02/04/21 [Liberia] Day 24: The Hearing of Witnesses 45, 46, and 47
The 24th day of public hearings resumed on April 4, 2021 in Monrovia, Liberia.
Witness 45 is heard
(Finnish Witness ID: Soldier 17)
The Prosecution questions Witness 45
The Prosecution began by asking the Witness a question about the Second Liberian Civil War. The inquiry focused particularly on the Death Squad. The Witness explained that the first commander of the unit was Angel Gabriel, and the next commander was “Next to God.” The Witness met Angel Gabriel during the war, and added that it was Angel Gabriel’s bodyguard, known as “KB”, “Kill the Bitch” who crippled the Witness’ leg. He recounted that when enemies were coming to the bridge, Angel Gabriel put up a barrier and told them not to cross it. As people tried to cross, KB started to shoot: a bullet ricocheted off the ground and hit the Witness’s kneecap. The Witness is still affected by that wound to present day.
The Witness described how civilians in Waterside had fled, and some started looting stores. One of the first things that Angel Gabriel and his troops did, once they arrived, was to open fire on people present in the stores. The Witness recalled how once the shooting began, a soldier named “Bodyman” came running towards Angel Gabriel with a gun in his hand. Angel Gabriel screamed at Bodyman to drop his gun; however, Bodyman did not hear and he was shot down. This happened in Water Street, near the 99 Steps area. A group of men, who were friends with the Witness, reported the death. [Soldier 07] asked soldier [FNM-136], the Witness, and other men to go and confirm what had happened. When they arrived on the scene, the Witness recounted how they had wanted to open fire on Angel Gabriel and his men. However, [Soldier 07] stopped them, and wanted to hear from Benjamin Yeaten first, as he was the Chief. Yeaten told them not to attack, and Angel Gabriel fled to Congo Town, at Yeaten’s place where he was based, because he was afraid people were about to kill him.
The Prosecutor then referred back to the shooting at the stores and the location of those stores in Waterside. The Witness answered that the stores were not near the Old Bridge: it was going towards Water Street. When Angel Gabriel arrived at the store in question, a cell phone shop, he started shooting and said that “nobody should loot” and as long as people were looting, he was going to kill them. The Witness saw Angel Gabriel shooting with his own eyes.
After some clarifying questions regarding who [Soldier 07] sent to go and confirm the death of Bodyman, the Prosecution asked the Witness why they wanted to exchange fire when they arrived on the scene. Witness 45 replied that it was due to anger after seeing their comrade’s dead body. According to him, there were more than 15 people lying dead; besides Bodyman, all others were civilians, killed because of loitering in the area. The Witness said that he saw Angel Gabriel killing Bodyman, and “butchering people and all”: he remembered how he saw internal organs being removed. He added that he did not speak to Angel Gabriel because he wanted to kill him, and that the reason why Angel Gabriel did not die was because [Soldier 07] arrived as they were arguing. The Witness added that it happened either in 2000 or 2001, during the rainy season. He remembered the season because that was when the LURD was “hitting”.
The Prosecution then shifted the questioning to the Witness’s time in Lofa. The Witness remarked that he saw numerous bad things happening to civilians; Angel Gabriel was involved in some, but not all, as different people were involved. When asked to describe what Angel Gabriel was a part of, the Witness explained that in Kamatahun, Angel Gabriel killed the Town Chief and “half the people” because they had not remained in town, when Angel Gabriel had asked them to. According to the Witness, Angel Gabriel slit their throats with a knife. He confirmed this was the only incident in the area where Angel Gabriel was involved that he knew about. Later on in the testimony, the Prosecution asked the Witness if he also remembered if houses were being burned down; Witness 45 responded that Zigzag Marzah, sent by Yeaten, was setting houses on fire, and not Angel Gabriel. When the Prosecution asked if the Death Squad led by Angel Gabriel had anything to do with it, the Witness reiterated that Zigzag Marzah and Yeaten “did that”.
