15/05/21 [Sierra Leone] Day 31: The Hearing of Witnesses 64 and 65
The 31st day of public hearings resumed on 15 May 2021 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Defense Witness 6 is heard (Witness 64)
Defence Counsel Questions Witness 6
The Witness began by describing that he knew Gibril Massaquoi. The Witness was captured along with Gibril Massaquoi in Pujehun District in 1992. After being captured, the Witness and Mr. Massaquoi both became RUF fighters. The Defense asked the Witness whether he recalled where he was in 1999. The Witness stated that he was a fighter in the Kailahun District. The Witness knew of the Lomé Peace Agreement and offered that Foday Sankoh went to the negotiations. He stated that the Accord took place in 1998. He did not know whether Mr. Massaquoi went to Lomé, but noted that, after the Accord, Massaquoi was in Makeni, Sierra Leone. The Witness was aware that the Lomé Peace Agreement involved RUF, and the aim was to end the war. After the Lomé Peace Agreement, the Witness stated that Foday Sankoh went to Nigeria and Liberia, and that he was arrested not long after. Later in his testimony, the Witness stated that he had no idea that Sankoh would be arrested after the Lomé Accord. When asked about the May 8 attack in Sierra Leone, the Witness stated that he was in Pujehun, in a place called Koiva when he heard that the city was attacked. He did not recall which part of the city he heard had been attacked.
The Witness then provided more information regarding his involvement with the RUF. He explained that he was in Kailahun as a fighter for eight months, before going to mine in Tongo for three months in 1999. The Witness then returned to Kailahun and a nearby village, Koiva, to wait for the disarmament. In 2001, he was disarmed by the United Nations in Daru.
When asked whether the Witness was aware of Mr. Massaquoi’s whereabouts in 2000 and 2001, the Witness stated that, in 2000, Massaquoi was a commander in Sierra Leone, living in Makeni, while in 2001, Mr. Massaquoi was in Freetown. In 2000, the Witness sought assistance from Mr. Massaquoi for a mining project, but Mr. Massaquoi did not have funding for the project, and suggested that they engage in fishing in Gondapi instead. The Witness stated that the fishing project was business-related, and had nothing to do with the peace process. The Witness and Mr. Massaquoi traveled together to Gondapi to work on the arrangements for the fishing project, but when they couldn’t make progress on it, they returned to Pujehun. The Witness explained that he did not do any business with Mr. Massaquoi as the project collapsed, and that there was no concrete arrangement for this project. After that trip, the Witness stated that Mr. Massaquoi went to Makeni while the Witness went to Tongo. When asked whether he interacted with Mr. Massaquoi in Freetown, the Witness stated that he was in Freetown as well, but that at the time, Massaquoi was with the UN. He knew Mr. Massaquoi was with the UN because he had security with him and it was difficult to gain access to him. The security allowed the Witness to see Mr. Massaquoi on a one-on-one basis. The Witness stated that his last meeting with Mr. Massaquoi took place in 2004. They met in Freetown, and at that time, Mr. Massaquoi was coming and going from the Special Court.
With respect to any nicknames, the Witness indicated that everyone called Mr. Massaquoi “Gibril”, even Foday Sankoh, and Gibril was well-liked “because he was so brilliant”. When prompted by Defense Counsel, the Witness recalled the name “Angel Gabriel”, but could not link it to a specific person beyond knowing there was someone named Angel Gabriel somewhere in the RUF. He did not know anything of what this Angel Gabriel did in the RUF.
The Witness was then asked about other members of the RUF. He knew Sam Bockarie as Mosquito, and described him as a RUF frontline battle commander who later tired of the RUF ideology, so he broke away from the group and went to Liberia. He remembered that Mosquito left the RUF in February 1997, after the Lomé Peace Agreement, and that he went with men and his bodyguards. The Witness never saw Mr. Massaquoi go to Liberia. As for the relationship between Bockarie and Massaquoi, the Witness noted that Sam was the overall commander and that he “used to give [Massaquoi] command”. According to the Witness, there was no tension between the two – Sam was the battlefront commander and Massaquoi worked with commands from Sam. Massaquoi was also tasked with being the public relations officer, a duty he received from Foday Sankoh because he was intelligent. The Witness clarified that Sankoh was the chairman and Massaquoi was a subordinate.
The Witness confirmed that he recalled his Finnish police interview in October 2020, and that nobody contacted him after the interview took place.
