On the 22nd of March, a Zambian Army Officer in Charge of Personnel and Administration in the Zambian Army Headquarters based in Lusaka, testified as a prosecution witness against the RUF in the ongoing trials at the Special Court. A Lieutenant Colonel by rank, the Officer intimated the Court that he came to Sierra Leone in January 2000 on a recognizance mission prior to the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission together with three officers. After the completion of the recognizance tour in the country, upon deployment, the peacekeepers were warned to use minimum force except where there was a threat to life. However, according to the Witness, the RUF did hold the peacekeepers hostage for reasons unclear at the time. Suffice it to say that such acts, are contained in the Indictment against the RUF (Counts 15-18). This is viewed as a state violation of Article 3 common to the Geneva Conventions and of Additional Protocol II punishable under Article 3.c of the Statute of the Special Court.
On the 22nd May, 2000 the Zambian Lieutenant Colonel according to his narration was scheduled to go to Makeni under escort from two other officers, and left Lungi through Port Loko to Lunsar where they were halted by the RUF. At that point, they were made to understand that RUF had put road blocks along the way. Upon receipt of this information, the officer intimated the Court that he dropped off the Logistical Support men and the convoy largely comprised of fighting men with a total strength of two hundred divided into two companies.
In Lunsar, the Lieutenant Colonel communicated with the Force Commander to send an Indian Battalion to link up with them in Makeni. Hardly did the convoy cover twelve kilometers after Lunsar when the Company Commander reported to his military superior to have heard unaimed gunshots and have seen a road block in view. The Lientenant Colonel further continued that all of a sudden, the peacekeepers in entirety were surrounded by over 100 RUF soldiers after covering a further five hundred kilometers in a town called Moria and had disarmed them. This was the start of isolation from his men according to the Lieutenant Colonel as he was taken later into a bush whilst the men stayed behind. He further stated that children as young as between ten and twelve were also armed with rocket launchers, grenades, or rifles of some sort.
The Witness narrated an incidence in which he came in contact with Morris Kallon (2nd accused) who held him at gun point demanding that he communicates with his second- in- command who had stayed behind to send along five landrovers, and three amoured vehicles. After a period of time, the Witness reported that he was later driven in a van by the RUF in the company of Morris Kallon. Upon arrival in Makeni, he found that the Zambian soldiers who had left behind had been completely stripped off their uniforms as well as arms and ammunitions. According to the Lt. Col, at that point in time, General Issa Sesay (first accused) resided in Makeni and was taken to his house where he observed a huge number of armed RUF men. Mr. Sesay thereupon instructed the witness at about 9p.m to leave Makeni in a vehicle driven by RUF fighters and heading towards Yengema. At Yengema, the Zambian soldiers were housed in a school block whilst the Lieutenant Colonel, and a Kenyan General, Molinge were taken to a house where a woman named Colonel Monica resided, and therein cohabited for a twenty-three-day period.
On the question of the purpose of Issa Sesay and Morris Kallon’s visits to Colonel Monica’s house in Yengema, Counsel for Mr. Sesay raised an objection that it is not for the Witness to say what he (Issa Sesay) did at the house and it was not up to the Witness to speculate. Counsel repudiated the overall examination in chief as not proper and fair. Key questions according to him did trigger the Witness’s response to the Prosecution. This proposition falls in line with the objection raised by Counsel that if his client did not explain his purpose of his frequent visits to Monica’s house, then the Witness would be merely invited to speculate on that subject. C.O. Lansana was reported to have been the Brigade Commander for the Kono area where such acts were carried out against the peacekeepers whilst Morris Kallon (2nd accused) was said to be directly reporting to General Issa Sesay (1st accused).
Whilst in captivity, the Witness intimated the Court that the situation deteriorated as time elapsed. There were no beddings, no shoes to put on, and bathing was disallowed. Threats of being killed or incarcerated as long as Foday Sankoh, leader of the RUF was imprisoned in Freetown frequently fell in their ears.
Upon reaching a consensual methodology to remove the peacekeepers from Kono, the RUF had the Lieutenant Colonel and the Kenyan General driven in two separate vehicles to Koidu where they met the Second in Command of the Zambian soldiers. All of them later set off to an unknown destination which was later found out to be Pendembu where a Liberian military helicopter was waiting to fly them to Monrovia Airport. At the airport the soldiers received physical medical examination. The soldiers were eventually flown over to Lungi in Sierra Leone after a night in Monrovia on board a UN helicopter. In the Witness’s testimony, he mentioned that he later came to find out that three soldiers went missing but one reappeared quite later and two have since been declared dead. The lieutenant Colonel, during the disarmament period confirmed to have deployed troops in Lungiroi, Mabom, and later on in Kenema where he was stationed for the entire disarmament process.
During cross examination, Counsel for Issa Sesay enquired into the first contacts the Witness had with the Prosecution which the Witness confirmed that it was through a phone call, and gave his statement using that medium. On the question posed by Counsel on why other Zambians have not been forthcoming to testify on the same experience, the Witness said he would not be in a position to determine why exactly that was so. The Bench thereupon interjected and ruled that Counsel was inviting the Witness to speculate and therefore he has now been hoisted by his own petard as he had earlier on made an objection to such questioning techniques. Largely questions by Mr. Wayne Jordhash sought perhaps to establish that since the Witness was granted liberty to visit his troops to know their state of health, and did receive foodstuffs from the local inhabitants such as mangoes, then they were also fed. And also that since all the troops were retained back to Lungi unharmed, the RUF did have regard for peacekeepers lives.
Still under cross examination, but from Counsel for second accused, the Witness denied knowledge of any information regarding the taking of a pass before going through RUF territories. The Lieutenant Colonel said General Jettly; the Force Commander never briefed him about security risks involved in executing his mandate. Counsel suggested therefore that the RUF were basically at the time acting in preemptive self defence especially when the peacekeepers were determined to bulldoze their way through.
Counsel for the third accused adopted his colleague’s submissions. In reexamination, Mr. Harrison read a portion of the witness’s testimony relating to use of child soldiers, and some local inhabitants in Kono intimating the Lieutenant Colonel of sexual harassment by RUF especially in Yengema. The Witness answered in the affirmative, and confirmed the incidence to be correct.