The Prosecutor then shifted the questioning to the interview with Finnish Police. The Witness recalled how he was selling a few items in Red Light when he saw [Soldier 07]. The man told him that “you are the people an NGO is looking for” and added that the NGO would help him. He gave [Soldier 07] his phone number, and one day, [Soldier 07] called him to tell him that some people wanted stories, especially by those who had been to Sierra Leone and came back to Liberia, like the Witness. Witness 45 responded that he hoped [Soldier 07] was not doing this “for people to come and arrest us” as he had heard that people were being arrested. He informed him that that month he was busy with the harvesting, but he would call him again when he was back in town.
And so he did, and [Soldier 07] took him to his place where the Witness stayed overnight. The Witness was still worried that he might be arrested. [Soldier 07] made arrangements for Witness 45 to speak to the “white people”. When he spoke with them, he recalled how they showed him pictures and asked him who he recognized. He only recognised Angel Gabriel. When they asked him how he knew him, the Witness explained that they had fought together in Sierra Leone, but Angel Gabriel’s rank was higher than his, and therefore he was the Witness’s boss. He asked where Angel Gabriel was, because he had not seen him in a long time, and the police responded that “this man is in a problem, certain things he did in Liberia is what we want to find out from you.”
Finally, the Prosecution wanted to know who had taken the Witness to the venue the day prior. He could not recall his name but shared that it was “a black man, short and thick”.
The Defense questions Witness 45
When asked, the Witness explained that [Soldier 07] did not disclose any names to him, but only told him that the “people wanted stories” from him. He then clarified that the police only showed him the picture after they asked him where he fought, to which he duly replied. The Witness reiterated that there were many people in the photo, and asked who he could identify, and he only recognized Angel Gabriel because he was the only person he knew. The Witness told the Defense that the interviewers showed him a video after showing him the photo; he recognized Angel Gabriel in the video as well.
The Defense asked the Witness if he was sure he had called the name “Angel Gabriel” during the interview with the police. The Witness replied that he had used the full name; however, he could not remember at that moment. The Defense pointed out that the Witness had not used the name Angel Gabriel at all during the interview, and that when the police asked him if he knew that name, the Witness had responded “no”. When asked if he knew the name “Gabriel Wilson”, Witness 45 answered that he did, and it was Angel Gabriel’s full name, and Angel Gabriel was his nom de guerre.
The Defense asked the Witness again if [Soldier 07] had told him anything about the investigation; the Witness reiterated that he only told him that the police wanted stories about the war. The Defense then pointed out that the Witness had previously stated that [Soldier 07] told him a story about Gabriel Wilson and how he was part of the Death Squad under the orders of Benjamin Yeaten. The Witness explained that [Soldier 07] told him about Gabriel Wilson, which is Angel Gabriel, and how he asked if it had been the Witness who he had sent on Water Street. The Witness added that [Soldier 07] had told him “about the thing that happened on Water Street”, but they called “Gabriel Wilson” “Angel Gabriel”. He did not remember initially because it had been a long time, and him and [Soldier 07] had talked about different things. [Soldier 07] had asked him if the man had killed Bodyman. The Defense asked Witness 45 if Bodyman had other names, and the Witness responded that people can have multiple names; when prompted, he recalled that Bulldog was another name for Bodyman. He could not remember his age, as they did not grow up together, but he estimated that he must have been in his 20s or 30s.
The Defense asked if the Witness remembered finding Bodyman’s body, to which he replied affirmatively. However, the Defense pointed out that in the police summary, it said that despite looking for the body, they could not find it. The Witness responded that Bodyman’s body was lying amongst the civilians, and that he had told the police that the first time they looked for it they could not find it. They managed to collect his body the day they pushed LURD rebels back during a fight on Vai Town Bridge. He specified that the events at the stores happened before they went and collected Bodyman’s body, more than a week after.