The Prosecution Questions Witness 64
The Prosecution opened by asking about the money the Witness had requested from Mr. Massaquoi. The Witness explained that he asked for this money to support his business. Apart from that, the Witness denied that Mr. Massaquoi had any participation in the mining business. Further, the Witness noted that the people working in the mine did not have anything to do with Mr. Massaquoi. Recalling the Witness’ prior statement to the Finnish police, the Prosecution asked whether the Witness had described mining in Tongo. The Witness confirmed that there were diamonds in Tongo. The Prosecution again referred to the statement, noting that the Witness said that he had “a couple of boys [who] were mining for Gibril Massaquoi”. The Witness denied having said this, explaining rather that he told the police that he went to ask Massaquoi for help with his own mining project. He could not explain why the police had written that, and was clear that he did not say it.
Turning to the topic of Liberia, the Witness stated that he did not know what Sam Bockarie and his men did when they went to Liberia because Bockarie broke away. He did not know if anybody else left the RUF to go to Liberia after Bockarie left, and stated that he himself had never gone to Liberia. The Prosecution recalled that the Witness stated that Massaquoi never went to Liberia, and asked the Witness how he knew this. The Witness explained that Massaquoi was in Sierra Leone, and that he saw him in Sierra Leone. The Prosecution noted that Mr. Massaquoi himself stated at trial that he went to Liberia in 2000 and 2001, and the Witness stated that it was possible Massaquoi went there, but the Witness did not see that. The Witness stated that he had no knowledge of the RUF involvement in the Liberian war. When asked whether he knew what the RUF did to civilians in Liberia, the Witness asked what the RUF would be going to Liberia for, as they were fighting in Sierra Leone. The Witness did not know whether “Angel Gabriel” went to Liberia.
The Prosecution asked whether, from the years 1999 to 2003, Mr. Massaquoi was a commander. The Witness explained that Massaquoi was “not a full commander, he had superiors like Issa Sesay giving him commands”. There were many people who had radio operators at that time, including the Witness, as they had to send radio reports to Foday Sankoh. The Witness clarified that he was a training commander, and trained fighters, and that only commanders had radio operators. He confirmed that Mr. Massaquoi had a radio operator as well, and that Mr. Massaquoi’s radio operator was named Witness 10. Mr. Massaquoi required a radio operator to communicate and provide information to Foday Sankoh, “he was loved by Foday Sankoh”. When asked whether he received any communication or information from Liberia on his radio, the Witness stated that he did not, as “Liberia had their own problem, we had ours".
Turning back to the time when Massaquoi was with the UN, which the Witness stated was between 2001 and 2004, the Witness confirmed that he was allowed to visit Massaquoi, on Massaquoi’s instruction. When he visited, someone would ask his identity, and Mr. Massaquoi would tell them that the Witness was his friend. They never met outside the house, and Mr. Massaquoi was always inside. He did not visit frequently, just every once in a while. Mr. Massaquoi did not give the Witness any money or supply when he visited, but sometimes food would be available so the Witness would eat there. When he visited, he also saw Mr. Massaquoi’s wife and children, as well as someone named [FNM-187]. Other than Massaquoi’s family, the Witness stated there were no other visitors to the UN house. He did not know whether [FNM-187] had any other name, and did not know anyone by the name of [FNM-178]. When asked whether he knew someone named [Agent], the Witness confirmed that he knew him from Kenema. The Prosecutor explained that Agent’s real name was [FNM-178], and the Witness stated that it was possible, as he did not know Agent’s real name. He did not know whether Agent ever lived with Massaquoi or whether Agent was ever in Freetown, and he last saw Agent in 1995 in Pujehun.
The Witness stated that when he went to visit Massaquoi in his house, there were no other visitors, but he met Massaquoi’s kids and wife when he was there.
The Prosecution then played a recording of the Witness’ interview with the police, relating to Mr. Massaquoi’s involvement in mining. The Witness confirmed that Mr. Massaquoi was involved in diamond mining, but did not know what Massaquoi did with the diamonds, as “they have their own site, I had mine".
The Defense asks further questions.
Defense asked the Witness to clarify where and when he saw Mr. Massaquoi. The Witness stated that he saw Massaquoi in Koribondo in 1994 and in Makeni in 1996. Defense Counsel then referred to a recording of the Witness’ police interview stating where Massaquoi went after the Lomé Peace Agreement. At trial, the Witness stated that Massaquoi was in Sierra Leone. Defense again referred to the police statement, noting that the Witness previously said that both he and Massaquoi came to Freetown. The Witness confirmed that Massaquoi was in Freetown.
