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General News of Saturday, 15 March 2003

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NRC To Support Sierra Leone Heal Her Wounds

Justice Kweku Amuah-Sekyi, Chairman of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), on Friday expressed Ghana's support to the work of the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to bring healing and peace to that country.

He said the maiming and murder of innocent people by rebels in Sierra Leone saddened the heart of Ghanaians and expressed the hope that the Commission would help recompense the affected and create institutions to ensure that such actions did not reoccur. Justice Amuah-Sekyi was addressing two members of the Sierra Leonean Commission, who called on him to acquaint themselves with the work of NRC and discuss ways of working together to bring peace to West Africa.

Justice Amuah-Sekyi said though the atrocities in Sierra Leone could not be compared to Ghana's, there was still hope for that country as the people, including members of the Commission, were willing to sacrifice to bring peace. He said the NRC's work was designed to look at the past, see what went wrong and recompense those who suffered, adding that though Ghana had no financial support from the international community in that direction as compared to Sierra Leone, the Commission had managed with what it had.

Mrs Sylvia Boye, Professor Henrietta Mensah Bonsu and Maulvi Wahab Adam, members of the NRC, who were with the Chairman, expressed the hope that Sierra Leone's TRC would help heal the wounds of the afflicted and create fellow feeling among the people. Professor John Kamara, Commissioner of the Sierra Leone TRC, said their country had gone through a bitter experience adding that Ghana had tasted part of that unpleasantness.

He said the Rebel United Front (RUF) made it difficult for the country to enjoy peace, saying they were offered 200 dollars before they disarmed.