These, the fleeing refugees, must be at the centre of sustaible  peace

Civic Society Groups Launch Campaign for Charles Taylor’s Trial

By Mambu James Kpargoi

25 May 04

With mounting pressure on the Nigerian Government for the surrender of exile former Liberian President and indicted war criminal Charles Taylor to the UN backed Special War Crimes Court in Sierra Leone, Civil Society grouping in Liberia have signed a memorandum of understanding to campaign for the surrender and prosecution of Mr. Taylor in Sierra Leone. If successful, the campaign could force interim chair Charles Gyude Bryant to recant his repeated decision not seek Taylor's trial on the basis it was a part of the peace deal that brought him to power.

In the memorandum of understanding, the 17 civil society organizations called on the Transitional parliament to pass a resolution urging Nigeria to surrender Mr. Taylor to the UN Special Court.

The groups, prominent amongst them the Foundation for International Dignity, Center for Democratic Empowerment, National Youth Movement for Transparent Elections, Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, the Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy and Liberia Democracy Watch, contended that Liberians have suffered massive devastation as a result of the 14 year war initiated by Taylor and his National Patriotic Front of Liberia.They added that the war initiated by Taylor resulted to the deaths of more than 250,000 persons, the displacement  of more than one million people as refugees and polarized the society

They blamed Mr. Taylor for the decade long civil war in neighboring  Sierra Leone where the group said was a direct product of the Liberian war, noting that some of the most gruesome attrocities of wars ever committed were carried out in Sierra Leone  including the maiming and chopping of limbs of scores of children, women and the elderly.

The memorandum insisted that the prosecution of Taylor would be a significant milestone in addressing the problems of impunity and human rights violations, corruption and building of sustainable democracy in Liberia and other parts of the continent. They maintained that the prosecution of Taylor is sine qua none to the attainment of lasting peace  and security in Liberia and the West Africa region.

They said the Transitional Parliament is under moral obligation  and duty to uphold international humanitarian laws, and the culture of impunity and promote and demonstrate its commitment to peace by collaborating  with the Special Court in Sierra Leone. Moreover, the groups resolved to petition the Transitional Parliament to instruct the government to assist the special court in the execution of its statutory duties.

They called on the NTLA to adopt a resolution explicitly encouraging Chairman Gyude Bryant to request President Olesegun Obasanjo of Nigeria  to surrender Taylor for prosecution as justice and respect for rule of law dictates.

Mr. Bryant recently said the exile of Taylor in Nigeria was part of the plan that led to the resolution of Liberian civil crisis and so it was unlikely to expect his government to request the extradiction of  Taylor.

Taylor was indicted last May while attending the first ECOWAS brokered peace conference in the Ghanaian Capital, Accra. At the time of the indictment, the Ghanaian Government denied receiving the international arrest warrant and hurriedly arranged a presidential flight which whisked the former president back to Monrovia.

This was followed by series of rebel incursions on the capitol, Monrovia, and under pressure from rebels and the international community Taylor left Monrovia last August 11 as part of an arrangement to end months of factional seiged on the capitol Monrovia.

Observers here believe that it is also unlikely that the Transitional Legislative Assembly which is dominated by representative of the three brutal warring parites including Taylor's ousted regime, would yield to the pressure of the civil society groups to pass the resolution. Several members of the parliament have themselves been accused of committing heinous human rights abuses throughout the 14 years civl conflict in Liberia.

The parliament's Speaker George Dweh recently called for the setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission instead of War Crimes Court in Liberia and exonerated Taylor of abuses committed during years of civil strifes in the country. Mr. Dweh at  the time blamed politicians for the country's troubles.