My fellow Liberians, I know we have suffered numerous tyrannical injustices, discrimination of social inclusions, tribal segregation, and violations of our human rights and dignity. I know, most of us hopelessly watched our love ones violated, dehumanized, and slaughtered in complete devastations. Some of whom we saw screamed at the top of their lungs, while begging for mercy, just before they were brutally murdered. Some of us yet remember the pain and those who inflicted such unforgettable sorrows upon us and our family members. No, we have not forgotten.

Nevertheless, I have come to urge us to pardon our brothers and sisters. The very ones who maliciously inflicted our lives with excessive harmed and inconsiderably hurts. I know the 14 years’ war was inherently wicked and selfishly evil beyond all human imagination. Literarily, we did experience wickedness and death walked the streets of Liberia. We saw destruction of innocent lives beyond any human comprehension. Nevertheless, if we must move our nation into the future, than we must begin to heal our wounds, put aside our individualism and worked together. We must see reason to forgive and restore our nations’ pride.

Words cannot express how much I condemned the fourteen-year war, in which our own brothers and sisters ruthlessly destroyed our infrastructures, tortured our people, terrorized the nation, raped, and murdered innocent women and children. Even though, the instigated civil war turned thousands of our brothers and sisters into killing machines out of their will, most of whom were children during the war, however, they are to be held responsible for their part as well as, we who did not partake in the war but did nothing to stop it. That reckless civil war, which hijacked our natural resources, manipulated our youths, and equally led to the premature deaths of our people.

We were mischievously dehumanized. Most of our young brothers and sisters were sophisticatedly indoctrinated into falsely believing that war was the only answer to our situation. Wherefore, we heard the bleeding voices of our people crying from the sun as the earth sucks up their blood. Such unspeakable violent should and must be condemn by all peace loving Liberians. Furthermore, Liberia needs our collective attention and support in her restoration and reconciliation process. This can only be done through our undivided collective effort. We must come together as nation. As one people with a single goal, and not divided as we are. We must forgive those who carelessly and heartlessly hurt us for the sake of peace.

I know what I am urging you to do is extremely hard but not impossible. It is something very difficult to consider but it worth doing. The payoff is a reward that our children’s grandchildren will enjoy. I am not saying forgivingness is an easy thing to do. Forgivingness has never be easy. Neither has reconciliation, reconstruction and reintegration been an easy path to recovery. Especially, wherein a family member was brutally tortured, repeatedly raped, and murdered in cool blood. I know the pain. I too experienced such agonizing trauma. So trust me when I say, you never fully recover from the pain. Healing is an ongoing process. However, we can achieve lasting peace and rebuild our relationships if you try.

I know you desire and deserve absolute justice. You want to see those perpetrators answered to their heinous crimes and punished to the fullest extent of the law. You are absolutely right and I applauded you for your ambitions. For you have a just cause to demand justice and punishment for the wrongs done unto you. I hold you not guilty for wanting justice. As the matter of fact, I share within your sentiment. I too desire justice for the brutal raping and murdered of my sisters by rebels. The savage and cruel assassination of my father on firing squad and the killing of my mother. Like most of you, I too have experienced unjust cruelty and have suffered harshly. Notwithstanding, I have put the pass behind to press on for the common good of our nation, but I have not forgotten my love ones. I am not asking you to forget but to forgive. So that, we can begin to heal each other’s wounds by addressing our situation on a table of brotherhood, while finding the commonality of our existence.

In viewed of forth bearing, I’m calling on all of us who fathers were killed April 22, 1980, to forgive for the sake of peace in our beloved country. I believe the Truce Conciliation of the Reformation of Liberia can bring about truth reconciliation, reunification, and reintegrate. Therefore, to begin this noble healing process in our country, I am extending my hands to President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, Hon. Prince Y. Johnson, Mrs. Jewel C. Howard Taylor, Mrs. Nancy B. Doe, Mrs. Tarloh Munah Quiwonkpa, and all of the children and wives who father and husbands were assassinated April 22, 1980, for a Truce Conciliation. 

This reconciliation process could begin healing the wounds between us and extend to the rest of the nation. Therefore, I am hoping that the above names herein mentioned would sincerely take the first step in bringing lasting closure to our past. Let us seek forgivingness from one another, for we have wronged each other in many ways. He without a fault let him be the one to point finger. If none of us is faultless, than we cannot continue live like this. We must come together to about changes in our motherland. If changes must be realize, we must begin to look at things differently. 
This is a challenge to us all. Let’s come together and resurrect our dying nation.

Yours, truly
C. Cecil Dennis III
Reformation of Liberia