The Defense then asked the Witness whether he remembered what date he had said to the Finnish police about the events. He recalled telling police it had happened in 2002. The Defense replied that he had told the police it was in 2003; the Witness responded that he could not remember at the moment, but he had told them 2000-2002, but in his opinion he had said 2002, in October or November, because it was the rainy season. When asked, the Witness stated that his leg got injured on a bridge in Monrovia, but he did not know the name of said bridge. He explained that when he got injured “I was not myself”, and that when [Soldier 07] had asked him to go to 99 Steps, he had not been wounded yet.
The Defense asked the Court to play a recording. The Witness is heard mentioning [Soldier 07] and the year 2003; he is also heard saying that he could not recall the month, however he mentioned October/November due to rainfall. When the recording ended, the Defense asked the Witness if [Soldier 07] had told him the name of the NGO that was interested in the case, but he had not. Witness 45 explained how [Soldier 07] had told him that they would have given him a prosthesis.
The Defense asked again the Witness if he had used the name Angel Gabriel during the police interview. The Witness appeared to be confused by the questions of the Defense, and a recording was played by the Court. In the recording, Witness 45 is heard describing how someone shot civilians with an AK-47; when the police asked him if he had heard of the names “Massaquoi” or “Angel Gabriel”, the Witness responded that he had not.
The Prosecution questions Witness 45 further
The Prosecution took over the final line of questioning and asked the Witness whether he recalled the year the Second Civil War ended. He responded that he could not remember, and even when the Prosecution asked if it was 2003, the Witness stated he could not recall. The Prosecution rephrased the question, and asked what had happened to Charles Taylor when peace came: the Witness responded that “they said before peace could come to Liberia, Taylor should leave and they carried Taylor.” He added that he was in Monrovia when Taylor left, but he could not remember the year.
Witness 46 is heard
(Finnish Witness ID: Soldier 50)
The Prosecution questions Witness 46
The Witness began by saying that he was part of the government forces during the war, and named Zigzag Marzah and Superman as his commanders. He described that his faction was responsible for Vahun and Kolahun but was based in Foya, where he served from 2000 until 2002. He said that the RUF troops were there also, as they were working together. He recalled that Sam Bockarie was in overall command over the RUF troops, Gibril Massaquoi was the spokesman at the time and one of the “big men’’; he added that Angel Gabriel was his fighting name and that he had met him.
When asked about what happened in the area when they were with the RUF, the Witness explained that at the time there were no “specific operation” , and that forces would go where they were needed, based on attacks. He added that the RUF had come from Sierra Leone as reinforcements, and when they joined, “some killing took place”.
The Witness recalled an incident in Kamatahun Hassala when they were fighting against LURD rebels. According to the Witness, the RUF claimed that there were dissidents crossing, but based on his judgement these people were civilians as they were unarmed. The Witness noted that the RUF arrested some boys and men and said that they were rebels. The Witness noted that one of the men said “we are not rebels, we are civilians’’; however, they were put inside a kitchen which was then lit on fire. He recalled that the main commander was not present during this incident, as he was on patrol, so Gibril Massaquoi was in command at the time. The Witness mentioned how even though he was a soldier, he was not happy with the events as he was also from Lofa County and how those people were his people. The Witness asked why they did not hold those people as prisoners, and wait for Benjamin Yeaten or Zigzag Marzah. Later on, he reiterated that Gibril Massaquoi was the commander at that moment, and he had given the order to burn the house. He estimated that more than 5-6 people were burned. After more than an hour later, the first commander that came back was Zigzag Marzah; he asked who had given the order to set the house on fire. According to the Witness, they told Zigzag Marzah that “it was the man who you left in charge”. The Witness described howt Zigzag Marzah “left angry with what happened, but not to that extent, he was not that angry. And you know Gibril was not a small soldier, the only thing they could do was to take his jacket from him.” When prompted, the Witness specified that he did not speak to Gibril Massaquoi himself, because he was a high-ranking officer, so he could not question him: only Yeaten and Zigzag Marzah could.
