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Liberia: Prosecution Examination of Former AFRC Combat Commander Ends With Dramatic Testimony
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GUEST BLOG
25 April 2008
Posted to the web 29 April 2008
The monitors of former President Charles Taylor's trial report for www.charlestaylortrial.org
Prosecutor Shyamala Alagendra completed her direct examination of Alimamy Bobson Sesay today. The witness gave a dramatic direct account of a meeting with Charles Taylor, in which Taylor stated that he provided arms and ammunition for the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and Revolutionary United Front (RUF), as well as armed reinforcements for the invasion of Freetown.
Earlier in the day, Sesay recounted a series of attacks and atrocities by the West Side rebel group in western Sierra Leone, as well as their abduction of ECOMOG and United Nations officials. In the afternoon, Defense Counsel Morris Anyah began the cross-examination of Sesay. Anyah wasted no time in aggressively seeking to cast doubt on the witness's credibility. His questions about the current locations of Sesay's family members sparked a clash between the defense and prosecution over witness protection issues. After some deliberation, two of the three judges decided to reject a prosecution motion to redact the public record to remove information on the location of Sesay's family members. The motion had not been opposed by the defense.
Establishment of the West Side base
After clarifying several matters arising from his previous testimony, Alagendra began the day by asking Sesay about the establishment of the West Side base under the command of Ibrahim "Bazzy" Kamara. Sesay recounted numerous appointments made by Bazzy at the town of Magbeni. Among these, the witness said he was appointed as aide-de-camp to the second-in-command to Bazzy, Hassan Papa Bangura ("Bomb Blast"). Sesay said that in May or June of 1999, Bazzy sent one commander named Keforkeh and about 50 fighters across the river from Magbeni to Gberibana to kill all of the civilians there so that no one would know that Gberibana was their base. The entire force proceeded to establish the "West Side base" at Gberibana and the surrounding villages. Sesay said that there were around 500 fighters, including about ten Liberian members of the Special Task Force (STF), and a further ten Liberians who were former members of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).
In addition to the armed rebels, Sesay testified that around 400 civilians who had been abducted, including many from Freetown, were also based at West Side. There, they were forced to go on "food-finding missions" and to pound rice. Sesay testified that young girls and women were raped by the fighters. He said that Bazzy would select among the women and girls in camp to have sex with him. Sesay testified that his own cousin, a small 16 or 17-year-old girl, had been selected by Bazzy one day. When she refused to have sex with him, Bazzy ordered her beaten until she finally relented. Sesay said he heard her screams from the room where she went to join Bazzy, but said there was nothing he could do.
Sesay testified that among the combatants were about 200 child soldiers aged 8-12. He said there were both boys and girls, but mostly boys. The child soldiers had been captured in places that the rebels had taken, including Kono and Freetown. Sesay said the children went on operations with the other combatants and carried AK-47s.
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Attacks from the West Side base in the western area of Sierra Leone
Following a delivery of ammunition that Sesay said had been arranged by RUF leader Sam Bockarie ("Mosquito") following radio communication with Bazzy, Sesay testified that Bazzy began ordering various attacks in the area. According to Sesay, Bazzy said that civilians should be killed and houses burned down.
- Port Loko town: Sesay testified that in June 1999, Bazzy ordered an attack on Port Loko town because he'd heard that there were Guinean and Malian ECOMOG forces there. Sesay said he was part of the operation. The forces burned two villages on the way to Port Loko, and hacked a woman to death. In Port Loko, the troops attacked the Guineans and Malians, and captured two Malian commanders in the process. After burning the ECOMOG headquarters at a school, the force returned to West Side. The witness said he was present when Bazzy called Mosquito on the radio to tell him of the operation and the two Malian peacekeepers. Shortly afterward, they heard Mosquito on a BBC radio broadcast threatening to execute the two commanders unless Mali withdrew its forces from Sierra Leone. Shortly afterwards, Mali withdrew its contingent from the ECOMOG force.
- Makolo: Sesay testified that soon after the Port Loko attack, Bazzy ordered an attack on the town of Makolo. Sesay said he was part of the operation. In a dawn attack, the rebel force captured and executed Nigerian ECOMOG soldiers, burned vehicles and houses and the few killed civilians they encountered. Sesay said a commander named "Captain Blood" executed about three captured civilian women with an axe to the head, "like when you split wood". The force took ammunition from the ECOMOG base and withdrew. When they got back and reported to Bazzy about everything they'd done in Makolo, Bazzy responded, "wow, you've really done me proud".
- Gberi Junction: Still in June 1999, Bazzy sent a commander named Amara Kallay to lead an attack on Gberi Junction at which the witness was not present. He said that when Kallay's force returned it had many looted items, but that his men told Bazzy, that all Kallay had ordered done was looting - he had not attacked Gberi Junction. Bazzy ordered Kallay beaten, and two days later a second operation was launched in Gberi Junction. Sesay said he went on this operation. He said they attacked ECOMOG forces there, burned houses, took ammunition and withdrew.
- Magbutuso (also called Mile 38): Sesay testified that two days after the second operation in Gberi Junction, Bazzy ordered an attack on Magbutuso. The witness participated. He said they attacked ECOMOG, burned some of their tents, took ammunition and withdrew back to West Side.
- Mansumana: Shorly before a cease-fire was declared, Bazzy ordered an attack on Mansumana in order to claim more territory. A commander called Keforkeh led a group there and created a checkpoint.
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