Reminding the Witness that he had been asked whether Freetown was under any attack, and that his response was that, while he was in Tongo in 2000, Foday Sankoh’s Freetown residence was attacked by ECOMOG, following which Massaquoi went to Makeni, Defense Counsel asked the Witness to confirm this prior statement. The Witness confirmed that this was true, and offered that Massaquoi went with Dennis Mingo. Defense Counsel also asked the Witness to confirm prior statements indicating that: the Witness went to Massaquoi for help with the mining business; Massaquoi said he did not have money but would speak to DDR to assist the fishing project; the Witness and Massaquoi were in Gondapi for two days, following which Massaquoi returned to Freetown; the Witness later met with Massaquoi in a RUF office in Kissy, Freetown, to ask about the project, and Massaquoi told him that he would be informed when the project materialised; the Witness returned to Tongo. The Witness confirmed each of these prior statements affirmatively. Defense Counsel then asked whether DDR played a role in the peace process, and the Witness explained that they trained ex-combatants.
Defence then referred to another prior statement, wherein the Witness told police that Angel Gabriel was a sergeant in Kailahun. The Witness explained that the statement wasn’t entirely correct, as the Witness did not know Angel Gabriel, he simply heard of him from [Witness 7].
The Prosecution interjected to ask what year [Witness 7] told him about Angel Gabriel and why he told the Witness about him, to which the Witness responded that it was in 1997, and that he was the brigade commander. [Witness 7] did not tell the Witness whether Angel Gabriel went to Liberia. Defence then asked whether [Witness 7] spoke of Angel Gabriel before or after the Lomé Peace Agreement, and the Witness replied that he heard this after the Accord. The Witness recalled that, during this time, which he stated was in 1997, there was infighting between Mosquito and Superman (also known as Dennis Mingo), and that Massaquoi was on Dennis Mingo’s side.
Defense Witness 3 (Witness 65) is Heard
Defense Counsel Questions Witness 3
The Witness began by describing how he knew Mr. Massaquoi and his own role in the RUF. They met in 1991, when they were both captured by the RUF movement, after which, both the Witness and Mr. Massaquoi became members of the RUF. The Witness started with the RUF in the Pujehun District, in Sorogbema Chiefdom. He met Mr. Massaquoi again in 1993 in Buedu, and at that time, they had already joined forces with the other rebels there. From 1999 to 2003, the Witness was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and became a battalion commander. In 1999, he was in Kailahun and Kenema District, but was formally stationed in Kailahun.
The Witness indicated that he had travelled to Liberia between 1999 and 2003, and recalled specifically that it was during 2000, though he did not remember the month. He was in Liberia on the order of Issa Sesay, who told him to go with some troops to join the NPFL around the Foya area. The Witness clarified that the NPFL was a Liberian rebel group, and that they crossed over to Mendekoma. The Witness added that it was his first time visiting that place. The Witness stated that he traveled to Liberia with Witness 12, along with a group of more than one hundred men called “Sadam”. The Witness was the commander while they were in Freetown, but in Liberia, Witness 12 was the commander, while the Witness served as deputy. The Witness clarified that he, not Witness 12, led the troops. They fought against the rebels opposing Charles Taylor in Foya Kama and Foya Airfield, but only attacked Foya Airfield for a day, as they were approaching a time for making peace. While he was in Foya, the Witness did not see any civilians, but stated that only fighters were there. The Witness spent three days there, and when he returned to Sierra Leone, Witness 12, as well as all the troops, returned along with him.
The Witness did not meet any other RUF commanders while they were in Liberia, but noted that a force led by Witness 7 had been sent ahead of his trip. He later clarified that some Sierra Leonean troops stayed in Liberia, but restated Witness 7 had returned to Sierra Leone before the Witness was sent there. He did not know where Witness 7 was based when he was in Liberia, but the Witness’ troops made their base in Mendekoma. Due to his role as troop commander, the Witness met some Liberian commanders there, including “Mosquito”, [FNM-188], and [FNM-189], though the Witness noted that he did not really know or understand them. The Witness added that the RUF also had its own commander called “Mosquito”.
