Appendix 3, Part 2, Section A
APPENDIX 3 – PART TWO – SECTION A
THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION (TRC)
TRANSCRIPTS OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
HELD IN THE DISTRICT HEADQUARTER TOWNS
PORT LOKO DISTRICT
DATE: 29th April, 2003.
COMMISSIONERS: MARCUS JONES AND SYLVANUS TORTO
LEADER OF EVIDENCE: ABDULAI CHARM
WITNESS NAME: Ibrahim Bundu Kanu
WITNESS NO: 001
REFRENCE NO: 1/78/535
The chairman welcomed all for coming and further explained the goals of the TRC. She further presented the Commissioners to the public she said they have seven Commissioners but they are divided into sections to work with their mandates. And called the first witness to take his seat, He was asked to introduce him self. Commissioner Justice Marcus Jones, the presiding Commissioner, administered the oath.
TESTIMONY
My name is Ibrahim Bundu Kanu. I sit in front of you this morning to tell you what happened on the 8th June 1995. It was 8 pm when the rebels attacked Port Loko and I was in my house at Falaba Road when I heard the first gunshot; followed by continuous shooting. My family and I ran into the house. The firing became intense as the rebels drew closer to our house and by then it was raining. The rebels entered my house but my family and I escaped through the back door and hide in the toilet. They entered the house and looted our properties; the remaining things they could not make away with were placed on the mattress and burnt. However, a man called Pa Santigie Bangura was the only person brave enough to stay behind and succeeded in putting out the fire although it was too late. In the morning, I left Port Loko for Lokomasama. On 20th August 1999, the rebels attacked Lokomasa and they burnt down all the houses. As I am talking to you now, I have no home; I’m almost living in a shack. After that, I left Port Loko for Lungi together with my family and we were assisted by the Red Cross. In 2001 at around the time the DDR process had commenced, we came back to Port Loko. During the disarmament in Port Loko, I met a lady by the name of Haja who was an ex-combatant. She was narrating how she and the rebels burnt our house and ate our food. She did not know that the house they burnt belongs to my family. I became furious. I would have killed her but was afraid of the reaction of the government. I thought that war victims should benefit but it seems that only the perpetrators are being cared for in spite of all their deeds whilst the victims are left to languish in agony. As victims we have nothing to do but to look up to God. I find it very difficult to educate my children. I depend on friends for my survival. This is my experience during the war.
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: Were there women amongst the attackers?
Bundu: From the voices I heard, it was a mixture of men and women
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: How were they dressed?
Bundu: It was night time and I could not identify the clothes they were wearing.
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: Can you tell us the real name of the Haja you spoke about? Can you also locate her?
Bundu: This Haja I was referring to was an ex-combatant and I cannot locate her but her name was Haja Kamara.
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: Let me go back to the issue about giving help to the perpetrators. When the war was raging, people wanted peace at all cost. When peace came, these rebels were to be integrated into society and to be made useful. For that reason, they have to be trained so that they can fit into society, so that your children and my grand children will be able to go to school in peace and not loose more houses. I hope you will appreciate what is happening and whatever is being given to them will not be forever. When there is peace we will be able to have development in our country and you will benefit from it.
Commissioner Torto: Can you tell what group does your attackers belong to?
Bundu: I can’t tell. Even though we found military caps the following day it was difficult to tell what group they belong to.
Commissioner Torto: What language did they speak?
Bundu: They spoke Krio.
Commissioner Torto: Can you tell if there were foreigners amongst them?
Bundu: It was difficult to tell.
Commissioner Torto: Were you the only one who suffered or were there other people who suffer during this attack?
Bundu: I was not the only sufferer there were other people who suffered and several houses were burnt down and people drowned along the Port Loko River.
Commissioner Torto: Whilst you were running away to Lokomasama was your family with you?
Bundu: I ran with my children and my wife who was pregnant. We walked about 25 miles.
Commissioner Torto: Would you be ready to meet with these people who did these things to you and reconcile with them?
Bundu: If the Commission says so, I am ready to forgive them.
A. Cham: The Haja you mentioned, were you able to talk to her to find out the other people who were with her?
Bundu: At that time I didn’t think about it.
A. Cham: During the statement you mentioned one Abdul Keista Bangura. Can you tell what happened to him?
Bundu: Abdul Keista Bangura was my neighbour. His house was also burnt.
A. Cham: Were you able to identify the assailants?
Bundu: I was unable to identify them.
A. Cham: Can you roughly tell me the age of Haja when you met with her?
Bundu: She was around 20 -22 at the time I met her.
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: Have you any questions for the Commission?
Bundu: Yes I have a few questions. The first question is, as a Commission what recommendations will you make to government with regards victims’ plights?
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: The Commission does not make recommendations on victim’s behalf. What recommendations do you want the Commission to include in its report?
Bundu: Will the Commission make its report public?
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: The report will be made public and your name will be included as one of the witnesses who testified.
Bundu: There are people who are ignorant and apprehensive in coming forward to testify to the TRC and they are victims of this war. How can they come forward and testify to what happened to them?
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: In my explanation, I told you that it is not possible to meet all the people in all the villages. In any case, there are only seven Commissioners and we are divided into two groups. We have many people assembled hear today. I am sure if everyone is to go out and tell those who are not here about the work of the TRC, it will reach the people in the whole District. Also, I said before those with radios will be able to listen to the hearings and understand what is going on. Do you have more questions?
Bundu: I only have recommendations for the Commission. I want to recommend to Government that they should do all in their power to assist the victims as they did for the perpetrators for the sake of peace. I said this because most of the victims have their children who had left school because of the devastation of the war on the parents.
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: Thank you for coming.
THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION
DISTRICT HEARINGS
PORT LOKO DISTRICT
29th April, 2003.
Commissioners: Marcus Jones and Sylvanus Torto.
Leader of evidence: Abdulai Charm
WITNESS NAME: ISHMAEL KANU
WITNESS NO: 002
REFRENCE NO: 1/78/521
TESTIMONY
The Presiding Commissioner swore the witness on oath. He was a Christian.
