March 20, 2023 [Liberia] Day 33: Sierra Leoneans in Monrovia
Witness Z2 is heard
The prosecution questions Z2
The prosecution began by asking about Z2’s participation in the war in Liberia. The witness testified that he was a part of the NPFL and was stationed under General Fifty in Gbarnga. He later moved to Monrovia in 1996. He stayed in Monrovia until disarmament in 2003, 2004. Before the end of the war, Z2 fought in Monrovia. There was fighting on Water Street and over the bridge to Vai Town. Z2 was near the two bridges, Old Bridge and New Bridge and on Water Street. They were fighting against LURD. The witness testified that there were troops from foreign countries, such as a special unit called aqbah from Sierra Leone, who he worked with. He testified that he was in a presidential guard and would sometimes go on missions with the aqbah troops. The commander of aqbah in Liberia was “Master C” Bockarie. After his death, Fifty promoted Angel Gabriel to command the aqbah. Angel Gabriel was a Sierra Leonean RUF commander.
The witness explained that this promotion occurred in 2002. One night, Z2 was at Fifty’s house when the aqbah troops came in pickups. Fifty’s house was located on a bypass in Congo Town and he had been assigned to the gate. When they arrived, they said that they had come for Fifty. A commander called Wilfren was there, and Fifty’s wife invited them in, but the aqbah waited for Fifty outside the house. Then, they went inside to talk, but the witness did not know what they were discussing, as he stayed outside. The whole aqbah special forces unit came to meet Fifty. At the time, Salami was their commander. There were others present too, such as Angel Gabriel, who was wearing an ‘Arabic headscarf’. The next day, the aqbah was assigned a mission on Water Street. They had previously controlled Old Bridge, while Benjamin Yeaten controlled the New Bridge.
Z2 testified that he heard the name Angel Gabriel from other soldiers when he took them to Water Street. He saw him twice: once at the guest house and once on Water Street. On Water Street, Salami gave an order to his men because there was looting going on. According to Z2, the president had given an order to Fifty, who passed the order on, that looters were to be shot. Z2 saw Angel Gabriel on Water Street in connection to this situation. As a commanding officer, Angel Gabriel didn’t go to the frontline. Z2 saw him at the Rasamy building, one of the longest shops on Water Street, located near the bridge. The witness described how Salami went to the store and ordered the aqbah men to shoot, and General Glasco got angry. Troops left their posts and came to Glasco’s area to shoot. Glasco then told the Liberians to go to the Rasamy building. At the Rasamy building, Salami and Glasco were arguing. Yanney came from upstairs and was making a lot of noise. Soon, Fifty arrived and told everyone to stop. Fifty called two commanders, one of them was still upstairs, stopped the argument between Salami and Glasco and went back upstairs. Later, they all came down and he gave money to the generals. The soldiers then left the building.
The witness explained that Angel Gabriel was the leader of aqbah. He did not see Angel Gabriel at the Rasamy building during this argument, except when Fifty came to calm the situation. Z2 saw Angel Gabriel going upstairs and come back down wearing the ‘Arabic headscarf’. He testified that Angel Gabriel was this commander’s ‘well-known name’.
Z2 testified that during the argument at the Rasamy building, there was fighting ongoing on the other side of the bridge. The war was called World Wars I, II and III. According to Z2, the war ended in August, while the argument took place in April.
The defense questions Z2
The defense began by asking Z2 about the times he saw Angel Gabriel. He testified that he had seen Angel Gabriel in two different places. On both occasions, he was wearing the ‘Arabic headscarf’.
The witness described that he was contacted by a friend who told him about the program. His friend’s brother told him that he would take him to Employee 1. They met with another man who took them to the hotel. Employee 1 then later called Z2 and said that he would be taken to the police. Z2’s friend told him about [REDACTED] when they were sat together buying palm wine and cigarettes. Employee 1 called him and asked him if he was the person whose number [REDACTED] had given to him and told him to come to the hotel. Z2 testified that the men had mentioned before his police interview that the interview would be about the war and Sierra Leoneans and how they travelled to Liberia and back. He was not told that the case was about Angel Gabriel, only that it would be about aqbah men. The defense pointed out that in his police interview, the witness said that he already knew that the interview would be about Angel Gabriel. The witness denied this. He only found out that the case was related to Angel Gabriel when he arrived at the meeting with the police. The police wanted the names of generals and Z2 gave them a list.
