra Leone and 3 International . 4 Professional staff members to oversee work.

The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone [Click here for the report]

Report of 5000 pages was released in October 2004, and includes 3500 pages of testimonies;  and 1,500 pages looking at the history of the conflict, human rights violations (with statistical apportioning of blame and names of responsible persons), external factors, recommendations, etc.

The child friendly version of the report is available at http://www.unicef.org/.../TRCCF9SeptFINAL.pdf

Documents relating to the TRC in Sierra Leone can be found:
http://www.sierra-leone.org/trc-documents.html

January 2008: The National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) has been designated by the government to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, particularly as regards reparations, in order to fulfill its obligations under the Lome Peace Accord.

The NaCSA is therefore in the process of establishing a Special Unit for Reparations within the NaCSA, and a Special Fund for War Victims, with a database of identified war victims and an outreach programme to publicise its work.

The categories identified by the TRC as potential beneficiaries are: amputees and war wounded, victims of sexual violence, children affected by the war and war widows.

The UN Peacebuilding Fund has allocated at least US $35 million to Sierra Leone for this project.

However, NGOs criticise the government for the long delay in the implementation of the TRC's recommendations, which not only includes a reparations programme, but also an official apology to the victims of sexual violence. [AI] Following a two-day consultation in Freetown in November 2007, the UN and Sierra Leone's Human Rights Commission have urged the government to produce a completion strategy for the implementation of the TRC's recommendations. 

On the 19 and 20 November, 2007, The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, together with UNIOSIL, held a conference on the Status of the Implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Recommendations. The conference was intended to increase public awareness about the report, and to examine which recommendations had yet to be implemented.