10 September 2008
In yesterday's hearing of the ongoing trial of war crime indictee, former President Charles Taylor, the witness on the stand, explained in details how Sam Bockarie, former dreadful commander of the RUF departed the RUF and killed in Liberia, among many other issues.
The Analyst lifts this from the trial website.
Witness TF1-585, who is being cross-examined by both prosecution and defence in the trail, said former RUF Commander, Sam Bockarie was killed here in Liberia on the orders of former President Charles Taylor.
It may be recalled that Bockarie reportedly met his death in a shootout with government forces closed to the Ivorian Border. The government, at the time indicated that he had resisted attempts to disarm.
Read the rest of the witness testimony on the issue (Unedited)
The witness spoke about how she moved from Nimba County, where she, together with other fighters had been based when they returned from Ivory Coast. The witness said she went to Monrovia where she stayed with a man called Papay Morriba.
The witness said that when Papay Morriba visited Benjamin Yeaten, he came back and told her that Sam Bockarie and members of his family had been killed.
The witness said she took other steps to confirm the information. Toasty, a former bodyguard to Sam Bockarie, came and confirmed the news to the witness.
The witness said Toasty told her that many other fighters who were followers of Sam Bockarie had been killed. The witness said that according to Papay Morriba, Benjamin Yeaten said they had killed Bockarie, his followers and his family members based on orders from Charles Taylor.
When asked about her own brother who was also one of Bockarie's fighters, the witness broke down into tears. The court took a brief recess to allow the witness to get herself together and stop crying.
Upon resumption of proceedings, the witness informed the court that her brother was one of those killed as part of Bockarie's followers. She said that Toasty, who had confirmed Bockarie's death, was also found and killed by Taylor's men.
The witness said that Taylor's men continued to look out for other followers of Bockarie in order to kill them. She said she went into hiding, spending two weeks in a room. She said she later went to the Sierra Leone embassy in Monrovia, then moved to a refugee camp and later boarded a ship and was repatriated to Sierra Leone.
This, she said was in 2002. Prosecution counsel asked that the witness be shown three different photographs in which she identified first Bockarie and Zigzag Marzah, then Issa Sesay and Jungle, and finally Benjamin Yeaten. All three photographs were marked for identification and admitted as exhibits.
Prosecution counsel made an application that the court be moved into private/closed session as all his other questions would potentially disclose the witness's identity. Court went into private/closed session.
Radio Communications during the January 1999 Invasion of Freetown
The witness testified that during the January 1999 invasion of Freetown, Brig. Mannie and Sam Bockarie were in constant radio communication. The witness said that Brig. Mannie gave regular updates to Sam Bockarie who in turn went on the BBC and informed the world of how the AFRC/RUF soldiers were moving in Freetown.
The witness said she was on duty sometimes when Bockarie spoke on the radio and that sometimes, Bpckarie will talk in the open to the hearing of all. The witness said that two RUF operators, Waco Waco and King Pery were with Gullit, commander of the troops that entered Freetown.
The witness said that Alice Pyne also updated her of the movement of the forces into Freetown. The witness said that SAJ Musa and Sam Bockarie had a strange relationship but that after the death of SAJ Musa, communications between Gullit and Sam Bockarie became more effective. The witness said that when the troops entered Freetown, the news was on all radio stations.
The witness said that upon hearing the news, Benjamin Yeaten called Bockarie and asked him whether it was true that they had entered Freetown. The witness said when Bockarie confirmed the news, Yeaten congratulated him and told him he was going to visit him in two days.
The witness said that Yeaten also told Bockarie to turn on his satelite phone as Charles Taylor wanted to talk to him. The witness could not say what Taylor and Bockarie discussed. After the said two days, the witness said that Yeaten indeed visited Bockarie in Buedu, together with Jungle, Samson and Juniro.
The witness said that the troops could not hold Freetown and that ECOMOG forces forced them to retreat. While in Freetown, the witness said that the forces broke into Pademba Road and freed all prisoners.
The witness said that Bockarie ordered that all prisoners, including Gibril Massaquoi who had been imprisoned at Pademba Road, should be brought to Buedu. The witness said that while many prisoners were taken there, Gibril Massaquoi refised to go to Buedu.
Bockarie Leaves the RUF
The witness was asked questions about how Sam Bockarie left the RUF. The witness explained that there were infightings between Sankoh, Issa Sesay and Sam Bockarie.
The witness said that while Sam Bockarie and Issa had probleems, Bockarie and Sankoh also had a suspicious relationship. The witness said that Sankoh accused Bockarie of wanting to overthrow him and take over the RUF.
The witness said that this problem led Sam Bockarie to leave the RUF. Before leaving, the witness said that Sam Bockarie called a meeting for all members of the RUF in Buedu and informed them that Sankoh did not note his worth to the movement and that he was leaving the revolution.
