March 14, 2023 [Liberia] Day 30: Back and forth between Monrovia and Lofa
Witness Civilian 60 is heard
The prosecution questions Civilian 60
The prosecution began by asking about where Civilian 60 lived during the war in Liberia. The witness testified that she lived in Congo Town, Sinkor, with her friend [REDACTED], who was Gibril Massaquoi’s girlfriend. According to the witness, Gibril Massaquoi used to bring ammunition to Lofa. She knew this because [REDACTED] had told her, and she had been to Lofa with her and Massaquoi. Massaquoi hosted them in a house that had three bedrooms, one of which was off limits, only Massaquoi and his boys could enter it. One day, he came from the frontline with wounded soldiers and his bodyguard left the door open. Civilian 60’s friend, [REDACTED], went inside and saw different weapons in the room. Massaquoi caught her in the room and began beating both the bodyguard that had forgotten to lock the door and [REDACTED]. The women wanted to escape, so one of Massaquoi’s boys took them away on a Yamaha motorcycle and they escaped to Monrovia.
The witness testified that the house was located in Voinjama. They travelled there in a convoy from Monrovia that had three pickups packed with cargo. Civilian 60 estimated that the things they were transporting were the same things that were placed in the locked room in the house. They left from Congo Town, with Benjamin Yeaten and another general, whom the witness estimated to be General Mosquito. This place was close to the Nigerian embassy where the late Foday Sankoh lived. Gibril Massaquoi was also there, but the witness did not know why. She recalled the people that travelled in the convoy from Congo Town: her friend, ‘Uncle Gibril Massaquoi’, Benjamin Yeaten and a skinny guy, but stated that she could not remember everyone’s names. The convoy left from Monrovia during the day. This was in 2002 or 2003. Civilian 60 travelled with such a convoy only once. She could not remember the route they took from Monrovia to Voinjama and they did not stop anywhere on the way.
Civilian 60 testified that she got to know Gibril Massaquoi through her friend. This friend used to travel to Lofa with Gibril and asked Civilian 60 to join them. She introduced Massaquoi to Civilian 60. Massaquoi shook her hand and called himself Gibril Massaquoi. The witness could not remember when she met Massaquoi for the first time, but estimated that it was before 2002, on her friend’s birthday. Civilian 60 could not remember the language Massaquoi spoke.
According to Civilian 60, Massaquoi was with them in the convoy throughout the whole journey from Monrovia to Voinjama. When they reached Voinjama, he left and returned the next morning with soldiers. The witness did not find out who the soldiers were or how they had gotten wounded. She testified that they would leave at night and come back with a pickup full of wounded soldiers.
Civilian 60 had not seen or heard any news about Massaquoi’s arrest before her interview with the Finnish police. She had not seen Massaquoi after she and her friend fled from the house in Voinjama.
The defense questions Civilian 60
The defense began by asking Civilian 60 whether Massaquoi lived in Monrovia, to which she responded that she did not know. She knew that Benjamin Yeaten, and another general that she speculated to be Mosquito, used to visit Massaquoi. The witness testified that she knows someone named Abdul, she had seen him and Massaquoi talking once or twice, but she did not know Abdul well.
The defense asked if Civilian 60 remembered what she had testified about Abdul in lower court. She responded that she could not remember, as she was pregnant at the time with a child whose father had died in an accident. Civilian 60 has three children in total and had two girls with a Lebanese man who is also dead. The defense pointed out that she had testified in the lower court that Abdul was her fiancé and that they had a child together. Civilian 60 responded that this child that she had mentioned in lower court had died in a car accident so she wouldn’t want to talk about it. She also explained that she indeed had spoken with Abdul a few times, he had proposed to her and she had accepted. She clarified that Gibril Massaquoi was not aware of their relationship.
Next, the defense asked Civilian 60 about the time she met Defense 09. She testified that she met him at a restaurant on the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia. A group of men were chatting, and she heard the name Gibril Massaquoi. She went to go and speak with the men, and told them that she knows Gibril, as her friend has a child with him. One of the men gave her a phone number and said that a man called Abel would call her. One day, someone called the witness and asked if she knew Massaquoi. She answered yes and was told that some people would call her. Civilian 60 testified that she was scared and did not want to answer, and when the number would call, she would not answer. One time she answered and told the caller to stop calling, but she was told that there is nothing wrong. The witness testified that she found out that Gibril was in trouble during the conversation at the border. She stated that she met Defense 09 about seven or eight months before she was interviewed by the Finnish police. During the conversation at the border, someone had said that Gibril had killed one of his relatives. The name of the person who called her began with the same letter as Employee 1. This person did not mention that Gibril was in trouble, he only told her that people would call her.