The testimony I am going to give is about what happened to me as an individual and not anybody else. When Port Loko was first attacked on the 8th June 1995. I left Port Loko for Kasirie town Samu chiefdom in the Kambia District. I stayed in Kasirie for two months and I decided to go back to Port Loko to collect my belongings. On My way to Port Loko, I didn’t know there were rebels in the village. I walked a distance of 8 miles to Lungi and rested for sometime at Katoma. At Bundulai I met a friend with whom I attended the Ansarul Islamic Secondary School in Lungi. He had a bike. At that time, there were no vehicles plying the route to Port Loko. He eventually gave me a ride on his bike. On our way, we saw a checkpoint and I thought it was mounted by the SLA. I then saw a small boy emerged from the bush and grabbed the bike. The moment I had wanted to beat the boy, I saw a large crowd coming behind us. The boy ordered us to descend the bike and took the bike and went into the bush. Another small boy came and told us to lie on the ground on our backs. They searched us and I was having money (Le5,000) hidden in my pants. They took my cap and wore it; others remove our slippers and wore them. They dipped their hands into my pants and remove the money. Only God can tell how I felt. My friend was treated in like manner and we were left naked. They were carrying guns with no bullets. When I say bayonets in the guns, I had some relief. I asked God to save my life. We were beaten severely. After the beating, one of the rebels said there was no need to waste their time on us. He told them that we were the ones who asked the government to invite ECOMOG to kill them. I told them that I don’t know ECOMOG. He ordered them to kill me. One of the rebels came from the bush saying that no instruction was given by Maskita to kill. They beat and slapped me and I became helpless. They were carrying sticks and guns with no bullets. They beat me and kicked me and I was bleeding through the nose, mouth and my entire body. We pretended as if we were dead and they departed. I raised my head and found my friend severely wounded and helpless. I dragged myself across to him and asked, “What do we do?” He replied, “We have to die here as there is no one to assist us”. We saw another group coming our way and we had to had no where to go but to go back to Samu. We walked some distance and rested and arrived at Katoma along the Little Scarcies River at about 1 am in the morning. I knocked on the door of a friend and he ferried me over the Mambolo. On arriving at my aunt’s house, she started crying when she saw the wounds on my body. I was admitted at Mambolo for 2 months. She called for my mum. I stayed in Mabolo for two months and returned to Kasirie.
Rebels again attacked the village this time it was during nighttime. They found me with a pack of cigarettes. I ran into the bush and slept in a hole with no clothes on and it was raining. Since then, I had been experiencing cold. In the morning, I went to the town and found the entire town looted. Fortunately for me I did not close my room and God did not lead them to my room. The rebels act was continuous, I then told my parents to leave Kasirie as I have once been beaten by rebels and do not want any repetition. We went into a nearby, I started experiencing the pains of the beating. My mother took me to Kasirie. Upon examining my body, the doctor asked whether I fell from a tree or beaten. My father responded that I was beaten. The doctor told them if I had not gone on time for medical attention, I would have been dead. The doctor did well to save my life. On the day I was discharged from the hospital, I had a bout of cholera and my parents took me to the same doctor. He treated me and I recovered. I told my parents we should depart Lokomasama when I heard the disarmament was about to commence. We bade farewell to our host and came to Port Loko. Shortly thereafter I lost my father. This is my story.
QUESTIONS
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: In your story, you mentioned a friend, what happened to him?
Ishmael: I noticed he had a wound on his leg.
Commissioner Marcus-Jones: Have you been able to trace him since then?
Ishmael: I have not been able to see him.
Commissioner Torto: You mentioned that the rebels said Maskita did not give those orders to kill and knowing that Maskita belongs to the RUF; do you want to say that the attackers were RUF?
Ishmael: Yes, they were RUF dressed in military pants and different shirts
Commissioner Torto: What was the name of the doctor who treated you? Was he an NGO, government or private doctor?
Ishmael: He was a private doctor and his name was Dr. Yandi.
Commissioner Torto: Can you locate him?
Ishmael: No
Torto: Did he request payments after your treatment?
Ishmael: Yes
Comm. Torto: How much
Ishmael: He requested fifty thousand leones, we negotiated and paid twenty-five thousand leones.
Martien: Can you clarify the year in which the event happened?
Ishmael: It was around 1997-1998
Martien: In your statement you mentioned that the rebels identified themselves as Westside Boys. Is this correct?
Ishmael: Yes.
Martien: Did they call themselves West Side Boys or did you imagine them to be west side boys.
Ishmael: I identified them as west side boys because that was the area they were residing.
Martien: Do you remember the government at that time?
Ishmael: Yes, it was the SLPP regime.
Martien: Was it before the coup by AFRC?
Ishmael: Yes
Martien: How old were these boys?
Ishmael: They were between the ages of 17 and 18 years.
Comm. Torto: What languages did they speak?
Ishamel: They spoke Mende, Temne and Limba.
Martien: You mentioned several attacks in this village, were children abducted?
Ishmael: No, they did not abduct any body they only looted properties.
Martien: Did they kill anybody?
Ishmael: No, they only looted.
Martien: Have you any consequences of the beaten you undergone?
Ishmael: I suffered internal pains and I have to see the doctor every three months.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Have you any question for the Commission?
Ishmael: I have one question. The commission has asked us to clear our minds what is the next step.
Comm. Marcus Jones: After clearing your mind I hope you feel better. You have done something for Sierra Leone by sharing your experiences. Whatever went wrong would be corrected and there would be no repetition of such. Do you have any question for the Commission?
Ishmael: No more questions.
Comm. Marcus Jones: What recommendations do you want the Commission to include in its final reports?
Ishmael: I want the government to assist all victims who suffered during the 10-year war.
Comm. Marcus Jones: Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with us. Your recommendations will be included in our reports.
WITNESS NAME: Aminata Sampa BANGURA
WITNESS NO: 003
REFRENCE NO: 1/78/528
TESTIMONY
My name is Aminata Sampa Bangura. I am a Muslim; Commissioner Marcus Jones administered the oath.
I was in a village called Romoria where I was married. One day I was in the village in our farm preparing millet for the evening meal when my husband called out to me to leave what I was doing because the rebels had attacked the village. I did not hear him clearly. By the time I got the message properly, I was face to face with the rebels. I had never seen a rebel before and they captured me. I was so frightened that I urinated on my pants. The captured me together with fourteen others. We were taken to the highway to board a vehicle but there was no vehicle plying the road. They then took us into the house of a Pa Keku Kamara. In this house, my co-wife was first called into a room and she was raped. One of them then called me into the room and asked me to have sex with him. I pleaded that I was a suckling mother; he could not be hear my plea. He in fact threatened to kill my child if I don’t do as he commanded me. I had no alternative but to accept. After sex he left me to call another woman. During the interval, I escaped through the back window and ran into the bush where I passed the night. In the morning, I traveled through the bush and met with my husband. We then traveled to Port Loko and stayed at Mrs. Fokie Sokoi’s house. Whilst in Port Loko, I realized that my child was partially paralyzed. Madam Sokoi advised that we take the child to the government hospital. After the treatment, my child was still paralyzed. Eventually I lost the child. I started suffering from severs stomachache. I got pregnant on two occasions but lost both pregnancies, no known cause. I told my husband that I wanted to go to my brother in Freetown to seek medical attention. He agreed and I departed. Whilst in Freetown, my husband never came to visit or take me back with him. I got married to another man and I now have a child. After childbirth, I am still experiencing severe stomachache. As my husband lives in Benguema, things are very difficult for me here in Port Loko. I solely depend on my aunts and uncles. My sister and I are taking care of our widowed mother. This is all that I have to say.