The Witness noted that Gibril Massaquoi started to shift his responsibility from the incident, and said that he had not not ordered to place the people in the kitchen. However, the Witness later clarified that Massaquoi was aware there were people there, but because “his boss blamed him”, he tried to blame other people. When “50” arrived in the evening, he was very angry. He informed the other commanders that he and Gibril Massaquoi would be going to Monrovia. When there, they were based in Paynesville.
The Witness explained that when the war intensified and entered the city the war was called WW1. He noted that he had family from Sierra Leone, and that he was always assigned with the RUF because he could speak Mende and Krio, and was from Lofa County. He added that he “was like an eye on them for the government”.
The Witness noted that in Monrovia, there was another frontline commander named [FNM-143]. He noted how civilians were looking for food, and how civilians were shot because they were looting: the Witness recalled feeling bad, and seeing 15 bodies at a store. Witness 46 said that this “was not the frontline” but the other soldiers had told him how their orders were from the high-command, who had instructed “if anyone enters the store, they should be killed”. The Witness added that it was Gibril Massaquoi who ordered [FNM-143] to fire. He added that he did not know whether Gibril Massaquoi went back there twice, but it was the last time he came across him. Later on in his testimony, he confirmed that the incident at the store took place in 2003 in Waterside.
The Prosecution noted that after the incident the Witness went to Monrovia and asked what year this was. He clarified that the incident occured in 2001 or 2002 and he was in Monrovia in 2003. The Witness explained that the RUF base was in Paynesville, 12 Houses, in Monrovia. He stated that he did not stay there with them, but would go there when ordered. The Prosecution then asked whether the Witness travelled to Monrovia together with the RUF, to which he responded that they went to Monrovia with a convoy. When asked if Massaquoi was in the same convoy, the Witness responded that high-command was there, and they “had a problem with him’’ because of the incident in Kamatahun. He recalled that there were two different occasions that caused problems with Gibril Massaquoi.
The Witness further described how Monrovia was “upside down” in 2003, and that after crossing the safe zone there was the frontline where they were fighting against LURD. He clarified that this was past the bridge and pointed to an area in a map. Referring back to the incident at the store, the Prosecution asked who did the witness tell that “this was not the frontline”. The Witness explained that he told this to the people who were shooting at the store and who told the Witness that this order is from their head commander. Witness 46 added that Gibril Massaquoi and Salami were their commanders, and that Salami was dead, and that they were Sierra Leone Army soldiers before they joined the RUF. The Witness explained that he saw Gibril Massaquoi in Waterside when the store incident happened, and reiterated that it was the last time he saw him. The Witness said that he was not exactly sure what language Gibril Massaquoi spoke, but noted that most of them spoke Mende.
When asked how he got in touch with the Finnish police, the Witness said that a friend of his told him a man wanted to speak with him about what had happened during the civil war. [Employee 1] called the Witness and asked to meet him, but he only met him when he spoke with the police.
The Defense questions Witness 46
The Defense began by asking whether the Witness knew who the Finnish police wanted information on. Witness 46 responded that his friend had told him that it was someone from the RUF, but he did not know if it was Gibril Massaquoi or Salami. The Witness explained that the person who gave his phone number to [Employee 1] was [FNM-144], who used to be assigned to 12 Houses, and was junior to him.
The Defense pointed out that the police summary stated that the Witness had indicated that his cousin [FNM-144] told him to testify, but he had not taken him seriously. The person that convinced him to come was [FNM-145]. Further, according to the police statement, the Witness had said “that man is in Finland and I should come and give information about him and tell the truth”. The Defense then asked what the Witness meant when he said that he knew Angel Gabriel personally, to which he responded that he was assigned with them but did not know his personal life. The Defense noted that “you said your cousin said Gibril Massaquoi is now living in Finland and you said that the person is angel Gabriel”
The Witness explained that his cousin, [FNM-144] had been following the story and told him about it, using the name Gibril Massaquoi; and the Witness had told his cousin that that person was Angel Gabriel. He clarified that [FNM-144] did not call him Angel Gabriel because he did not know that name. [FNM-144] had only told him there was a case against him, but did not go into detail. He probably learned about it on the internet.
