Liberian journalist Alphonsus Zeon, who blogged previously about the perception of ex-combatants in Liberia toward Taylor’s trial (see 6/11/08 posting), writes below about how Taylor’s trial is confirming the way his links to al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and various Arab traders helped fuel the wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Zeon now is in West Africa, but he spent the past three months reporting on Taylor’s trial from The Hague. Enjoy this post from one of Liberia’s most intelligent, curious, compassionate, and enthusiastic reporters.
Charles Taylor`s “al Qaeda links” resurface at trial
By Alphonsus Zeon
Washington Post Correspondent Douglas Farah, in his book Blood from Stones, the Secret Financial Network of Terror, wrote at length about alleged links between Charles Taylor and Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, and al Qaeda. The links relate to the diamonds-for-guns trade during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Other reports, before and after Farah`s, published by the London-based group Global Witness and a plethora of international main stream and Internet media outlets, claimed that under Taylor Liberia “harboured al Qaeda operatives, senior Hezbollah financiers and a glut of transnational criminal organizations,” among other charges.
At the time, in Monrovia, these reports were dismissed as, “part of western ploy to undermine a strong African leader who disagrees with the West.” But at Taylor`s trial, just in its sixth month, key witnesses are making identical claims.
Last Thursday, a Prosecution witness, a senior rebel operative who also worked on Taylor`s security in Liberia, hinted that Taylor`s top security officers arranged diamond deals with individuals he called al Qaeda agents in Liberia. The witness, identified as TF1-359, told Special Court investigators in early 2006 that he was present during one of the encounters. One of Taylor’s lawyer, Terry Munyard, quoted the following from witness interview records during cross-examination: ‘The following morning he was taken again to the residence of Benjamine (sp) Yeaten and after his arrival they were joined by Lebanese, Mohammed Sali and another Lebanese and two Saudi Arabian men who you advised were on the CIA wanted list and living in Monrovia and that this group was diamond buyers.”
TF1-359, an artillery specialist in the Sierra Leonean contingent of the West African Peace Keeping Force, the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), worked in Liberia in 1990. Back home, he joined the coup by rebellious soldiers, called the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), who seized power, but were later driven out of the State House in Freetown by ECOMOG. He said he worked to secure ammunition for ECOMOG artillery weapons captured by the rebels. He told prosecutors that, “Sam Bockarie retrieved three cupboard boxes filled with diamonds and sorted them by size. The two Lebanese and the two Arabs started to evaluate the diamonds individually.”
Another Prosecution witness, TF1-590, a Sierra Leonean refugee who lived in Liberia`s border town of Voinjama in February 1998, said he saw Taylor`s son, Chuckie Taylor, and RUF commanders Sam Bockarie and C.O Victor together with Arabs, wearing headscarves at the frontier with Sierra Leone.
In May 1999 TF1-590 was arrested in Liberia and accused of being a Kamajor fighter opposed to the RUF and taken to Taylor`s Anti Terrorist Unit (ATU) base. He said Chuckie tortured him there, which is why the witness is also due to testify against Chuckie, an American citizen charged with torturing civilians in Liberia and awaiting prosecution in a Florida court. The witness had met with Federal prosecutors four times and given pre-trial evidence.
“Did you also tell the Americans about the Arabs being Charles Taylor`s diamond merchants, did you tell them about that?” Griffiths, a Jamaican born English Queens Counsel asked TF1-590. “That`s correct sir,” the witness answered.
Courtenay Griffiths, one of Taylor’s lawyers. Picture from BBC.
“Did you also tell them that you were aware of arms shipment going through Voinjama from Charles Taylor to Sierra Leone? Did you tell them about that?” The witness stared in the air. “Don`t be quay Mr. Witness, what`s difficult about the question?” Griffiths pressed the witness. ‘I…I told them on one occasion, or, or Mr. Chuckie Taylor, Musquito, C.O.Victor and the Arabs guys I have been seen talking about here,” the witness, who now lives in an undisclosed European country, answered after a long pause. “You are trying to confuse me,” he grumbled under the pressure of Griffiths’ cross examination.
Alphonsus can be contacted at ayzeon@yahoo.com
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