QUESTIONS
Comm. Marcus-Jones: The other husband you married in Freetown, are you still husband and wife?
Aminata: Yes. He stays in Freetown and I stay in Port Loko.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Does he know that you are testifying to the Commission?
Aminata: Yes. I had long told him that whenever the Commission sits, I would be going to testify.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Did he agree with you?
Aminata: Yes.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: I hope other husbands will take the lead as Amanita’s husband has done.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: The person you referred to be staying in Benguema, who is he?
Aminata: My present husband
Comm. Marcus-Jones: When you went to Freetown to seek medical attention, you mentioned that your husband did not visit you at any one time. Why didn’t you come back to him?
Aminata: After a year has passed by and he did not visit me in Freetown, I came back to him but he did not sympathize with my situation, therefore I had to return to Freetown.
Comm. Torto: Can you remember your captors by their faces?
Aminata: I don’t know them
Comm. Torto: Can you identify them if they face you?
Aminata: I can’t because it was nighttime.
Comm. Torto: What languages did they speak?
Aminata: They spoke Mende, Temne and krio.
Comm. Torto: What fighting forces do they belong to?
Aminata: They were the West Side Boys.
Martien: What year did this happen?
Aminata: I cannot remember. Well I can only remember that it was during the second attack in Port Loko in 1998.
Martien: How old were you at the time of the attack?
Aminata: That was the time I had my third child. I will be 28 years of age this year.
Martien: You mentioned fourteen people captured. What happened to the others?
Aminata: I escaped after I was raped so I cannot tell what happened to the others.
Martien: Can you tell how many times you were raped and by how many men.
Aminata: I was raped by only one of them.
Martien: Can you tell the Commission what is your present health situation?
Aminata: I am not very healthy and I have not been getting proper medical attention. I’m only using native herbs.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: What is the health condition of this baby you are carrying?
Aminata: Fairly satisfactory.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Do you have any question for the Commission?
Aminata: Now that I have made my submission to the Commission, what is the Commission going to do.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: The Commission is going to include your testimony in its report to show one of the ways in which women suffered during the conflict. The Commission is mandated to report particularly on women and children and the Commission will be making recommendations from all what it is gaining from witnesses, particularly women and children in particular. During the war no matter where, women and children are always targeted and we hope our reward would be able to ease the problem in Sierra Leone.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Have you any other question?
Aminata: No.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Have you any recommendation for a better life for women in Sierra Leone. This is your opportunity to say it now.
Aminata: Looking at all our sufferings, I propose that the Commission recommends to the government to assist women to regain their health and secondly to empower them.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Thank you very much for coming we appreciate your courage and we advise that you hold to yourself and baby.
DATE: 29th April 2003
WITNESS NAME: Momoh Koroma
WITNESS NO: 004
REFRENCE NO: 1/78/531
TESTIMONY
My name is Momoh Koroma and I am a Christian. My story is this. My mother gave birth to ten of us. She had difficulties during childbirth. She lost nine of her children and I am the only survivor. The four other women my mother depended on are also dead. I had to join a society to feed my mother. When I joined this group, my father was left behind to care for my mum.
On 30th January 1998, the rebels attacked our village and we all had to run into the bush. My father was left behind and was killed. What surprised me most was that after they had killed my father, the rebels went in search of me, shouting my name. I was hiding in the bush and did not answer. They finally found my sister and she led them to were I was hiding. I had no option but to follow them. At this time I never realized they had killed my father. They carried me to where my father was lying and ordered me to bury him. I asked some of my friends and other people around to help me bury my father in the bush. We collected his remains and buried him.
I cannot really recollect the faces of the attackers but they spoke Temne, Mende and Krio. They warned us not to be afraid of them but we should be afraid of ECOMOG and the Apha jet. I told them we are afraid of them because they had killed my father and do not know who the next person would be. My father had lots of herds; we were herders in our family. The rebels stayed in the village for more than two weeks, they looted all they can. After they had left, we left the village for Port Loko town. Presently, we are still in Port Loko and we are finding it very difficult to live.
QUESTIONS
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Thank you Momoh, I don’t have any question for you
Comm. Torto: Can you remember the person that called you after the death of you father?
Momoh: I cannot remember. Those who came to carry me from the bush were four in number
Comm. Torto: Can you distinguish the fighting force that attacked your village? Where they Kamajors, RUF, Donsos, ECOMOG or SLA?
Momoh: I cannot distinguish them but they were wearing Tupac T-shirts, with military uniform tied around their waist.
Comm. Torto: If you could think properly, who you think the attackers were or which fighting force do you suspect they belong to.
Momoh: I suspected them to be RUF.
Martien: According to your statement, you mentioned that the rebels asked you to come to your father’s house. Is that true?
Momoh: Yes.
Martien: What happened thereafter?
Momoh: When they killed my father they searched for my sister and she directed them to where I was hiding.
Martien: Did the rebels take you to your father’s house?
Momoh: When they found us in the bush were we were hiding, they grabbed me and took me to my father’s house. At that time, I did not know they had killed my father.
Martien: What did they do to you?
Momoh: They did not beat me up or treated me in any brutal way. All they asked was that I should burry my father, but I was afraid. They didn’t cause any arm to the other members of my family. All they did was to loot. They looted rice, sheep, money equivalent to one drum of oil and the tape my father had.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Have you any questions for the Commission
Momoh: Looking at the whole situation I am now an orphan. My father whom we depended on has been killed. My father’s relations do not care about us. Therefore, I am asking the government to help us.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Are there any recommendations you would like to make?
Momoh: I am recommending that Government build houses for us so that we cannot continue to suffer.
THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION
DISTRICT HEARINGS
PORT LOKO
DATE: 30TH APRIL 2003
WITNESS NAME: Hassan G. Kanu
WITNESS NO: 006
REFERENCE NO: 2/86/2128
TESTIMONY:
My name is Hassan G. Kanu. I am a Muslim. Commissioner Sylvanus Torto, the Presiding Commissioner, administered the oath.