Referring back to the incident in Kamatahun, the Defense asked where the checkpoint from which he witnessed the fire was. The Witness explained that it was near the town. The Defense wanted to know how far it was from Vahun to Kamatahun. The Witness responded that “you have to pass Kamatahun to Yandohun to Vahun’’. He estimated that it is at least a six hour walk. The Defense asked whether the Witness was in Vahun when he got the information that the house was lit on fire, to which he replied that he was in Kamatahun. The Defense asked the Court to play a recording where the Witness is heard saying that when he came on the scene, soldiers told him that Massaquoi ordered the burning of the house and the killing of a pregnant lady.
The Witness said that he had forgotten to mention a pregnant woman who was killed under Gibril Massaquoi’s order, and confirmed that what was said in the recording was true.
The Prosecution asked the Witness where he had been when the pregnant woman was killed, and he responded that he was at the checkpoint. The Prosecution pointed out that in the recording he had said he was in Vahun. The Witness explained that he was coming from Vahun, as the news that the kitchen was set ablaze brought him to town. From the checkpoint to Kamatahun, it was a 45 minute walk. When he arrived, the kitchen was still burning.
Witness 47 is heard
(Finnish Witness ID: Soldier 37)
The Prosecution questions Witness 47
The Prosecution began by asking the Witness about the RUF. The Witness said that the RUF were a rebel united front from Sierra Leone. He described the RUF working in connection with government forces during the Second Liberian Civil War. The Witness himself belonged to the government forces, but he fought together with the RUF as the government and RUF had joint forces. When asked whether he recalled the names of any RUF fighters, the Witness named Sam Bockarie, Superman and Angel Gabriel, and subsequently described them as top ranking officers. The Witness recalled the role of Angel Gabriel being the third man in command, or the spokesman. He recalled that he was Sierra Leonean, and was also called “Massaquoi”, but that his fighting name was Angel Gabriel. The Witness met Angel Gabriel in numerous places during the war: Kolahun, Massabolahun, Foya, and Monrovia. He noted that when they met in Monrovia it was calm, but there was fighting occurring in Lofa, as it was the frontline. The Witness explained that he was not with Angel Gabriel in Monrovia, as he was a commander, but he would see him around the city in a car.
The Prosecution asked the Witness whether he came from Lofa to Monrovia at the same time with Angel Gabriel; the Witness responded he had not, because he was not assigned to him. Witness 47 added that he fought together with Angel Gabriel on the frontline and recalled an incident occurring in Kamatahun. The Witness noted that Liberians and Sierra Leoneans had their own groups, but they were all members of the joint forces, and Angel Gabriel was the Sierra Leonean commander.
Regarding the incident in question, he recalled that after they arrived, people were arrested because they were accused of providing information to the LURD forces. The Witness thought that Angel Gabriel ordered people to kill others, and noted that some people were burned and others were raped. He explained that this caused confusion between the groups, and caused an argument after Charles Taylor’s forces arrived in the town they were based in. The Witness explained that the altercation caused some people to fight over killing Angel Gabriel, and added that Zigzag Marzah, who was one of the commanders, was angry as well. The argument was settled later on, and Angel Gabriel was called to Vahun, where the chief of staff was. He explained that this is how Angel Gabriel left the frontline, and noted that his life was spared because they had recently lost two commanders, Sam Bockarie and Superman. He noted that he has not seen Angel Gabriel since, in Liberia or elsewhere.