Civilian 60 testified that she heard the name Massaquoi before the trip to Voinjama, at the first time they met. The defense pointed out that she had testified in the lower court that the man had introduced himself as Massaquoi, whereas today she said that he introduced himself as Gibril Massaquoi. She had also testified in the lower court that she only knew his last name and when she had pointed at his photograph during her interview with the police, the police officer had said ‘Gibril’. After some discussion of her previous testimony, Civilian 60 denied having heard the name Gibril from the police. She explained that by testifying in the lower court that she only knew his last name, she had meant that she calls people by their last names and did not hear the name Gibril from the police. She confirmed that she was not aware before her interview who the police were looking for. The defense further pointed out that thew witness had told the police during her interview that she knew it would be about Gibril Massaquoi. She explained that Defense 09 had told her about Massaquoi, and once she said that she knew him, he told her that some people would call her.
The witness confirmed that her friend was dating Massaquoi. She had a child with him, but Civilian 60 did not know if the child is still alive. She did not know when the child was born. The defense pointed out that the witness had told the Finnish police that her friend got pregnant soon after the first meeting and the girl was born in early 2002. She responded that she heard about the birth of the baby from her friend. She had been to see the child in late 2002, when the child was already growing.
Civilian 60 could not remember whose birthday it was when she met Massaquoi, but explained that she met him in a guest house. She went there to visit him and her friend. The defense pointed out that the witness had told the Finnish police that she had gone to the guest house for the first time on 18 March 2001 and she could remember the date because it was her friend’s birthday. The witness remembered having said so to the police, this visit to the guest house was before their trip to Voinjama. She could not estimate how long after this that they took the trip to Voinjama. Civilian 60 testified that they went to Lofa in 2002 and the girl was born in 2001, but stated that she could not really remember. The defense pointed out that she had told the police that they left for Lofa two weeks after the first meeting, which she confirmed.
The witness testified that she went to Lofa with Gibril Massaquoi two or three times. The first time was in 2002 and the last one in 2003, she could not remember the months. It was during the last trip that she and her friend had to run away, when he was beating her friend, she stepped in, and he pushed her against a door and injured her nose. Civilian 60 couldn’t remember whether it was her or her friend that went to Lofa once on a helicopter. There was then a discussion in court around the dates of the different trips to Lofa, and whether they were by convoys of vehicles covered with tarp or by helicopter.
The defense then pointed out that Civilian 60 had not mentioned Massaquoi hitting her during her police interview. The witness explained that she had mentioned it the second time and had showed everyone. She stated that she did not remember everything during the police interview, she had once forgotten about coming back on a Yamaha motorbike but could not forget it as the motorbike crashed and she still had the mark on her leg. The witness exclaimed: “The questions were too many, I was confused. I have never been in court”.
Civilian 60 was not sure whether her friend was pregnant when Massaquoi beat her in Voinjama, she was getting fat at the time. Whe Massaquoi was beating her friend, Civilian 60 was outside the room. Massaquoi left her friend in a locked room, and went to the frontline, one of his soldiers came and released the friend and they all left. The defense pointed out that Civilian 60 had testified in the lower court that Massaquoi had beaten them both badly and would have killed them both, but her friend was pregnant. She explained that she cannot remember these details, but as she had said earlier, her friend was fat.
The defense also referred to Civilian 60’s police interview about the last time she had seen Massaquoi. She confirmed that she had not seen him since 2002, but in 2003 he called her friend and she had encouraged her to collect child support from him.
The defense pointed out that Civilian 60 had testified in the lower court that she did not know Massaquoi’s name during their trip to Lofa. Civilian 60 explained that she had travelled with her friend to Lofa before. They had gone to a village because her friend’s mother or grandmother was ill and after this trip, they began talking about her friend’s boyfriend. She stated that she did not mention this in her previous hearings because was not asked about it and it was her personal business, with nothing to do with Massaquoi.
The defense referred to the witness’ testimony in the lower court about her meeting Defense 09 on the Sierra Leonean border. She had previously testified that she brought up the name of Gibril Massaquoi when she was asked about Benjamin Yeaten, whereas today in court, she had stated that Defense 09 had asked her about Gibril Massaquoi. Next, there was discussion as to whether, after this meeting, she had called Defense 09, or whether Defense 09 had called her.
Further questions from the prosecution
The prosecution had a few final questions for Civilian 60. Regarding the trips she took with Massaquoi and her friend to Lofa, Voinjama was the only location that she could name. On their first trip, they had three pickups full of cargo and one pickup on the second trip. Her friend had not told her where she had met Massaquoi when she called Civilian 60 in 2003.