The defense pointed out that Z2 had testified in the lower court that [REDACTED] had told him that one of their friends had an issue with the case, they wanted Z2 to testify, and that the issue was with a case involving Angel Gabriel. Z2 confirmed that he had testified this, but he insisted that [REDACTED] had only told him that the case was mostly about Sierra Leoneans and that he never said that the case was about Bockarie or Angel Gabriel. When Z2 left the interview, he found out from a newspaper that the case was about these men. The defense further pointed out that Z2 had testified in the lower court that he had asked his friend what the case was about, and he’d told him that it was about the three commanders. His friend had told him that the case has a problem and that it was about Angel Gabriel. Z2 responded that his friend had not used the name Angel Gabriel, but ‘one Massaquoi’. He confirmed that his friend had told him that there was an issue in the case concerning Massaquoi, his brother was working on the case. His friend never told the witness what the issue was.
According to Z2, [REDACTED] and Employee 1 were two different people, despite [REDACTED] having the same phone number as Employee 1. Z2 did not recall being asked to the case because someone needed a ‘permanent witness’.
Witness Defense 09 is heard
The prosecution questions Defense 09
At the beginning of the hearing, it was explained that despite the code name Defense 09, this witness was originally called by the prosecution in the lower court and then by both parties in the Court of Appeals. It was agreed by the parties that the prosecution would question him first.
The prosecution began by asking about Defense 09’s place of birth. Defense 09 testified that he was born in Sierra Leone. The war in Sierra Leone was between the RUF and government troops. Defense 09 was himself a member of the RUF. The organization was founded by Corporal Foday Sebana Sankoh in 1992. He remained its leader until his arrest in Freetown on 17 May, 2000. After Sankoh’s arrest, Issa Sesay seized power. At the time, Defense 09 was in Monrovia, in a guest house that had been given to the RUF by Charles Taylor. According to Defense 09, Taylor gave them the guest house because he was strongly supporting the RUF in the war. In exchange, the RUF gave Taylor diamonds. Defense 09 knew about the exchange between the RUF and Charles Taylor, because he worked as a caretaker in the guest house in Monrovia. He would receive the RUF members coming to Monrovia.
Defense 09 testified that he was involved in situations where the RUF handed diamonds over to Charles Taylor. Such RUF members involved were Ibrahim Bah or Issa Sesay. The guest house was located in Congo Town, very near to Taylor’s radio station, Kiss FM. It did not have a particular name, it was known as the RUF guest house. The witness arrived at the guest house right after the Lomé agreement in 1999. At that point, Charles Taylor had already given it to the RUF. There were other RUF members besides Ibrahim Bah and Issa Sesay staying there. Right after Sankoh’s arrest, Benjamin Yeaten came and told Defense 09 that Issa Sesay and his men were coming. Defense 09 then saw Gibril Massaquoi, Defense 14 and Abdul Razak arriving at the guest house. Issa Sesay said that they were there to help with a diplomatic issue. This was in 2000, but the witness could not remember the exact date.
The witness testified that Benjamin Yeaten was Charles Taylor’s head of security at the time. He took Defense 09, Gibril Massaquoi, Abdul Razak and Issa Sesay to White Flower, Charles Taylor’s apartment. When Issa Sesay left, Benjamin Yeaten called them and they brought material to the front, to Voinjama in Lofa. According to Defense 09, they transported arms and ammunition there following Taylor’s request. Defense 09 travelled to Voinjama with Gibril Massaquoi, Abdul Razak and Benjamin Yeaten and some other soldiers. They travelled on a pick-up with a 50-calibre mounted on it. It carried AK47 rifles, ammunition, and bombs. The witness travelled with arms and ammunition to the front in Voinjama twice. He could not recall exactly how many times Gibril Massaquoi travelled to Voinjama. He could not remember whether Massaquoi was there both the times that he himself went, but confirmed that he travelled with them at least once. The fighting was at the border area. Defense 09 stayed in Voinjama while the others, Gibril Massaquoi and the rest of the soldiers, continued to the front. According to Defense 09, he could hear the sounds of battle, but he was not at the front. The front was on the Guinean border. Defense 09 knew that the others went to the front, because he saw Benjamin Yeaten organizing it and heard them talking about going there.