While the Witness was in Lofa, he did not meet with Mr. Massaquoi, but he reaffirmed that Massaquoi visited Liberia between 1999 and 2003, traveling with a delegation to meet with ECOWAS regarding the Sierra Leonean peace process. He knew that Mr. Massaquoi took this trip because he saw Massaquoi in Buedu with Issa Sesay and FNM-190. He clarified that there was an FNM-191 and an FNM-190 in the RUF. The Witness affirmed that they were traveling to make peace, adding that the Witness was part of the process and, due to his senior role, he “knew everything”. He clarified that he saw Massaquoi in Buedu before he had ever left Sierra Leone himself – that group returned home from the peace process, and it was later on, around the year 2000, that the Witness was sent to Liberia.
Returning to the situation in Sierra Leone, the Witness noted that disarmament happened in different places, including Kenema District and Kailahun. The Witness was disarmed in Tongo, Kenema District. The Witness clarified that he was in the disarmament process in 2000, prior to his trip to Liberia, but it was not until after this trip that the Witness was disarmed. In 2002, after the disarmament, the Witness was in Freetown, and later returned to Tongo, Kenema District. The Witness later clarified that he lived in Freetown for three or four months before returning to Tongo, and that he left Freetown before the election.
During this time, the Witness saw Mr. Massaquoi in Freetown – specifically, in Kissy and on Lightfoot Boston Street, where the RUF party house was located. He added that Mr. Massaquoi lived in Kissy at the time, in a yellow house, and that the Witness visited him and his family there. They would often meet every two days. At the time, the Witness stated, Mr. Massaquoi was arranging political wings because the war had ended and there were no more fighters, just people working for the Party. The Witness added that the RUFP participated in elections in 2002, 2011, and 2018, and that Mr. Massaquoi worked for the election process in 2002. During the 2002 election, the Witness stated that Paolo Bangura, not Foday Sankoh, was the leader of the RUF. The Witness did not know Mr. Massaquoi’s full job in 2002, but noted that Massaquoi was learned, and that he worked on diplomatic issues and would be sent on diplomatic missions. He added that Mr. Massaquoi was the personal assistant to Foday Sankoh.
The Witness did not believe that Mr. Massaquoi had his own troops under his command after 1999, nor did he think that Massaquoi fought in Liberia between 1999 and 2003. The Witness knew of a couple nicknames for Massaquoi, which included Gibo and Gafa. The Witness added that his own nickname was [undisclosed].
The Witness knew someone called “Angel Gabriel”, who was active between 1999 and 2002, but died around 2001 or 2002, after the disarmament was almost finished. The Witness added that the Angel Gabriel he knew was in the Tongo area, in a village called Bomahun, and that he was engaged in mining activities before he died. He couldn’t recall the exact year he died, but it was after the disarmament and close to the election. He added that this Angel Gabriel was a junior commander in the RUF, who served as a fighter. When asked whether Angel Gabriel had his own troops, the Witness explained that any battalion would have troops assigned to it, and as Angel Gabriel was a junior commander, he would have junior boys appointed to him. The Witness was senior to Angel Gabriel, and explained that Angel Gabriel would not have had full control over any troops as his own men. The Witness did not know whether Angel Gabriel fought in Liberia, except for one time in 1991, while they were in Pujehun and they pushed back enemies into Liberia. He reiterated that he did not see Angel Gabriel with any troop under his full control. The Witness did not recall the last time he saw this Angel Gabriel, noting that he died long ago. He added that he had heard from some others that he was still in the Bomahun area, but as far as the Witness knew, Angel Gabriel was dead. Apart from Angel Gabriel, the Witness knew one person who went by “Angel” – a civilian who was part of Mike Lamin’s group.
Returning to the topic of Foday Sankoh, the Witness noted that he worked with Sankoh, as part of his fight force command. He added that he was with Sankoh before he was arrested, and clarified that Sankoh was arrested around 1997 and 1998 in Nigeria. He elaborated that the Nigerian government later handed Sankoh over to the Sierra Leonean government, and that Sankoh was kept in the Pademba Road prison. Then, during the Lomé Peace Agreement, he was brought to the talks. The Witness further added that Sankoh lived at Spur Road, and that he worked as Sankoh’s bodyguard there. While at Spur Road, Mr. Massaquoi visited Foday Sankoh. The Witness did not know what type of work Mr. Massaquoi was doing at the time, but he stayed around Wilkinson Road and the Witness saw him around. The Witness clarified that Mr. Massaquoi was Foday Sankoh’s personal assistant from around 1995 and 1996 until Sankoh was in Nigeria, including when they were at Zogoda, adding that Massaquoi went with Foday Sankoh for the Yamoussoukro Peace Accord. He did not know whether Mr. Massaquoi was still Sankoh’s assistant when he was at Spur Road, as at that time, they were given positions in the government.