The witness said that Bockarie told them that Charles Taylor had decided to give him refuge and that since Sankoh did not know his worth, he was ready to make very good use of him.
The witness said that when Bockarie left for Liberia, many fighters and civilians followed him. The witness said tha groups were first dispatched and when Bockarie left later, he went through Foya, where Jungle and others came and received him.
The witness said Bockarie later told them that Taylor had bought a house for them. She said that Bocakrie told them that all fighters who had come with him were to be taken to the training base and be trained to joing the Anti Terrorist Unit (ATU).
Bockarie Moves to Ivory Coast
The witness said that while in Liberia, Taylor asked Bockarie to go to Ivory Coast to fight against Ivorian forces there. The witness said she went with Bockarie to Ivory Coast. She said that when the group later tried to return to Liberia, they were stopped by Taylor's forces on the Liberian border with Ivory Coast.
The witness said they were told that Taylor had given orders that Bockarie and his men were not to be allowed to re-enter Liberia because the UN were trying to investigate links between Bockarie and Taylor as well as reports emaning that Taylor had sent him to fight in Liberia.
The witness said that they later entered Liberia but at some point, Yeaten and others came and took Bockarie away, saying that Taylor wanted to see him. She said that Bockarie was taken to another village. She said that Yeaten later came and asked them to go and fight against LURD rebels.
The witness said that when some of Yeaten's other forces started dancing and singing, a member of Sam Bockarie's security forces became suspicious that some thing was wrong.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Analyst. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
JOHNNY PAUL KOROMA IS NOT DEAD; HE'S VERY MUCH ALIVE. THE COCAINE TRAFFICKING FOOLS IN THE APC KNOW WHERE HE IS HIDING. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WHO FORCED ERNESTINE KOROMA DOWN THE THROATS OF SIERRA LEONEANS SHOULD ARM TWIST HIS COCAINE TRAFFICKING GOVERNMENT TO HAND HIM OVER TO THE SPECIAL COURT
I could have been very pleased if Charles Taylor was been tried by a court set up by African. Africans has allowed the western world to dictate to them in so many things. Why is it that Africans cannot do things on their own without the western world been involved in it? The trail of Taylor have been masterminded by the western world most especially Mr. Bush. Why is it that George Bush cannot be try for the war in Iraq? Look at what is happening in Iraq; what are the so called human right activists doing about it. Do they want to say that this is not crime against humanity which is prosecuted by law? better still, is Mr Bush above the law and that he cannot be prosecuted for what is going on in Iraq? why is it that Charles Taylor was not requested by the sierra leoneans for trial since he committed the crime against them and not against Mr Bush? All Africans should know that today it is Taylor but tomorrow it may be the next African leader. We should all learn from this and never allow such a thing to happen. Africa problems should be solve by Africans.
If Africans have the tools to efficiently solve their problems. Under your reasoning, Africans should also refuse to accept "aid" monies; or, do you find an exception here?
Taylor will rot in jail.He was powerful in the days when he had control over life and death but today his fate will be determined by somebody strange to him.God is alive.
Why blame Taylor for the War in Sierra Leone? The wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone started right in Freetown when Siaka Stevens allowed Quiwonkpa to lunch his failed coup out of Sierra Leone in 1985. Not stopping there, your country also accomodated groups that were been trained to attack Taylor's positions in Liberia but Taylor struck first before they could launch there attacks. Taylor did not commit or sponsor anyone to commit crimes in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leoneans committed their own crimes and atrocities against their own people. Your war was a different trademark then that of Liberia, burning houses, cutting limbs and legs were not a practice of the NPFL in Liberia. This is why the prosecution is finding it difficult to make there case against Taylor, they thought it would have been an easy ride for them. Their hope was that Taylor would be uncorporative, keeping him in prison to die like Sankoh and Hinga Norma. Taylor will only be found guilty because the west wants to keep him confine, since they percieve him as a trouble maker. Blame yourselves for your woes and leave Taylor alone.
it will be too good to kill Taylor...he should be punished for the rest of his life....if he die quik he ain't gon feel a thing...let him feel it like i did back then...
I dont know how our neighbors in Sierra Leone may feel about this wicked and dreadful son of theirs,I think his death is a relief to their country.Sierria Leoneans should thank Charles TAYLOR for sending that DEVIL and TERRORIST of West AFRICA to his early grave.What the court is investigating,IS THE TERROR on peaceful civilians in their country and not that son of the devil (SAM BOCKARIE).NOTE; He who live by the gun,shall die with it.AND so was their now so-called patriot,SAM BOCKARIE.
See all comments (10).
WHAT YOU DID IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL PAY FOR IT. CHARLES TAYLOR HE WILL PAY FORIT