AFRICANEWS

Liberia

Contemporary political opposition

Human Rights

Africa has experienced numerous armed conflicts which have devastated some countries and which have revealed repeated violations of human rights as well as crimes against humanity. Liberia is a case in point.

The notion that Africa is a land of wars and crises can be altered if serious efforts are made to bring to Justice the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, as witnessed in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria and other nations. As Citizens of Africa we must ensure that these efforts and changes are brought about so that we can establish Security, return to the Rule of Law, with Liberty for all of our people and promote National Economic Development.

During the brutal civil war in Liberia that lasted from 1989 � 1997, Liberians made all efforts to convince the international community of the need to bring war crimes charges against the perpetrators of the senseless violence, in keeping with international conventions. However, our pleas were ignored. In the end, the entire country was wrecked, the impact of the conflict destabilised Sierra Leone, terrorists training bases sprang-up on Liberia's soil, over a quarter million Liberians died and the Sub-region was given its first warlord-president, in the person of Charles Taylor. Perhaps, the Region today would have been more peaceful and safer had the international community several years ago heeded our calls to hold accountable the perpetrators of crimes against humanity.

Now the governments of Sierra Leone and Nigeria which have evidence of the Liberia government's participation in the maiming and killing of Sierra Leoneans and its efforts to topple the democratic government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah , are requesting that the Security Council recommend to the World Court the prosecution of Charles Taylor and his collaborators as war criminals.

Liberia's Opposition commends Nigerian President Abdulsalami and President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of the Republic of Sierra Lione for seeking an effective solution to the crisis in Sierra Leone. Should their efforts succeed, and we hope it does, this will serve as a framework for resolving conflicts of similar nature in Africa.

We call on H. E. Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the U.N and the Members of the Security Council to endorse this visionary approach to dealing with the crisis in Sierra Leone, which [this crisis] is symptomatic of the endless cycle of violence that continues to hamper Africa's progress towards Democracy and the Rule of Law.

With documented evidence of Liberia's involvement in the ongoing terrorism and killing of Sierra Leoneans and West African peacekeepers, the Leaders of Sierra Leone could have justifiably ordered a counter-attack against Liberia, expanding the conflict and causing the deaths of more innocent people. Instead, the Government of Sierra Leone has decided to take legal action against the President of Liberia and those individuals directly responsible for this flagrant breach of International law.

Much like the carnage that destroyed Liberia, Taylor's NPFL fighters and his mercenaries are destroying Sierra Leone and murdering tens of thousands of innocent people mostly mothers and infants. This naked aggression must not stand; or, eventually, other power grabbing Warlords and known Tyrants will likely repeat this act creating future problems in the West African Region. We should vigorously pursue and punish Taylor in the Halls of Justice for his criminal behavior. We must destroy his will and capacity to wage war against his neighbors. If he does not pay a high enough price for his adventurism, it is likely that he will strike again, better prepared and more capable of accomplishing his dastardly objectives.

Genuine peace has not yet been restored in Liberia. The country is a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. As recently as last September, in the center of Monrovia more than 350 persons died when Taylor's government security forces (NPFL fighters and mercenaries) engaged in a bloody battle with fighters of wartime rival Roosevelt Johnson. Since becoming President, Taylor has targeted his opponents, including members of the Loyal Opposition. With the help of his friends -- leaders of rogue states, particularly Libya and Burkina Faso -- the warlord-turn-president has succeeded in transforming Liberia into a Police State. Now he has begun to export his vicious brand of terrorism, including, hacking off the limbs of innocent civilians and extracting fetuses from expecting mothers, leaving all of them bleed to death.

We call on the international community to give ECOMOG all the assistance necessary to render a decisive defeat to Taylor's terrorism in Sierra Leone. We urge the Security Council to be responsive to calls for the prosecution of Taylor and his collaborators as war criminals. Efforts by Nigeria and Sierra Leone to resolve the current crisis through legal means should be given overwhelming endorsement and serve as a framework for dealing with those costly African conflicts solely motivated by greed and ambition.

We propose that all efforts be made henceforth to ensure that conflicts in Africa involving crimes against humanity, as witnessed in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Sudan, Algeria, etc. be resolved in the Halls of Justice if African Nations are to ever experience lasting Peace, Economic Growth, Self-sufficiency and be able to take their place as Leaders in the Community of Nations.

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