Taylor to be Indicted for Aiding and Abetting Criminals?

By A Correspondent

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

May 2, 2003

Charles Taylor

The Judge of the Special Court in Sierra Leone, Dr. White, said that he has multiple evidence that Mr. Charles Taylor is harboring Sam Mosquito Bockarie and Johnny Paul Koroma in Liberia. The judge demanded that he turn over those two indicted war criminals or he (Taylor) will be indicted for aiding and abetting the criminals, which according to Dr. White, could lead to his arrest through the U. N. system. That was a disturbing news for Taylor's groupies here. Many believe that it is just a matter of time for Taylor be indicted by the Tribunal for crimes he has committed against Sierra Leoneans.

As we expected, the press secretary to Taylor, Vanii Passawe has told the local press that the two accused men are not in the country. He further said that the government has contacted all border commanders to be on the watch for any of those who are indicted by the Sierra Leone War crimes Tribunal. It is believed that the government may be finding a ways to have the two men who are actually in the country to be deported later on. Since Taylor is on record as saying that Bockaire is not in Liberia, he cannot tell the court now that the man is in Liberia. It is a Catch 22 situation for him!

One thing is clear: many conclude that those “hoodlums” will never be allowed in the Ivory Coast due to the killing of Felix Doh. Felix Doh, formally known as N’guessan Saint-Clair was in Monrovia with General Robert Guei in 2000. His death is said to had been engineered by Mr. Taylor through Sam Bockaire and some of the ATU forces fighting in the Ivory Coast.

We are told that Sam Bockaire and co. crossed over from Danane into Liberia with more than 300 vehicles stacked somewhere in Nimba. As a source put it, “US $500 can give you a new car.”

On other development, Ms. Myrtle Gibson of the Liberian senate is claiming that LURD forces are amputating civilian hands including those of children. She failed to mention the massive abuse of human rights by the very government that she represents. She was once an insider of the NPFL when that rebel group killed more than 600 people in Carter Camp, Harbel in the mid '90s. Furthermore, when the NPFL again slaughtered most of the residents of the Cowfield area on Duport Road, it was the same Myrtle Gibson, along with Monie Captan and co. who blamed the AFL of the two cases of massacre mentioned above.

Myrtle Gibson as head of the senate committee on children received over US1.4m from an Italian millionarie to build a children village. Her first order of business along with Mr. Taylor was to begin demolishing the Barclay Training Center to be used as the children village. When the public (including NPP supporters) began to complain, they stopped their act of destroying solid public structures in such a manner. Since then, they have embezzled all the money and there is no children village. Can such a person have interest in children? Let her first account for that money. We all condemn LURD and all other illegal arm groups in Liberia. Taylor's security forces have been killing innocent civilians all over this place without any punishment meted out to those who commit such blatant acts. Chucky Taylor, Benjamin Yeaten, Col. Daniel Bracewell, Bedell Fahn, Henrique Cassell, etc. are just a few of those willful murderers who are today going free in Liberia.

Taylor needs to step down so that Liberia and the sub-region may have peace. In that light, a neutral person becoming an interim leader will be most prudent. If Mr. Taylor who has interest in contesting the presidency come the next elections is allowed to be interim leader, that will be very counter productive. The conflict will continue to go on. I don't think any of the belligerent forces should be allowed to lead an interim government.