Opening prayers – Christian – the prayer was lead by Mrs. Manyeh, a chorus was sang “leh we tell am tenki”
Muslim - The Alfathia was recited.
TESTIMONY:
I am Hassan G. Kanu, I lived in a village called Mamusa. I stayed in this village for sometime, when I started hearing treats of rebel attack. We were convinced that the rebels would not attack the village. On the 2nd December 1998 we heard the rebels had attacked a village called Kabata. Since this village was a long way from our village, we were still convinced that the rebels would not reach our village. At night we saw a lot of people carrying luggage on their heads. When we ask them, they said the rebels had attacked their village but they did not see the rebels. They stopped at our village to rest.
I sat a while with the strangers, and then went into my room to sleep. By then my wife was pregnant she told me that she was going to her mother to give birth. At about 2pm on 3rd December 1998, I had wanted to ease myself, as I tried to open the door; I heard the sound of a radio. I was afraid to open the door however; it was my late headmaster and one of my colleagues who were outside the house. The headmaster called and told me not to be afraid; finally I got out of the room. I sat with them for sometime, the headmaster told others and myself to go to bed because he was also convinced that the rebels would not attack the village.
At that time, my wife was with her grandmother. As I was about to sleep, I heard the first gunshot and the first time to hear of a rebel attack in that village. The whole village was in a state of confusion. The rebels were uttering abusive languages and obscenities. I tried to open the lock, but couldn’t because I was in a panic state. My intension then, was to open my room, so I could run to my wife in the next village. I went through the window. I was unable to take my belongings; I only had my shirt and a short on.
On the way, I met my wife in the bush, I asked her for the baby and she told me that the baby was with her grandmother.
At 5 pm, we came back to the village, I started looking out for my wife’s grandmother and the grandmother was looking for my wife as well. At 9 am the following day, I was able to see the grandmother, I asked her for the child. She told me that she thought my wife had the child with her. I went to the house and I found out that the house had been burnt down. When I entered the house, I saw chaff and some tiny bones. The child was burnt in the house. The child was exactly 10 months old at that time. He was born on 3rd of February 1998 and killed on the 3rd December 1998.
QUESTIONS
Comm. Torto: Thank you for your testimony and we appreciate your coming forward to testify. We are sorry for the loss of your child. Can you tell us who the attackers were?
Hassan: I cannot identify them during that night, but the following morning when we came back to the village, I saw on the burnt walls the inscription “RUF/AFRC”.
Comm. Torto: What were your headmaster and friend doing outside your veranda?
Hassan: They were killing time before going to sleep.
Comm. Torto: What was the distance from your house to their houses?
Hassan: We were very close. We shared a big compound.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: We are sorry that you lost your baby; we are glad that you have come to share your experience, was that the only time the rebels attacked your village?
Hassan: Yes
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Apart from your house, how many other houses were burnt down?
Hassan: All the houses in the village were burnt down.
Comm. Torto: Was your wife in the house during the attack?
Hassan: We were not in the same house. She was with her grandmother.
Martien: How many people were killed in the attack apart from your child?
Hassan: Another child was also burnt in a house and five others killed.
Martien: – What was the name of your child?
Hassan: His name was Santigie Kanu
Comm. Torto: – We have asked you so many questions; do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Hassan: I have one question. What is the essence of this Commission?
Comm. Torto: – It is a good question. It is unfortunate that you were not around yesterday when we explained the reasons for the formation of this Commission. It was formed with the aim of forestalling a recurrence of what happened during the ten-year war.
Comm. Torto: – Do you have any other question?
Hassan: No
Comm. Torto: What recommendations would you want to make to the Commission that we may include in our report?
Hassan: My recommendation to the Commission for onward transmission to the government is, I know that my child is already dead. No amount of money can be equivalent to the life of my child. My only recommendation is for the government to assist in the development of my village and the community as a whole especially, as the rains is fast approaching.
Comm. Torto: – We thank you, but the TRC Act does not give us the mandate to compensate victims, the Commission does not have the money to give for reparation. We can recommend to government to assist victims of the war. Your testimony will be studied closely and necessary recommendations will be made.
DATE: 30TH April 2003
WITNESS NAME: Brima Kabia
WITNESS NO: 007
REFERENCE NO: 2/86/2110
TESTIMONY:
My name is Brima Kabia. I am a Muslim. Commission Torto the presiding Commissioner administered the oath.
I came from a village called, Katik in the Marampa chiefdom. I was in this village with my children. We had a common boundary with Masemira Chiefdom. One day we heard that the rebels were making attempts to ferry across to our village. At the time they informed us that the rebels were heading for our village they did not show up for a about a week. So we considered the information to be untrue. Our belongings that we had kept in the bush, we had to take them back to the village. Three weeks thereafter, about 4:30 am we heard the first gunshot in the village, we were all confused; we all ran and hid in the bush. My wife was left behind and she was captured together with fifty. At about 9 pm that same day we came back to the village, I could only find my kids. I looked everywhere and later realized that my belongings had been looted. The rebels looted all I had. They captured captives were taken to a village called Rokfollah. After the captives had carried the looted goods to this village they were released. They stayed with the rebels for five days before their released. When they came back their feet were swollen, because of the long distance they had traveled. I then asked my wife to narrate her ordeal. I asked whether she was beaten, I further asked whether the rebels had intercourse with her she said yes, naturally I was not happy so I stopped asking questions, we had a dispenser in our village and I took her to this doctor for medical treatment. There was another attack; this attack was the last attack before the end of the war. Everybody in the village ran to another chiefdom. We stayed there for about ten months. It was during that time that security prevailed in the village. We return to our village to see what destructions the rebels had done. On our return I found out that my house was not burnt down but everything was looted, even the roof. My other house in the next village was also vandalized. I discovered that the roof was also removed from the house. This is my own experience in the war.
Comm. Torto: Did your wife know any of the people who raped her?
Brima: She could not tell.
Comm. Torto: What group did these attackers belong to?
Brima: I personally cannot identify the group the attackers belong to, but my wife told me that they were in military fatigue.
Comm. Torto: In narrating her ordeal to you, did she mention any killing?
Brima: Nobody was killed in the village all those who were captured were released.
Comm. Torto: From your written statement, you mentioned about Captain Peace, Could you tell me about him?
Brima: My wife mentioned that name to me.
Comm. Torto: Was she a bush wife to this captain?
Brima: Yes, it was Captain Peace who temporary married her.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: What is your wife’s present health condition, or immediately after her stay with the rebels?
Brima: My wife’s health had been critical from the time she was captured until now she is still not herself.
Comm. Marcus Jones: What is the name of the village in which your wife was taken to?