The Witness continued testifying regarding the same incident, and recalled that Angel Gabriel was the one who arrested people in Kamatahun, as he claimed to have information that the people were providing intelligence to dissident forces. He noted that he could not recall where the people brought to Kamatahun were from. He said that the burning and raping caused friction between the groups, and stated that Angel Gabriel gave the order to kill people. He subsequently clarified that he knew that Angel Gabriel gave the order, because “if he did not give order no one could do anything”. And afterwards, when Zigzag Marzah and another commander arrived and asked who had been responsible, everyone said that Angel Gabriel had given the order.
He explained that the people that had been arrested were burned in a house; he could not estimate how many had been killed, as he had not been present when they were put in the house – although he later saw the bones. He recalled that the people were also raped by Angel Gabriel’s men, and noted that Angel Gabriel commanded more than 500 men. The rapes in question occurred in Kamatahun on the same day when the people were arrested and burned. The Witness recalled Angel Gabriel giving the order to rape the people, and that Angel Gabriel had said: “These are your women. You take them”.
The Prosecution asked the Witness if he recalled the location of the house that was burned in Kamatahun. He explained that the house would be on the left side of the road when arriving from Kolahun. Prompted by the Prosecution, the Witness recalled the incident taking place in the blacksmith shop. He stated that the rapes took place in a house close to the blacksmith shop, and noted that most of those houses were burned, as heavy fighting took place there. The Witness noted that men were arrested and killed, but all of the people raped were women. The Prosecution asked whether the Witness could estimate how many women were raped, and the Witness replied that the incident took place when it was a bit dark, and they had just retreated due to enemy pressure. He additionally noted that he did not have any authority to investigate what had occurred, so they returned to the front line. He recalled the incident taking place in either late 2001 or early 2002, and noted that he recalled the time because after Angel Gabriel left, the Witness was wounded in August 2002, and was then brought to Monrovia.
The Prosecution pivoted to questioning the Witness about how he got in touch with the Finnish police. He stated that he got in contact through [Employee 1], after they began discussing the civil war whilst on the way to their respective destinations. After a while, [Employee 1] told him that an NGO would be coming, and asked whether he would be willing to share his experience with them. The Prosecution concluded by asking the Witness if he recalled what language Angel Gabriel spoke. The Witness replied that he spoke Mende.
The Defense questions Witness 47
The Defense began by questioning the Witness about his discussions with [Employee 1]. The Witness stated that the initial discussion he had with [Employee 1] took place on public transport. They discussed the fighting that had taken place in Lofa during the civil war, and the Witness told him that he had been in Foya, Voinjama and Zorzor. After noting that RUF came in early 2000, as the first invasion took place when “Mosquito Spray” attacked Liberia in 1999, he explained that the RUF splintered, causing some to stay in Sierra Leone whilst others went to Liberia.
He explained that the RUF forces were headed by Sam Bockarie, and they arrived in Liberia in early 2000 through Bomboru and Foya. He added that at the time the LURD forces were attacking, and the government forces never had enough man power to attack them. When asked which RUF leaders arrived, the Witness stated that they had many commanders, but Gibril Massaquoi was their spokesman. The Witness added that at the time he did not really know him, but he did know Sam Bockarie because he was referred to as “Master”. He noted that he also did not aid the RUF in their pursuit of arriving in Liberia.
The Defense asked the Witness if he was aware of the type of relationship Angel Gabriel had with the RUF members in Liberia around 2000-2001. He stated that Angel Gabriel had a cordial working relationship with the RUF members in Liberia, and noted that when they came they stayed at 12 Houses, in Monrovia. The Witness was asked whether he had been on the trip where Mosquito was brought to Foya on the request of Charles Taylor. After answering that he had not been on such a trip, he was asked if he had been on a similar trip where Sam Bockarie was taken from Sierra Leone to Liberia. He replied that he met Sam Bockarie at the border and escorted him to Voinjama, but he could not recall if Gabriel Massaquoi was on the trip as he did not know the leadership at the time. The Defense noted that the Witness had previously stated that Superman was also present in the group, to which he replied by responding that he did not know them personally. He explained that Sam Bockarie was escorted from the border because they had received a call from a higher-up, stating that a convoy was coming from Sierra Leone to Liberia.
