‘ECOMOG Was Wild’
THE HAGUE – Claims that Charles Taylor secretly smuggled arms and ammunition into Liberia in 1997 without informing the West African peacekeepers were dismissed as ‘nonsense’ on Wednesday, February 17, by the former Liberian president during his trial in The Hague.
During cross-examination, prosecutors had raised allegations of Taylor’s involvement in arms smuggling in Liberia, pointing to a book written by Nigerian General, Victor Malu, the head of West African peacekeeping forces in Liberia during Taylor’s presidency.
In his book, Malu reportedly claimed that in 1997, Taylor secretly smuggled arms and ammunition from South Africa through the Free Port of Monrovia without informing Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) peacekeepers. The former ECOMOG commander said that before his forces were alerted, Taylor had removed the arms and ammunition from the Free Port.
But on Wednesday, during his re-examination, Taylor dismissed the allegations as nonsense.
“Since ECOMOG arrived in Liberia in 1990, they maintained full control of the Free Port of Monrovia. So to say at this particular time that arms [were] being brought into the Free Port… the Navy of ECOMOG [was] based there,” he told the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
“Even through my presidency, ECOMOG was deployed fully in Monrovia and its environs by this time. So this is total nonsense that someone could have brought a shipload of arms into the Free Port… the Navy of Nigeria [was] running this port. It’s totally, totally crazy here. It’s not possible.”
Asked whether Malu had confronted him with intelligence that shiploads of arms and ammunition had been brought to Liberia through the Free Port, Taylor responded, “never, so help me God, never, Malu never discussed this with me.”
Prosecutors have alleged that even with an ECOMOG presence in Liberia and with the West African country under a United Nations arms embargo, Taylor smuggled arms and ammunition into the country. These arms, prosecutors say, were then sent to Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in Sierra Leone, a rebel group to whom he is alleged to have provided support during the 11-year conflict in Sierra Leone.
While maintaining that his country did not have arms to supply rebel forces in Sierra Leone, Taylor has admitted that at some point in his presidency, he secretly bought arms and ammunition solely for the purpose of fighting rebel forces which, he alleges, were threatening to unseat his government in Liberia.
Also during his re-examination, Taylor dismissed the Nigerian general’s accounts that during his days as a rebel, he had acquired about 20 armored personnel carriers, four tanks, tons of artillery and anti-aircraft rifles for use in ‘Operation Octopus’ a 1992 operation by his National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) rebel forces to capture the Liberian capital, Monrovia.
Taylor maintained that during the entire period of the Liberian conflict, his National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) rebel group never had access to armored personnel carriers, tanks and anti-aircraft rifles. He explained that Operation Octopus was a military operation which was aimed at capturing Monrovia and bringing the Liberian conflict to an end.
The accused former president, who has previously testified that he had several disagreements with Malu, told the court that when he was ‘elected’ president of Liberia in 1997, he called for the replacement of the Nigerian general. Referring to Malu as ‘abrasive’ and ‘rude’, Taylor added that ECOMOG soldiers were not loved by the Liberian people.
“Liberian citizens complained seriously about the treatment that ECOMOG meted out to ordinary citizens. At checkpoints, they would beat the people, they would take away their items, I mean, they were wild,” Taylor said. “And I was the person that always talked about the sovereign rights of Liberians in their country, unruly behaviors on the part of ECOMOG troops Liberians were really, really angry,” he said.
In his re-examination, Taylor has been seeking to clarify certain issues that were raised during his cross-examination by the prosecution. His defense counsel, Courtenay Griffiths, informed the court that Taylor’s re-examination will likely be concluded by today. If that happens, both prosecution and defense will tender several documents to be admitted in evidence, after which Taylor’s witnesses will immediately begin testifying in his defense.
(Edited by Liberian Observer Online)
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My Opinion on the Taylor Case Thus Far
Is Charles Taylor guilty of war crimes and crimes against humunity. The answer is a unqualifying yes, but only predicated on crimes committed domestically in Liberia. There has been no compelling evidence, no microscopic evidence, to substantiate the charge that Taylor orchestrated the atrocities that was committed in Sierra Leone. What the prosecution must show is that Taylor specficially instructed and trained the rebels to initiate the atrocites inflicted on the innocent civilians in order to to attain control of the diamond fields. Perhaps he did, but there hasnt been one objective witness, only enemies of Taylor. Malu a perfect example. I would hardly argee with Taylor that Ecomog's soldier presence in Liberia was not wanted. As Martin Meredith points out in his reading "The Fate of Africa." Meredith asserts that: "Ecomog was heavily involved in looting, arms trading and contraband. Senoir officers supplied various factions with weapons and other war material in return for looted goods." Malu is simply a disgruntled monkey mad because Taylor justifiably took away his banana and therefore has no credibility.
The truth of the matter is Taylor was the, as his critics would say, the "Supreme Warlord" in Liberia during the conflict. But from an objective perspective, he was de facto ruler, and most of the international community recognized his preeminence in Greator Liberia, and his commercial operations. Taylor had accomodation with Firestone, and arranged a string of deals with other foreign companies. A British firm paid Taylor 10 million a month for permission to ship out stockpiled iron ore through the deep water port of Buchanan. France became Taylor's main customer for timber. Foreign firms were required by Taylor regime to help with the purchase of fuel oil and vehicles and pay for costs of security force protection. At the same time he was fighting rebel groups vigorously trying to unseat him to get a piece of the devil's pie. One major group, in alliance with ecomog, was the Liberian exile group Ulimo led by former Doe minister, Alhaj Kromah, who ran diamond-mining operations in border areas Sierra Leone to finance his campaign. Taylor suffered a serious of reverses primarily because of this group. What im am trying to venture is that Taylor's interest was maintaining his lucrative monopoly of greater Liberia and subsequently maintain his democratically elected seat as President. But to maintain his position, Taylor viciously engage other rebel groups endeavoring to overthrow him. RUF and Taylor had mutual but different interest. RUF in diamonds, and Taylors primarily keeping his enemies away.
If Taylor is guilty of crimes in Sierra Leone, Ronald Reagan should have been convicted for the atrocities inflicted in Africa under the Reagan Doctrine, Muammar Qadaffi's should be convicted for backing the warlord Taylor for the atrocities he commited in Liberia, George Bush should be convicted for atrocities Prince Johnson inflicted during his groups indiscriminate killing after the Doe Killing as Dr. Amos Mohammed propounds in his reading He died Before His Plans Were Realized:President Tolbert: "The United States, who were dispatched to Liberia to evacuate U.S Citizens...began to train Prince Johnson INPFL rebel faction while supplying arms to them. During this time, Johnson and his forces were informed by U.S intelligence that Doe was heading to Ecomog's headquaters where he later captured and killed by Johnson. As conflict dragged on human rights abuses and indiscriminate killing by Johnson was reported."
In any case, Taylor is guilty of crimes against humanity commited in Liberia. I am defintely convinced of that. But there is no conclusive or convincing evidence to tie him with the crimes inflicted in Sierre Leone. But let the Hague cage and feed the warlord, instead of wasting the Liberian Tax payer's money in doing so. But quite frankly, objectively speaking, just as the Reagan Doctrine was justified because it was executed in war(cold war mind you), Taylor is also justified in his alleged policy in Sierre Leone in protecting his seat. Whats good for the geese is good for the gander.