Washington, DC — Threatening Liberian president Charles Taylor with prosecution for aiding Johnny Paul Koroma and Sam Bockarie, indicted fugitives from the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the court's chief investigator, Alan W. White, has accused Taylor of permitting them to hide out in his country.
"I am calling on President Charles Taylor to immediately turn over Koroma and Bockarie," whose nickname "Maskita" is the Krio for "Mosquito," White said Wednesday. "Those indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone are war criminals, and anyone who aids, abets, or harbors a war criminal is subject to prosecution."
The Charge d'affaires in Liberia's Washington, D.C. embassy, Aaron B. Kollie, emphatically denied White's charges when contacted by allAfrica. Liberia is "elated" at the democratic processes underway in Sierra Leone, said Kollie. "It is therefore unthinkable for anyone at this time to try to link Liberia to the harboring of RUF members..."
As for the threat to prosecute Taylor if the indicted men were not produced, he said: "Any insinuation on your part of this being a threat to President Taylor of Liberia is... dismissible."
White told allAfrica.com that he has "credible" evidence that Taylor has "harbored" Koroma in the Liberian capital of Monrovia for at least a month. And Bockarie, said White, crossed into Liberia from the Cote d'Ivoire town of Gbinta on the western border. "We have confirmed this with credible sources on the ground in the area," said White.
But Kollie said Koroma had fled into the Sierra Leone jungle after making a failed coup attempt, "hence, Liberia cannot be expected to turn over individuals who are not in its possession or under its jurisdiction." He quoted "reports" that Bockarie was in the Ivorian town of Danane, across the border from Liberia.
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Both Koroma and Bockarie have close ties to Taylor. RUF head Foday Sankoh and Charles Taylor trained together in Libya. Johnny Paul Koroma was an officer in the Sierra Leone Army who deposed President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in May 1997 and then invited the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels to join thegovernment. And Bockerie is a RUF commander who also reportedly trained in Libya where he took refuge after an internal struggle with other RUF commanders in December 1999.
Taylor gave financial and weapons backing to the RUF rebellion led by Koroma and Bockarie. That conflict, which became infamous for its use of amputation against civilians and the use of drugged children as combatants, used Liberian territory as its first staging area, with the apparent approval of Taylor.
White has apparently not attempted to contact the Taylor government through usual diplomatic channels preferring instead to generate public pressure by making his allegations through the media.
Asked if he actually expected Taylor to surrender the two men, White said: "If he does not, we will come out to offer proof." Right now, says White, his hope is that by going public, Liberia's neighbors will pressure Taylor to surrender the men. "Whatever pressure can be put on - however it's put on - is what I am looking for. I'm backing him into a corner."
White would not say how long he would wait before trying to take action against Taylor at the Special Court. "I'm not going to put a timeline on it." White said he is not in contact with the Liberian President. "I have no access; I can't phone him."