After noting that Sam Bockarie and other fighters had some internal conflict in Bomboru, he explained that he did not know who ordered Sam Bockarie to go to Liberia as the Witness was not a commander. The Defense asked the Witness if he knew where Bomboru is located, the Witness stated that it is in Sierra Leone, although he was unsure of what part of Sierra Leone. After this, the Defense noted that the Witness had stated that on the way he had become acquainted with Gabriel Massaquoi and Superman. The Witness responded that it might have been a mistake, as he did not know the leadership when they arrived in Liberia.
(A recording is played, in which the Witness stated that the President had told them to go to Bomboru, and that they passed through Foya. He additionally stated that Mosquito attacked Voinjama around December 1999 or early 2000, and they went to Voinjama to fight, but the people had retreated once they arrived. After, they left the executive mansion, and went to Bomboru where confusion broke out.)
After the Defense asked if he had in fact gone to Bomboru, the Witness explained that he used the term “us” because he was a part of the troop, but he did not go himself.
(Another recording is played, in which the Witness stated that ATU escorted the RUF to Monrovia through Foya to Voinjama, before arriving in Monrovia. He additionally stated that the RUF had groups, some stayed in Sierra Leone and others came to Liberia. The Witness described the RUF having Sam Bockarie, Superman and Angel Gabriel, who was the spokesman for them, whilst Sam Bockarie was the overall head for them. Finally, he stated that Sam Bockarie, Angel Gabriel, and Sam Bockarie were present on the trip from Bomboru to Foya, Voinjama, and Monrovia.)
The Witness stated that he wanted to clarify that he had said Angel Gabriel, Sam Bockarie, and Superman because they had received a call stating that those individuals would be coming. He added that he had told the police that he did not know them, and he had simply stated who he was aware they were arriving on the trip in question. He concluded by reiterating that although he recalled Angel Gabriel was present on the trip, they simply received a call that stated that all the individuals in question were arriving.
The Defense asked whether the Witness recalled if there had been any internal conflict in the RUF, and what kind of effect this may have had. Witness 47 responded that he had heard of an internal conflict, and believed that it had hindered Sam Bockarie, Superman, and Angel Gabriel from going to Sierra Leone. The Witness additionally indicated that he believed that Sam Bockarie and Angel Gabriel did not have a cordial relationship with the RUF in Sierra Leone at the time.
The Defense pivoted back to questions related on how the Witness became involved in the process with the Finnish police. The Witness explained that he had met [Employee 1] at a rest stop whilst they were both waiting for their transportation to leave. The Defense noted that the Witness had previously stated that he met [Employee 1] for the first time in Gbarnga, and a recording was played in which the Witness stated so. He explained that it was perhaps a mistake, and there may have been a misunderstanding when the question was asked.
The Prosecution questions Witness 47 further
The Prosecution asked for clarifications on the convoy of the RUF commanders from Sierra Leone to Liberia. The Witness explained that the troop was divided into two, and he was in the troop that went to the border after leaving Monrovia to Lofa because of an invasion led by “Mosquito Spray”. He stated that he was part of the group that went to meet the convoy, but he remained in Foya and did not cross the border to Sierra Leone. The convoy arrived in Foya, and the Witness left the convoy once they had arrived in Voinjama, where he would remain. He went on to explain that once the LURD forces attacked again, the RUF returned to Voinjama. He added that after Mosquito left it was calm for a while, before the LURD forces attacked again.
The Prosecution asked the Witness whether he had seen or talked with the people who were a part of the convoy, whilst he was in Voinjama. He stated that he saw them, as they took the same car, but he did not talk to senior commanders himself. He explained that the RUF commanders did not talk to anybody, and that only upon arrival in Voinjama Sam Bockarie talked to an AFL commander. He concluded by noting that no one else talked in Voinjama besides Sam Bockarie, as far as he was aware.