Brima: The village is called ……………………
Martien: In what year did the rebels attack your village?
Brima: I can’t remember, but the second attack was in 1999.
Martien: Was it before the general election or after the election
Brima: The first attack took place after the elections in 1996
Martien: I am very sorry for what happened to your wife. It is very important that you had come to testify. You mentioned that your wife is experiencing difficulties. What kind of difficulty is she experiencing?
Brima: She is not very healthy, but once on a while I take her for medical check up.
Martien: Did you take her to the hospital?
Brima: I normally take her to the village dispensary.
Martien: Has the treatment helped her in any way?
Brima: Whenever she goes to the dispensary, after some treatment she feels better but it lasted only for a short while.
Comm. Torto: – Do you have any question to ask the commission?
Brima: I do not have any question to ask the commission, but I have some recommendations to make to the commission. As far as I am concern, one of the reasons for the war is the high rate of unemployment. I want the government to do its best to provide employments for youths in the country.
Comm. Torto: There are some NGOs who can assist and others create avenue for skill training. Do you have any more recommendation to make to the commission?
Brima: No, that’s the only recommendation I have.
Comm. Torto to include the final thanks
DATE: 30TH April 2003
WITNESS NAME: Thomas Forfanah
WITNESS NO: 008
REFERENCE NO: 2/86/2118
My name is Thomas Forfanah. I am a Muslim. Commission Sylvanus Torto, the Presiding Commissioner, administered the oath.
TESTIMONY:
I spent most of my lifetime in Kono in a town called Masabendu. One day the rebels attacked and we ran into the bush. It was rainy season and we slept in the bush. Those who ran towards the river came back and told us that the rebels had killed Pa Yayah and Pa Musa. We asked our informant about the situation in town. They told us that after they had killed the two people they stabbed the others and departed. With the assurance that the rebels had left, we came back to the village. When we came back to the village we tried to identify the grave where Pa Musa and Pa Yayah were buried. This moved me so much that I decided to go back to the house but was so afraid that I left all my belongings behind. I went to Masabendu Junction where ECOMG were deployed. We stayed there for one month. This period was difficult because there was no food. We had to live on cassava. When the farm owners were not around, we rooted their cassava and ate them. On their return, they found out that their cassava farm had been stolen from. They then reported the matter to the ECOMOG Commander at Massbendu Junction. A group of soldiers was ordered to carry us and we were faced with Captain Sesay who told us that the allegation against us was that we left our village to steal cassava in another village. He then ordered us to brush and clean the surround. I was hit with a stick on the by one of the soldiers..
On the 26th of March 1998, the rebels attacked our village, at about 1.30 a.m. I had malaria and was just from the toilet as I was experiencing frequent stools. As I was about to go to bed I heard gunshots. The rebels had attacked the village. I could see the bullets coming closer to me from where I laid. I had to hide under the bed. There was sporadic firing. From my hiding place, I heard people screaming, the rebels were engaged in killing and stabbing. One of the rebels eventually kicked my door and entered the house, a little while, another entered. They found three people asleep and they woke them up, they then entered my room and found me. We were all assembled in the sitting room while they looted all our belongings. The youngest of us all was taken away and ordered that we be killed. They discovered a bag, which belonged to one of our colleagues who was in Masingbi at that time. The rebels wanted to open this bag so we were asked for the keys. We told them that the owner of the key was not here. They insisted that if we do not produce the key they would kill us. So they started to beat us. I told the rebel to destroy the bag in order to open the bag rather than beating us. Finally they discovered the key and the open the bag the contents were looted away. Another rebel entered and told his colleague that he was wasting time on us. Immediately he started firing. By then I was lying on the floor. One of my colleagues was shot on his bed another was shot on the stomach. I was already helpless thinking that I would be the next. The man next to me was still alive. One of the bullets released by the rebels hit part of my buttocks. They were all standing looking at us. I pretended as if I were dead. They pointed a touch at us to confirm that we were dead; we all lied down as if we were dead. They went into the room took a foam mattress and set it ablaze. When they realize that the house was on fire, they departed. We managed to escape. Only two out of five survived. The other three died. I was bleeding profusely, I discovered that the bleeding came through the bullet wound but the pain was not severe. From where I was hiding, I was not very far from the house and I saw it burnt to ashes. I later went over to the house and found out that the others had burnt down to ashes.
In the morning I called one of the survivor’s wives Abie, I informed her about the death of her husband and we went over to the burnt house. On our way, we found out that another person was also killed that night. We decided to leave the village, as it was no longer safe. We walked on foot from………………… to …………………… there we boarded a vehicle. I still hade this wound on my buttocks but there was no medical facility. I had to walk all the way to …………………….
During the night the pain became severe, I was almost at the point of death. My sister’s husband immediately took me to Makeni, I was admitted there for one week then I was taken to Masingbi hospital, I stayed in the hospital until I recovered. This is all I have to say.
QUESTIONS
Comm. Torto: In order to help us make some judgments in your testimony we would like to ask a few questions. How many people were killed at Masabendu Junction?
Thomas: They were many; I cannot give the exact figure.
Comm. Torto: Can you give the name of the persons killed in the house?
Thomas: Ya Adama Koroma, Amara and Saidu
Comm. Torto: What is the complete name of Pa. and what happened to his body?
Thomas: I cannot tell exactly what happened to his remains. They were all abandoned in the village
Comm. Torto: Can you tell the names of your attackers?
Thomas: It was difficult for me to identify the particular group, I knew they were rebels
Comm. Torto: Can you identify them, were they RUF, Kamajors, AFRC etc., can you identify the particular group
Thomas: They were RUF
Comm. Torto: What was the name of the captain who hit you on your head?
Thomas: Captain Sesay, and he belongs to the SLA
Charm: you said you have to l by the time of the attack, where these ECOMOG still at the Msasabendu junction
Thomas: yes
Charm: Where there any fighting between the ECOMOG and the RUF?
Thomas: There was no fighting at that time
Comm. Torto: Do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Thomas: Yes, we observed that the government is taking care of the perpetrators rather than the victims.
Comm. Torto: That’s a good question; a lot of witnesses have asked this same question. One reason is; what we are enjoying today - Peace, we have to pay the price for peace. If there had been no peace, the Commission would not have been here today. What had happened to you would have continued. It was agreed in Lomé that some form of incentive should be given to the rebels to help deviate their minds. No body is compensating them for what they have done. I am neither a politician nor a government but I know of some mechanisms that are put in place by some NGOs to assist war victims. That is a form of compensation to victims. We are sorry for what had happen to you. Please don’t think that they are compensated for the wrongs they did. Do you have any other question?