The Witness then spoke of Sam Bockarie. He described him as a battlefield commander who later became a field commander. According to the Witness, Bockarie and Massaquoi knew one another very well, but they did not have a good relationship because Massaquoi “was a strict individual”. By that, the Witness meant that, for any organization, there are rules and regulations that the leaders must adhere to, and when people stop following those rules, “there is always a brave person to say you have acted beyond your powers”. He clarified that Mr. Massaquoi would sometimes tell Sam Bockarie that his actions were inappropriate. According to the Witness, Sam Bockarie frequently visited Liberia when they were in Buedu. Later, there was an issue between Bockarie and Foday Sankoh, so Bockarie left the movement after the Lomé Accord and went to Liberia. As per the Witness’ understanding, Bockarie never wanted to comply with the procedures set by Foday Sankoh, and in particular, did not want to abide with the peace process. The Witness added that Bockarie went to Liberia on his own, and that Foday Sankoh spoke with him and sent his brother to plead with him. According to the Witness, Bockarie saw this as a threat, as Sankoh’s brother took an armed group when he went to speak with Bockarie. Due to this perceived threat, Bockarie did not hand anything over to Issa Sesay, but left with all that they had accumulated, saying that “no RUF member will benefit from it”, and went to Charles Taylor in Liberia, where he stayed until he died.
When asked whether Mr. Massaquoi lived with Sam Bockarie in Liberia, the Witness stated that he only saw Massaquoi with Issa Sesay, because he travelled in Sesay’s vehicle.
The Witness recalled the last time he saw Mr. Massaquoi, noting that it was towards the end of 2002. He affirmed that the Finnish police interviewed him on 13 October 2020, and that prior to the interview, he was not contacted by anyone from Finland. The Witness repeated that he had not heard from Mr. Massaquoi since 2002 until he heard of this case.
Prosecution Questions the Witness
The Prosecution began by asking the Witness about the order he received from Issa Sesay. The Witness noted that he did not remember everything, but the first order related to the route they were using from Boidun to Voinjama, Foya. The LURD rebels held the main road from them, so one of his orders was to fight them and take that land. Issa Sesay also said that they should “reinforce the NPFL to clear the way”. The Witness explained that the supply route from Buedu to Monrovia existed because, even when peace negotiations were ongoing, the RUF would receive contact from Liberia and even the leaders would go to Monrovia. When asked why the Liberians contacted the RUF during the peace process, the Witness responded, “because the RUF and the NPFL were the same”. He described the NPFL as Charles Taylor’s fighting group that later formed a government. As for what he meant by the two groups being the same, the Witness said that the NPFL was “also playing with war” and that there was a cordial relationship, though “their aims and objectives, rules and regulations were different”. Further, according to the Witness, even when the RUF entered in 1991, they passed through Liberia.
The Witness then explained why the peace process was not on track in Sierra Leone, and why a delegation had to go to Liberia. There was a war, and this was international business – first there was an issue with ECOWAS, and then they arranged to meet at the Yamoussoukro Peace Accord, and later the UN and the now-late President Kabbah said they should go to Lomé. The Witness believed that Mr. Massaquoi went with the delegation to Liberia between 1998 and 1999, when they were coming to the Lomé agreement. He recalled that the first peace accord, headed by ECOWAS, was not successful, and that was around the time that the late President Kabbah came to power, so it was around 1999 that Massaquoi went to Liberia with the delegation. The Witness did not know of any other time Mr. Massaquoi might have gone to Liberia. He affirmed that, when Mr. Massaquoi went to Monrovia in 1998 or 1999, he saw him in Buedu going on his way and then when he returned.
The Prosecution then asked the Witness to confirm his prior statements: that Witness 7 returned to Sierra Leone; that after three days, the Witness returned to Sierra Leone; and that other fighters were there. The Witness confirmed these statements, and also stated that FNM-216’s real name was Witness 7. The Prosecution referred to [Witness 7]’s testimony, heard the previous day, where he stated that he returned in 2001. The Witness acknowledged that this might have happened, because Witness 7 was with Mosquito, and the Witness even heard that he was sent to see Charles Taylor. The Prosecution then asked the Witness whether it was possible that the time Issa Sesay sent him to Liberia was around 2000 and 2001, which the Witness confirmed, noting that it was just after he returned, he was disarmed. The Prosecution then noted that the Witness previously said that, after he left Liberia, there were other soldiers who were not under his command, and asked the Witness whether this could have been in 2001. The Witness agreed that the soldiers were there, but that they were coming to Freetown to disarm.
