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Liberia: Next Prosecution Witness Called
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GUEST BLOG
11 March 2008
Posted to the web 11 March 2008
The monitors of former President Charles Taylor's trial report for www.charlestaylortrial.org
Next Prosecution Witness Called
The next Prosecution has been called (due to technical difficulties, his initial testimony was missed) Nick Koumjian conducts the direct examination of this witness (partial name — “Mongor”??). The following is rough summary of the session and not a transcript of events.
Pros: When born?
W: Nov. 21, 1965
Pro: Where grew up?
W: Liberia
Pro: What languages did you speak?
W: Mother’s language, Liberian english, Krio.
Pros: Military service?
W: Yes, in the Liberian national army.
Pros: When join?
W: When Doe was President.
Pros: What year?
W: It was in 1985. He was trained but did not complete the training. He was not a member of the Liberian army for very long, 2-3 months, as he did not want to be a soldier. When he left the army, he started a business – he would go to the Ivory Coast for goods and then sell them in Liberia. He was involved in this for some period of time until “the war met us.” In “Christmas month” of 1989 the rebels who called themselves freedom fighters and identified themselves as the NPFL entered the village he was in. When they entered they shot guns. Some people ran away. When they ceased firing the villagers came outside, after which the rebels took the young men to their base. He did not recall the village he was in when he was captured. In the village there were no fighters.
The rebels handpicked some of them (young men and women) in the town and took them along. The range of ages included children, young women and young girls. They were taken to the base at Gborpaly for training. (Some discussion concerning the spelling of this camp) This was a training base to fight for “our country” (Liberia). The rebels indicated that that their leader was Charles Taylor, known as the “CIC” (Commander in Chief), and Mongor was there when Taylor came.
Mongor was trained for 2 months. They were given guerilla training and taught how to fire guns. The ages of those being trained included small boys and small girls as well as adults.
Pros: Youngest age of those being trained?
W: There were people about 10 years.
Pros: Any ceremony at end of training?
W: No, just graduated us and said we had completed training.
Pros: Where assigned after training?
W: Assigned to fight on the war front. Fought in same Nima country in Gmata (sp?). When I fought there for some time (Ganta (sp?)) the CIC came there for some time before they could advance. They next moved to Banga and fought from evening up to midnight up to the next moring until Prince Johnson was flushed out of the area.
Pros: Did your unit have a designation?
W: Yes. At the time we captured Banga they took me to join the executive mansion guard, the CIC bodyguard group. The overall boss was [?]. He did not know exactly when he became a member of this unit, but said it was the next year after he had been captured.
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The duties of the Executive Mansion guard included guarding Taylor, fighting on the front line and going with the CIC wherever he went. When he was there himself, he operated the heavy weapons and moved first before the whole group. At that time he was a sergeant. When he was using the AA (anti-aircraft gun) he was the advance team commander when the CIC went to the front line.
Pros: How often see Taylor?
W: I saw him every day because executive mansion guards had access to him. They would explain what was happening on the front line, so I saw him always.
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