Thomas: No
Comm. Torto: Do you have any recommendations to make to the commission?
Thomas: I want to make an addition regarding the last attack, about the continuity of the war after the Lomé Agreement. After the agreement we all thought it was the end of the war but the war continued, today I have been made an orphan. My only brother was beaten to death in Lunsar when the fighting broke out again after the Lomé Agreement.
Comm. Torto: Do you know the perpetrators?
Thomas: They were rebels. My sister was also beaten to death, in the village on the Lunsar, Port Loko highway.
Comm. Torto: Can you remember their names?
Thomas: I cannot identify them
Comm. Torto: You will agree with me that a lot of incidence happened after the signing of the Lomé agreement. You will also remember that on May 8 some people were killed, and the Lomé peace accord had granted amnesty to all fighters for that period. 7th of July 1999.
Thomas: My recommendation is that the government should do everything in its power to create employment.
DATE: 30TH April, 2003.
WITNESS NAME: Hawa Kanu
WITNESS NO: 009
REFERENCE NO: 2/86/2119
My name is Hawa Kanu. I am a Muslim. Commission Sylvanus Torto, the Presiding Commissioner, administered the oath.
TESTIMONY:
I stayed in the village of Mabeseneh. One evening my husband joined others for the evening prayers in the mosque. After he had left, a madman by the name of Osman beat up the wife of an SLA Officer. After the beating, people alerted the officer and then soldiers entered the village. When the soldiers came they entered the mosque and started beating up the people. My husband and others fled, but my husband fell on the wayside. The soldiers found him and gave him severe beating thinking he was the madman. Eventually my husband managed to reach the house. He narrated his ordeal. After a short while, my husband died as a result of the beating inflicted by him. Now I am a widow and single parent and I have to bore all the family responsibilities.
Comm. Torto: Did Osman enter the Mosque?
Hawa: Yes, he use to go to the mosque everyday
Comm. Torto: When did he enter the Mosque?
Hawa: He entered the mosque when he was chased by the soldiers
Comm. Torto: How many soldiers entered the mosque?
Hawa: Four
Comm. Torto: How many people were in the mosque?
Hawa: They were in large numbers.
Comm. Torto: Do you know where the soldiers came from?
Hawa: I cannot tell where they came from.
Comm. Torto: You mentioned that one of people in the congregation was beaten to death. Can you tell the name of that person?
Hawa: It was my husband
Comm. Torto: Did you take him to the hospital?
Hawa: No, there was no hospital at that time
Comm. Marcus-Jones: I am happy that you are here to give your testimony. That was an unfortunate case of missing identity. We are sorry that you lost your husband. How many children do you have?
Hawa: Three
Comm. Marcus-Jones: You said you are responsible for their welfare, Is that correct.
Hawa: Yes
Comm. Marcus-Jones: How old are they?
Hawa: The eldest is a boy, the second is not going to school; the third is a girl she is at the verge of getting married
Comm. Marcus-Jones: The third is a girl, how old is she?
Hawa: she is about 18 years
Comm. Marcus-Jones: what is she doing for a living
Hawa: she is a farmer
Comm. Marcus-Jones: Did you marry after the death of your husband
Hawa: No
Charm: Do you know which fraction did the attackers belong to?
Hawa: SLA
Charm: Can you tell where they were staying?
Hawa: They were deployed at Lunsar; these groups of soldiers that entered were staying at Mabeseneh village
Charm: Do you know the name of the wife of the soldier that was beaten
Hawa: No
Charm: In your written statement, you mention about one Mr. Tee can you tell me about him
Hawa: Mr. Tee was a soldier he was deployed at Mabeseneh
Charm: Was he one of them?
Hawa: I don’t know.
Charm: Apart from your husband do you know of any other people beaten by the soldiers?
Hawa: Everybody in the mosque was beaten.
Charm: Did you know of any other person who died has a result of this beaten?
Hawa: I only know of my husband.
Comm. Torto: Do you have any question for the commission?
Hawa: I don’t have any question; I only have a suggestion and a recommendation. The only recommendation is that government should assist me now that my husband is dead and the responsibility of the children is solely on me considering the fact that I am a widow and single parent.
Comm. Torto: – There is a stipulated mandate that these function can performed. It is regrettable that the commission did not have the means but we have the mandate to forward these recommendations in our final report.
I thank you for coming.
DATE: 30TH April 2003.
WITNESS NAME: Abu Bakarr Baloster Saccoh
WITNESS NO: 010
REFERENCE NO: 2/86/2113
My name is Abu Bakarr Baloster Saccoh. I am a Christian. Commissioner Sylvanus Torto, the Presiding Commissioner, administered the oath.
TESTIMONY:
On the 21st of June 1995, the rebels eventually infiltrated into Lunsar after the ninth attempt. At about 4 pm, I heard sporadic firing. I ran into the bush with my family. I could not go with my car. We spent the night in the bush. The following day at about 9 am, I came out of my hiding place. To my utmost dismay, I found my compound grounded and it in flames, my car also was partly in flames. Before then, the SLA was living with us in the village, but on the day of the attack, they were nowhere to be fond until the following morning. I asked Yamahokati, the commander in charge in Krio “what happed that you were unable to protect us”. He replied that the rebels overwhelmed them. My houses were grounded, until now I could not rebuild them. I am presently a displaced.
On 3rd December 1998, the rebels attacked Mamusa at about 2 a.m. unfortunately for me; I was also in this village. I was asleep when my driver alerted me that the rebels had attacked the village. I was having a car in Mamusa. I escaped through the window by the boy’s quarter into the bush. Luckily, the rebels did not do any shooting. I stayed in the bush for sometime then the rebels began to shoot. Upon hearing the gunshots, I lifted my head and saw the village on fire. I then said to myself, “oh! My house had been burnt again”.
In the morning, I did not leave my hiding place for fear that I was been targeted. I was a petrol dealer, farmer and a politician. When I came out of my hiding place, I found that my house was grounded, car vandalized and my petrol station burnt. Going around, I found 15 corpses, some of their faces burnt and used to mount roadblocks. I departed for Lunsar where my house had been burnt. Fortunately for me, the store and toilet building of the house were not burnt down and I had to use the store as a living room. On the 4th December 1998, two of the abductees at Mamusa showed up in Lunsar. I met with them and they asked me if I knew S.A.J. Musa and that he was one of their captors. They stated that I was very lucky to escape as I was their target and they were going to launch another attack in Lunsar. The following day, 5th December, Lunsar was again attacked. They attacked the ECOMOG base. A mathematics teacher and some ECOMOG officers were killed during the battle. I again escaped and slept in the bush together with my family. I ferried across the Rokel River to Masimera Chiefdom reroute to Freetown. I returned to Lunsar after normalcy because at that time, Lunsar was a no mans land. As I had given the opportunity to testify this afternoon, I do not have much to say. I was reluctant to testify but as a Christian, “what has been done cannot be undone”. The scripture tells us in Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to praise God. For whosoever comes to Him must believe that He exist and He reward those who honestly serve Him”. So all is vanity? Mr. Commissioner and all those concern I thank you very much.