The Witness then stated that he recalled the LURD rebels reaching Monrovia, and believed that this happened around 2001. The Prosecution asked the Witness whether there were RUF troops in Monrovia within the time frame of 1999 to 2003, and specifically, whether they were there when the disarmament was going on in Sierra Leone. The Witness agreed that some RUF troops were there but they were not in full command. He stated that some individual Sierra Leonean fighters were in Monrovia around 2000 and 2001. The Prosecution then asked whether the Witness went to a town in Lofa called Kamatahun Hassala. The Witness did not know that town, and repeated that it was his first time in Liberia. He added that he only went to villages close to the Sierra Leonean border, and did not go into the interior.
The Witness confirmed that he last saw Mr. Massaquoi in 2002. As to whether his freedom of movement was restricted, the Witness stated that Massaquoi was in Freetown unless he went to Bo or Pujehun to see his family. This was until 2003, when the Witness heard about the Special Court, and then he never set eyes on Massaquoi again. He confirmed that it was before the Special Court process that he last saw Massaquoi.
With regard to “Angel”, the Witness repeated that he only knew the fighter named “Angel”. He explained that the civilian was called “Angel” and they added “Gabriel” to his name. Prosecution asked whether Mr. Massaquoi knew someone called “Angel Gabriel”, and the Witness acknowledged that this was possible, as they all started together in 1991.
The Witness knew FNM-178, but was not close to him, and added that FNM-178 was in Kailahun. The Witness recalled that he saw FNM-178 in between 1997 and 1999, but after the Lomé agreement he never knew his whereabouts again. The Prosecution asked the Witness whether he recalled speaking with the Finnish police about FNM-178, recalling a prior statement in which he indicated that he had not seen FNM-178 since 2000 and 2002.
The Defense asks further questions.
Defense Counsel asked the Witness to confirm his statement to the police regarding when Mr. Massaquoi went to Liberia: that throughout the end of 2003, Mr. Massaquoi and Issa Sesay went through Liberia. The Witness did not agree with this statement, clarifying that there was no peace process to go to at this time, and that the Special Court session had started. The Defense then asked whether it was the end of 2000 that Mr. Massaquoi went to Liberia. The Witness explained that it has been a long time, and that he did see Mr. Massaquoi within the year of the Lomé Peace Accord, though they did not document the date. It was, however, after the Yamoussoukro Peace Accord, towards 1999 or 2000, that he last saw Mr. Massaquoi.
The Witness then clarified his statements regarding Witness 7. He explained that, after Witness 7 returned, RUF members were there, and that he said that Witness 7 was on the highway at Foya when he retreated, following which, the Witness was given men to go around the route between Liberia and Guinea.
Defense Counsel then asked the Witness to confirm prior statements regarding “Angel G.”, which stated that: the Witness got to know Angel G. through the AFRC between 1997 and 2000; that Angel G. was a lower rank and not a commander; and that Angel G. would have accomplished his task if he were given boys but that he had no command over any group of people. The Witness confirmed that Angel G. did not have command over any group, and recalled telling the police that he knew Angel G. through the AFRC. He added that Angel G. returned from the jungle through the AFRC, and explained that the RUF and AFRC were working together. He stated that he last saw Angel G. in 2002, after the disarmament, when Angel G. was engaged in mining, and repeated that Angel G. died before the election. After 2002 or 2003, he heard that Angel G. was still alive, but the Witness knew that he was dead.
Defense Counsel asked the Witness to clarify whether he told the police about two people called “Angel G” – one that he knew through the AFRC and the other that he knew in Tongo. The Witness confirmed that this was the case. He added that the AFRC Angel G. was a civilian, and that it was just like having a brother – that Angel G. was senior to the Witness, and the Witness would move with him. The Witness explained that the police did not accurately record his statement – the Angel G. he knew through the AFRC was a civilian and was never given any men or troops to fight. He recalled the last time he met AFRC Angel G. was between 2000 and 2002, when Mike Lamin left Sierra Leone, adding that AFRC Angel G. was moving around with Mike Lamin.
Finally, the Prosecution asked whether the Witness knew if either Angel G. had ever been to Liberia. The Witness did not know.
The hearings closed for the day and the trial was set to resume on 16 May 2021 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
