Communicating Justice

Sierra Leone, May, 2008 --The former President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, has testified before the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Kabbah was testifying at the UN-backed court in defense of the senior officer and commander of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) Issa Sesay.

Sesay is on trial for crimes against humanity, violations of article 3 common to the Geneva convention and other serious violations of international humanitarian law. These include such things as unlawful killings, with victims being routinely shot, hacked or burned to death.

The prosecution believes these crimes were committed as part of a widespread attack directed against the civilian population of Sierra Leone.  

In giving testimony, Kabbah described the ex-RUF leader's role in the disarmament of combatants in Sierra Leone as very instrumental. “When it comes to the disarmament process, Issa was very cooperative,” he said.

The former President went on to describe the Special Court indictee as “an ' armless young man” who was committed to peace and stability at the time by matching his words with actions.

Ex-President Kabbah buttressed his words by making reference to a photo presented as an exhibit by lead counsel Wayne Jordash during his examination of the witness.

The photo depicted a friendly handshake between Tejan Kabbah and Issa Sesay, with the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, watching closely during a burning and destruction excercise of arms in Sierra Leone.

Special Court for Sierra Leone, Freetown.
May 2007. Photo © Julia Crawford

Kabbah said he became aware of Issa Sesay’s leadership after an ECOWAS meeting (Economic Community Of West African States) held in Liberia, involving RUF commanders from Sierra Leone.

He said “Charles Taylor was the host of that meeting and the purpose was to urge the RUF to follow the peace process in Sierra Leone.” He maintained that Issa Sesay was then appointed as an interim leader of the RUF during the meeting.

Kabbah later disclosed how he received a letter from Issa Sesay informing him about his leadership of the RUF.

“The letter indicated Issa’s willingness to restore peace in Sierra Leone,” he said and added that “I later met Foday Sankoh in his detention cell for him to endorse the leadership of Issa Sesay.” He added that Sankoh’s response to the latter was positive.

Kabbah explained to the court why Issa Sesay subsequently became the interim leader of RUF, which he said was due to the late Foday Sankoh's inconsistency and non-commitment to the peace process in Sierra Leone.

“Sankoh became uneasy after he took over the chairmanship of Strategic Mineral Resources
Commission in my government because he thought he was supposed to be in full control of the minerals and not answerable to the then Minister of Mineral Resources. This was a situation that he (Sankoh) found absurd which later prompted him to create an uneasy calm, thus disturbing the peace process," he said.

Kabbah confirmed knowledge of Sankoh’s arrest and incarceration in an incomplete building in Aberdeen, Freetown, after he had created a scene of violence in Freetown, in May 2000.

The former president described the Special Court for Sierra Leone as his “brain child” and assured the court of his service whenever needed. He dismissed rumors that his trip out of the country was a pretext to escape the court’s request for him to give testimony.  “These I will say are politics of lies,” he asserted.

Sesay’s defence team has called the former head of state to testify because they believe his testimony might absolve Sesay of the charges that he ordered the arrest of UN peacekeepers during the height of the civil war.
            
The BBC World Service Trust is not responsible for the content or reliability of the information provided in this report and will not be held accountable for any third party copyright infringements.