Comm. Torto: I am very impressed with the testimony you made, as you rightly said, you were reluctant at first, I am sure that as you have testified, your psychological burden will ease. I urge you to keep the faith as a Christian. Did you loose members of your family?
Abu Bakarr: No, I only lost properties.
Comm. Torto: You talked about your car which of the cars was burnt?
Abu Bakarr: I had two cars.
Comm. Torto: What was your relationship with Yamahokati and his colleagues during the war?
Abu Bakarr: He was the Ground Commander in Lunsar, he was an SLA officer. We regularly held meetings on security issues and the defense of the town. As I did say, the rebels made nine attempts before they eventually succeeded in attacking. The rebels tried to attack Lunsar during the reign of Yamahokati but they did not to succeed. That was why we relied on him for security.
Comm. Torto: Did he tell you where they were after talking to him?
Abu Bakarr: Yes, he said he spent the night at Foredugu and I did see him the following morning coming from Foredugu because I spent the night at a village called Makomb.
Comm. Torto: How would you classify the people that did these things to you, which faction did they belong to?
Abu Bakarr: As I did say, I had a compound which was grounded, when I showed up the following morning, I saw RUF written on my gate.
Comm. Torto: We are grateful that you have come to help the TRC, we are sorry for all the material loss you had and for the anxiety. Once there is life, there is hope. It is good to realize that you have confidence in God. You told us that you were a politician, a businessman and a farmer. Can you point out any definite reason why you were targeted?
Abu Bakarr: As a petrol dealer, I was able to purchase a large amount of fuel and that means money. I was in charge of Mobil station in Port Loko and Mamusa village. The petrol companies needed money as they had run short of cash. They suggested that we should pay in notes rather than bank drafts. I want to believe there were people monitoring our daily movements. They might have seen me offloading my products.
Comm. Torto: Did they succeed in getting the money?
Abu Bakarr: Yes they succeeded in getting my money and some of my petroleum products because at that time our oil company had wanted physical cash. We told them about the dangers involved. Even taking the cash to Freetown was not easy, but we had no alternative because the boss is always right.
Martien: You mentioned about three different attacks, the first one was in 1995, I would like to know if anybody was killed?
Abu Bakarr: Yes, people were killed.
Martien: How many people were killed?
Abu Bakarr: Two people were killed.
Martien: How many people were abducted?
Abu Bakarr: I was told that many people were abducted, including boys and girls.
Martien: Do you have any idea how many people were abducted and their present health status?
Abu Bakarr: When they showed up, some were not quite ok, they had to be taken to the hospital.
Martien: Do you know what happened to them during their stay with the rebels?
Abu Bakarr: I don’t know because I was not in their camp.
Martien: Did they tell you or other people what happened to them?
Abu Bakarr: Yes, I saw a suckling mother; she told me her ordeal when she was with the rebels. An NGO called Save the Children, came to Lunsar and collected the abducted children.
Martien: Did they tell you whether they were raped?
Abu Bakarr: Some of them told me that they were forced to go to bed with them; some were forced to carry their arms.
Martien: I want to take you back to the second attack on 5th December 1998; you mentioned that a teacher was killed in that attack. I want to know whether other people were killed.
Abu Bakarr: At the ECOMOG base, they killed one Sgt Major, he was an ECOMOG Personnel, and they were in the same compound with the teachers.
Martien: Was there a fight between ECOMOG and the RUF?
Abu Bakarr: When they left Mamusa, we were expecting them to go to Freetown but they made a U turn and come to Lunsar, where they attacked the ECOMOG base.
Martien: Were the ECOMOG able to defend the people of Lunsar.
Abu Bakarr: They were overwhelmed by the rebels.
Martien: You said, you are a politician, what is your political affiliation?
Abu Bakarr: I was an aspirant of the SLPP and I am still loyal to the government of the day.
Martien: Could that be a reason why you were targeted?
Abu Bakarr: I very much doubt it, being an SLPP member does not mean that I have money, it was because I was a petrol dealer.
Martien: The 2nd attack in 1998, which group of rebels attacked you?
Abu Bakarr: I guess it was a mixture of them, on my return I saw a writing on my gate “AFRC/RUF heading for Freetown”.
Comm. Torto: Could you give us a rough estimate of the cash you loose in the hands of the rebels?
Abu Bakarr: I cannot tell at the moment.
Comm. Torto: Since we have asked you so many questions do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Abu Bakarr: What is the composition of the commission?
Comm. Torto: I am sorry, you were not here yesterday, the Commission is composed of 7 members, 4 nationals, i.e. Sierra Leoneans and three international staff, of the four Sierra Leoneans; we have Bishop J.C. Humper who is now in Bo and he is the Chairman, we have Justice Marcus Jones who is the deputy of the Commission, Prof. John Kamara, who was former principal of Njala, Sylvanus Torto, Head of Administration Department at IPAM. The international Commissioners, Yasmine Sooka, she is a South African who was a member of the TRC in South Africa, Prof. William Schabas from Canada and Ireland, a renowned Human Rights Lawyer and Madam Ajaaratou Satang Jow, a Gambian, she was a Minister of Education for a while in The Gambia. The panel was selected by the United Nations.
Abu Bakarr: Now that I have heard the composition of the Commission, I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. I do not doubt your integrity and credibility. I do not have any question to ask.
Comm. Torto: Do you have any recommendation?
Abu Bakarr: Lunsar is an unfortunate town when it comes to rehabilitation. The rebels vandalized a town like Masiaka and it has been rehabilitated, on the way to Mabora, villages were vandalized; they had been now rehabilitated. On to Rogbere Junction also on the same highway to Lunsar it was vandalized and it has now been rehabilitated. The big question is what Lunsar has done to be neglected in areas of rehabilitation. I am craving your indulgence so that you can recommend to Government for them to rehabilitate the houses in Lunsar. We now have a young and dynamic Paramount Chief and if given the opportunity he will do well. I thank you.
Comm. Torto: The commission will take your recommendation to the government there are some NGOs who are responsible in assisting victims for rehabilitation.