Defense 09 testified that he saw the arms and ammunition they had transported. The cargo was taken to the front at the same time as Gibril Massaquoi, Benjamin Yeaten and others went there. It did not stay in Voinjama with Defense 09. The witness could not remember whether there were civilians involved on the trip, but he could remember two women. One was Gibril Massaquoi’s girlfriend and the other was Abdul Razak’s girlfriend. The witness gave the court the name of Abdul Razak’s girlfriend. The women came all the way to Voinjama with them. Defense 09 could not remember exactly where in Voinjama they stayed. He testified that he could not tell whether they were all in the same building, as the buildings were small and everyone was doing their own thing. He could not recall how the women left Voinjama. He could not remember exactly when this trip to Voinjama took place. He estimated that it was in 2000, but could not remember the month.
The witness did not know if Massaquoi went outside of Monrovia without him, he himself stayed in Monrovia until 2001. Massaquoi and the other RUF were renting another house in 2001, because Charles Taylor ordered them to leave the guest house. According to Defense 09, this was because the international community found out about the RUF members staying in the guest house. Massaquoi lived in the new apartment with his wife, Abdul Razak and Defense 14. Everybody moved to the new apartment that Massaquoi had rented and stayed there until leaving for Sierra Leone. Massaquoi had rented this new place because the guest house did not have enough room. It was located in Congo Town.
Defense 09 left Liberia for Sierra Leone in early 2001 with Massaquoi and the others. They drove a pickup from Gbarnga to Foya. Defense 09 then returned to Monrovia before 2007 on personal business. He came to Monrovia another time in 2007, from a SCSL safe house in Freetown. He had been assigned by the prosecutors to find some witnesses. According to Defense 09, he was staying in a safe house for his safety because he was a witness in a special court. This safe house was not guarded. While Defense 09 was staying in Monrovia between 2001 and 2006, he did not see Massaquoi in Monrovia, but saw Defense 13. Defense 09 testified that when he, Massaquoi and the others returned to Sierra Leone in 2001, Defense 13 remained in Monrovia. These days, Defense 13 is in Sierra Leone.
The witness explained that Gibril Massaquoi was a “strong RUF commander” at first, and, due to his hard work, he became the spokesman. Defense 09 knew Massaquoi personally and had seen Massaquoi while he was staying in the safe house in Sierra Leone. This was in 2007, Massaquoi was on his way back from church. Massaquoi was alone. He showed Defense 09 where his safe house was located and Defense 09 visited it.
The defense questions Defense 09
The defense began by asking Defense 09 about his return to Sierra Leone and his subsequent trip to Monrovia. They pointed out that he had testified in the lower court that he had come back to Monrovia in February 2002, which he confirmed. As to Massaquoi’s diplomatic mission, the witness explained that it was about arranging some international things. He had no further knowledge about Massaquoi’s role in the mission, or about his participation in the peace negotiations for Sierra Leone. The witness did not know whether Massaquoi had travelled abroad when he was staying in Monrovia. He could not remember whether Defense 14 was with them when they travelled to Voinjama or whether he had gone to Voinjama or Lofa any other time. The Defense pointed out that the witness had said in his police interview that he stayed in Monrovia while Gibril Massaquoi and Defense 14 went to Voinjama with Benjamin Yeaten. Defense 09 confirmed that he had said so but clarified that he had meant Abdul Razak instead of Defense 14. The police did not check his statement afterwards.
