6 March 2008
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The monitors of former President Charles Taylor's trial report for www.charlestaylortrial.org
RUF Commander Continues Testimony
The trial opened this morning by dealing with preliminary motions. After that, the Prosecution witness, RUF insider, Mustapha Marvin Mansaray, 36, continued his testimony from yesterday. As he sat, wearing a white T-shirt under a grey button-down dress shirt, he looked calm throughout the first session’s testimony. He did not seem to suffer from the same watery eyes and nose as he did during yesterday’s testimony. Charles Taylor also sat calmly throughout the testimony, at times taking notes.
The following is a rough sketch of the testimony, intended to give an overview of proceedings, but should be checked against the official transcript for accuracy.
Pros: When we left off yesterday, you said Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay would sell kola nuts and coffee to buy arms and ammunition. How did Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay get these items?
Wit: From the plantations in Kailahun. There Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay got the coffee, cocoa and kola nut.
Pros: Who did the plantations belong to?
Wit: People from the Kailahun district. The war took me there - the civilians were residing in those areas before the war. They were those who cultivated the crops owned them.
Pros: How did Sam Bockerie and Issa Sesay take the items?
Wit: They would tell the G5 and the G5 would tell the chief commander, section commander and town commander. These commanders were civilians so when Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay told this to the G5, the commanders said they would tax the people according to the number of people who reside in the town, to give coffee, cocoa and kola nut. When they received that information, they would give the information to Issa Sesay and Sam Bockarie. They received those items from the civilians.
Pros: Did the civilians give these items voluntarily?
Wit: No. It was not like that. A command was given for those people to give those items to the RUF movement, so some people grumbled to produce those items, but still they would do that.
Pros: Was there ever a situation in Boidu when civilians refused to comply with these instructions?
Wit: Yes it did happen in some villages where civilians were reluctant to give their coffee, cocoa and kola nuts.
Pros: Did anything happen to those civilians?
Wit: The areas where civilians had refused to give those items were forced to do so. If they continued to refuse, some of those civilians were held in a guard room. Later they were released and it was made sure that they gave the right amount.
Pros: Where in Boidu did this happen? (Rephrase after discussion with defense and bench) - Where in Kailahun district?
Wit: This happened in Boidu when a document came out produced by Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay. It happened around villages around Boidu. It happened in Kangamou (sp?) - people refused to give coffee, cocoa and kola to RUF. There are other villages but I’ve forgotten the names. Later when I left Boidu and went to Kailahun town, and it happened in a village called Kollah Boama.
Pros: Do you know what happened to civilians in Kangamou (Sp?) who refused to give their produce?
Wit: At the time I was in Boidu as the area IDU commander. There were those who refused to give the coffee, cocoa and kola nut. The bodyguard for Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay went to Kangama. The coffee, cocoa and kola nut that was discovered in the houses of civilians or even a fighter having it in his house, were taken from them and taken to the business site where RUF and the Guinean people were doing business. That is what I know.
Pros: Apart from taking items from the house, did anything else happen to these civilians?
Wit: At the time, civilians who had wanted to stand against that would be flogged and the property taken from them. Besides beating, I don’t know about any other thing that happened to them. The bodyguards of Issa Sesay and Sam Bockarie would beat them.
Pros: Did you do anything about this as IDU area commander?
Wit: I used to give the information to the District IDU commander, who was in Boidu. His name was Frances Musa. The deputy district IDU commander was Shaku Coomber.
Pros: Did anything happen after you reported this to Francis Musa?
Wit: No.
Pros: Did RUF take any action for this conduct?
Wit: No.
Pros: You testified yesterday that between June 1997 to February 1998 that you were based in Zumi Makpele. Who were you reporting to?
Wit: I reported directly to Augustine Gbao, the overall IDU commander and the chief security officer.
Pros: Want to take you back - who was the G5 commander in Kailahun when you were in Boidu?
Wit: The G5 commander that was in Kailahun was Morie Fieka.
Pros: When in Zumi Makpele, you reported to Gbao. Where was he based?
Wit: Kenema Town.
Pros: Where was Sam Bockarie based?
Wit: Kenema town.
Pros: How do you know that?
Wit: There was a time that I came and passed a night with him in the area where he was. I came from Zumi and passed the night in the house where he was. His house was at when you are leaving Kenema to go to Blama. There was a highway on the lefthand side leaving for Blama.
Pros: When you went to visit Sam Bockarie in Kenema for one night, do you recall of you met anyone there?
Def: Can we be more specific when this is?
Pros: Can you say when it was you visited Sam Bockarie in Kenema?
Wit: That time it was in 1997 August. Not only once - I went there more than one time.
Pros: When visited Bockarie in 1997, can you recall other people you met there?
Wit: Yes. He was residing with Sam Bockarie — the time I went there, I saw somebody whose name was Jungle at the house. I also saw Junior Vande (other name is JR). I was there when Mike Lamming (Sp?) arrived there. There were some other people who were junior fighters. Sam Bockarie’s wife was there as well.
Pros: Said you went to visit Sam Bockarie in Kenema town more than once - on how many occasions did you meet the people you named?
Wit: The other visits I made to Bockarie in Kenema, the person I did not meet all the time was Mike Lamming (sp?). The house divided into apartments, Jungle was living in one apartment and Bockarie in another. I knew Jungle. I knew him as one of the fighters. He was from Liberia. He was a fighter for the NPFL.
Pros: How do you know Jungle?
Wit: I knew Jungle at Zoguda. Met him there with Foday Sankoh. I met him there and knew him. The information I had about him when I met him - he was one of the persons Foday Sankoh would send from RUF territories to Liberia and to Guinea.
Pros: For what purpose?
Wit: The way I understood it, he was somebody whom Foday Sankoh would send for us to get arms and ammunition. He used to go to Guinea to get food items for the RUF.
Pros: How did you know this?
Wit: When Foday Sankoh called me, I would sit very close to him and discuss some of those issues. I was able to gather information. Because myself - Foday Sankoh considered me an experienced person, so when I visited him I would sit close to him, so that is how I got the information about the movement of Jungle.
Pros: Where in Liberia was Jungle getting arms and ammunition from?
Wit: I wouldn’t say because I was not travelling with him.
Pros: You told the court between March and December 1998 you were based in Kuiva in Kailahun district as Second battalion IDU commander. Who were you reporting to there?
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