Witness X8 is heard
The prosecution questions X8
The prosecution began by asking about X8’s participation in Liberia’s wars. X8 testified that he was in the NPFL, NPP and NPRAG, all being Charles Taylor’s forces. He had also participated in the war that took place while Charles Taylor was in power. He was first part of the ATU, and was then stationed on the frontline in Lofa, Bong and elsewhere. In Lofa, he was fighting against LURD rebels. This fighting took place in 2000, 2001 and 2002. When the war ended, Liberia began disarmament and Charles Taylor left. The witness was in Monrovia at the time. He testified that he was on the frontline the whole time that LURD was pushing them from Lofa to Monrovia. He was also in Monrovia. According to X8, the battles in Monrovia were called World Wars I-III.
X8 testified that government forces in Monrovia had other forces fighting besides them. There were some from Sierra Leone, who were former RUF members, called aqbah. X8 met these troops and fought with them. The witness named some of the commanders that he knew: Sam Bockarie, Yanne, Usman, Kallon, RSN, High Command, some of whom are dead now. These troops had a base near ELWA Junction, at a place called Twelve Houses. Charles Taylor had given this place to Bockarie and others when they came from Sierra Leone. They had their own doctor there, called Doctor Makona. The witness confirmed that he had been to Twelve Houses himself.
The witness testified that he fought alongside aqbah troops in Lofa, Vahun, Kamatahun, Yandehun and Voinjama, and other places which he could not recall. They also went to Ivory Coast and returned. In Monrovia, they fought at New Bridge, Waterside, Freeway and Duala. According to X8, the war entered Monrovia in 2001.
Next, X8 explained how he got into contact with the Finnish police. He testified that [REDACTED] called him and put him in contact with someone. [REDACTED]’s late brother knew X8, so he knew that the witness had participated in the war. [REDACTED] told him that there were people that would like to talk to him. X8 had heard on BBC’s Focus on Africa program, after his interview with the police, that Massaquoi was going to be prosecuted in Finland and that he was from Sierra Leone. X8 had heard the name Massaquoi before in relation to the RUF as he had spent time with the Sierra Leoneans and knew most of them. X8 had met Massaquoi at Twelve Houses a few times. The witness was not very close to him as Massaquoi did not spend time at the frontline, he was closer with Sam Bockarie and Junior X.
X8 testified that when he saw Massaquoi at Twelve Houses, people were being brought from the frontline and ammunition was being sent there. According to X8, Massaquoi was keeping records. The witness stated that Massaquoi had no rank. At the time of this meeting, the frontline was at New Bridge and in Vai Town. The last time the witness saw him, Massaquoi was with Doctor Makona driving a bus towards the city. This was during World War III, which the witness estimated to be a month before the ceasefire. The witness testified that Massaquoi spoke with a Sierra Leonean accent and speculated that he was Mende.
The defense questions X8
The defense began by asking X8 about the former RUF members fighting with the government forces in Monrovia. The witness stated that there were former RUF members who came to Liberia. As part of the ATU and the militia, they were permanently stationed in Liberia. X8 spent a long time in Lofa, years. He had been in Lofa throughout the revolution, when Charles Taylor’s rebellion started, and when LURD was fighting against Charles Taylor. He estimated that it began in 1999, until 2002 when the war ended in Monrovia. X8 testified that he saw Massaquoi in Lofa during that time period, but he did not know him at the time. The defense pointed out that X8 had testified in the lower court that he had not seen Massaquoi in Lofa. He explained that he had said so because he did not recognize Massaquoi at the time, but he had seen him there.
The witness stated that Massaquoi had travelled through Lofa when he went from Sierra Leone to Monrovia. He had not seen Massaquoi in any other country other than Liberia. The defense pointed out that X8 had testified in the lower court that the first time he met Massaquoi was in Ivory Coast. X8 explained that he had misunderstood the question and confirmed that he had seen Massaquoi in Ivory Coast in 2002, when he was fighting there with Sam Bockarie and Kallon. Massaquoi used to come and go, he did not have a permanent station. He visited Ivory Coast two to four times. X8 saw him with Sam Bockarie there. It was dry season, but almost rainy season, and the witness estimated that this may have been in June or July. The operation in Ivory Coast took six or seven months.
There was then some discussion as to the timing and the locations of the different times the witness saw Massaquoi in Monrovia and in Ivory Coast.
Final questions from the prosecution
The prosecution had a few final questions for X8. He explained that while they were fighting in Lofa, they occasionally went to Monrovia until they were pushed by the rebels to Monrovia. He testified that they usually travelled by car and sometimes by helicopter. He explained the two land routes: one from Vahun via United Logging Company and Bomi, and another from Voinjama to Konia, Zorzor and Gbarnga.
It was pointed out that the witness was not asked to make a photo identification during his police interview.