The defense also pointed out that Defense 09 had not mentioned to the police about being involved in trips to Voinjama or Lofa. The witness explained that he had not mentioned it to the police because they did not ask. He had mentioned the trip that Massaquoi and Defense 14 took to Lofa but not his own trips, because he was not asked. He was not asked about Massaquoi’s presence on the front line during the police interview, but he was asked in court today. He explained that the police asked him where he went and he had answered that he had gone to Voinjama.
Defense 09 could not remember the clothing Massaquoi was wearing during the trips to Lofa. The witness himself wore civilian clothes. He gave the court the code name of another RUF commander in Voinjama. The arms and ammunition were not given to Defense 07, because Benjamin Yeaten was the head of security, so they were taken directly to the front by Gibril Massaquoi and the other soldiers.
The witness could not remember the month they moved out of the guest house in 2001. He could only recall meeting Massaquoi at the safe house after his return to Sierra Leone. The defense pointed out that Defense 09 had told the police that he had met Massaquoi in Makeni in early 2002, which he confirmed. The defense also pointed out that Defense 09 had used a different name for Abdul Razak’s girlfriend in the lower court. He responded that he had forgotten that name but they were the same person. He could not recall any other names used for Massaquoi but said that commanders used to change their names. He confirmed that Gaffa was a name that Massaquoi used to hide his identity on the radio. He did not recall the name Wildfire being used for Massaquoi.
Defense 09 testified that he knows Sam Bockarie, who was superior to Massaquoi. The two did not have a good relationship. Bockarie came to Liberia, disobeying orders by Sankoh and Sankoh then named Issa Sesay as the leader of the RUF. The witness could not remember exactly when Sam Bockarie came to Liberia, but it happened soon after the Lomé Peace Agreement was signed. Sam Bockarie did not return to Sierra Leone after that. Massaquoi did not go to Liberia with Bockarie, he came to Monrovia in 2000 after Sankoh’s arrest. Defense 09 was not aware of Massaquoi living anywhere else in Monrovia besides the RUF guest house and the apartment he had rented.
The witness stayed in the Special Court safe house from 2007 to 2009. The defense pointed out that Defense 09 had told the police that he began co-operation with the Special Court in 2006 and lived in a safe house until 2007. Defense 09 explained that he got in touch with the court in 2006 and moved to Freetown in 2007. He had gone to the safe house in 2007.
Defense 09 explained that he was called by someone in Freetown and was told that Gibril Massaquoi’s lawyer wanted to speak to him. He was not willing to talk at the time, but later came to Monrovia because he has a child in the city. He was then contacted by the Finnish police, who said they got his phone number from Alain Werner. Defense 09 got to know Werner in 2007 when he was working in the SCSL. From 2007 to 2010, Defense 09 remained in contact with Werner. In 2010, Defense 09 did not know where Werner worked, but he later found out that he had founded Civitas Maxima. Defense 09 co-operated with Werner from 2010 onwards on another matters. He still works with Civitas Maxima, but not with anyone from Liberia or Sierra Leone. Defense 09 does not receive a salary, but a stipend from Civitas Maxima.
The witness testified that he was aware of a case against Gibril Massaquoi before his police interview, as he had been called and told that the lawyer of Gibril Massaquoi wants to talk to him. He did not know about the case before this phone call. He got in contact with Thomas when he came to Monrovia. Defense 09 knows Employee 1, he had not discussed his testimony or Gibril Massaquoi in general with Employee 1. He had met Employee 1 when he came to the guest house that he’d arranged for him. He had given his phone number to Employee 1. Defense 09 had not co-operated with Civitas Maxima before going to the safe house in 2007. Alain Werner was not involved in sending Defense 09 to search for the witness in Monrovia.
Defense 09 could not estimate how long he spent away from Monrovia after his return to Sierra Leone. The prosecution pointed out that he had testified in the lower court that he left Monrovia in late 2001 with Massaquoi and others and said that he returned to Monrovia in February 2002 but could not remember whether Massaquoi had returned with him. Defense 09 responded that he cannot remember the exact time they left Monrovia. The defense then pointed out that he had told the police that Massaquoi left Monrovia in early 2001. Defense 09 confirmed that he had said this to the police.