Comm. Marcus-Jones: I just want to comment that Mr. Saccoh is a politician of the SLPP and he must have some connections in the government of the day, I believe he can advocate for the development of Lunsar.
DATE: 30TH April 2003.
WITNESS NAME: Sheka Kabia
WITNESS NO: 011
REFERENCE NO: 2/86/2108
TESTIMONY
My name is Sheka Kabia and I am a Muslim. Commissioner Sylvanus Torto, the Presiding Commissioner, administered the oath.
My name is Sheka Kabia. I am a native of Lunsar in Marampa Chiefdom. I was a trader. On day I went to buy palm oil and groundnut at Konta in Masimera Chiefdom. At about 2 pm, I had collected my goods when I saw lots of men in military uniforms. When the people saw these men in military uniforms, most of them ran away. At that time I had no chance to run away. I was standing with my friend, called Unisa. The men in military fatigue asked me, what I was doing in the village. I told them that I was on business, the rest of the men in uniform shouted at me. By the time I could realize what was happening, two of the men in uniform placed me on the ground and the others turned their attention to the house where my goods were. The others were beating me; they lay me on the ground and some kicked me on the head, some on the chest and some on the buttocks. The one I identified as the head asked the others what I have done to them. They told him that I have not done anything, just that they suspected that I was transacting business for the SLA. He stopped them and ordered my release. The people in military fatigue were then approaching me then I had the opportunity to escape. I went into the bush and I traveled through the bush until I came to the highway between Masiaka and Mile 91. There I boarded a vehicle and returned to Tombo where my sister was staying. Since that time, it was difficult for me to go back to the provinces. This was the ordeal I went through. Until present, I am not doing well at all. I have my mother, wife and my two children to care for.
Comm. Torto: During this attack, did they kill anybody?
Sheika: No
Comm. Torto: What group; did your perpetrators belong to?
Sheika: I believe they belong to the RUF, because they were not in military fatigue they were putting on civilian’s clothes.
Comm. Torto: Can you remember their faces if you are to come face to face with them?
Sheika: No.
Martien: I have few questions to ask, how do you know they were RUF?
Sheika: I suspected the group to be RUF because those who attacked us were very young boys; between the ages of 15 and 18. The army does not recruit young boys
Martien: Were there women among them?
Sheika: Yes.
Martien: Who was in charge, was it one of these young boys?
Sheika: He was a man
Martien: In what year did it happen?
Sheika: In 1998.
Martien: – Did you remember the languages they were speaking?
Sheika: Some spoke Krio, Mende, Temne and some spoke Liberian pidgin.
Comm. Torto: Do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Sheika: No.
Comm. Torto: Do you have any recommendation to make to the Commission for onward transmission to the government?
Sheika: My recommendation to government is; I suspect that one of the causes of this war was greed and the other was unemployment.
I therefore recommend that government create employment opportunities, and they must ensure that everybody have a share of the national cake.
Comm. Torto: I have a point of observation, I am not defending the government, before the attack you were doing well, you were self- employed, and comparatively you were better than some employees. If one or two of your friends had follow suit, there would not be much problem of unemployment. However, your suggestion will be taken into good part and we sympathize with you for what you suffered.
I thank you very much for coming.
The session ended at 3: 00 p.m.
THE TRUTH AND RECONCILATION COMMISSION
DISTRICT HEARINGS
PORT LOKO
DATE: 01 May 2003
WITNESS NAME: Foday Abdulai Kamara
WITNESS NO: 012
REFRENCE NO: 2/85/2094
My name is Foday Abdulai Kamara, I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Marcus Jones the Presiding Commissioner.
Opening prayers: Christian – Mrs. Mayen - Chorus: “We give you thanks”
Muslim - Interpreter - A-lfathia by all.
TESTIMONY
My name is Foday Abdulai Kamara. One day, I was in my village called Kamasondo, in the early hours of the morning we heard the sound of gunshots. At that time my dependants were all with me. So I tried to escape with them to a nearby village, we spent the night in our hiding place. It took me the entire day to find a hiding place, we suffered a lot in the bush, we finally spent the night in the bush, unfortunately, it happened during the rainy season. The following morning, I told my family to stay where they were so that I can go back to the village to see what had happened. When I went to the village I discovered that the village was burnt down. I personally inherited three houses from my late father; all those three houses were burnt down. I went round to inspect the other houses in the village I also discovered that they were all burnt. I discovered that one of our elders in the village was killed, I found his corpse. I discovered the corpse of my sister, one of my friends was also killed and a village sub chief was killed. When I saw these corpses, I was terrified, at that time the rebels were around. I later went back to my hiding. I advised that we should move from there to another village.
My step mother who was with me, was so hungry that she was unable to go any further, however, we managed to prepare some porridge for her. We finally get to Lunsar, the rest of my family were dispatched to Freetown. Few of us returned to find out whether the rebels were still occupying our village, fortunately for us they had gone back to their base. All our cattle and sheep were carted away by the rebels. Since we wanted to stay in the village we put up some temporary structure. The house was overcrowded, the following year I got some seed rice and brushed a farm. The rebels came back when it was time to harvest, they harvested all my rice. I will not be able to recount all the problems I encountered during the rebel incursion.
Comm. Marcus Jones - Thank you Foday for giving such a testimony. I am going to ask you few questions to clarify issues you made in your statement. Do you know any Kalilu Sesay?
Ans: Yes.
Comm. Marcus Jones - who is he?
Ans – He is my brother.
Comm. Marcus Jones - Did anything happen to him?
Ans - Yes, his houses were burnt down.
Comm. Marcus Jones – How old was your stepmother at that time?
Ans - I can’t tell her age.
Comm. Marcus Jones – Is she with you?
Ans - She is dead.
Comm. Marcus Jones – Is it because of the rebel attack?
Ans - She was not killed by the rebels, she fell ill and die.
Comm. Marcus Jones – Have you been able to improve on those shacks?
Ans - I have actually improved on the shacks because I used the zinc that was burnt by the rebels but I still experience leakages.
Comm. Marcus Jones – Did you know any of the rebels?
Ans - It is difficult to identify them, because when they entered any village nobody was able to look at them.
Comm. - Can you identify them?
Ans - No.
Comm. Marcus – the commission is mandated to work with religious leaders, you are a member of the Muslim Jamaat, have you made any effort to bring these people onboard so that they can continue to live normal lives again?
Ans - I have been doing that, each time we went to the mosque we preached about forgiveness to the people.
Comm. Torto - Can you tell me who Osman Kamara was in Kamasondo?
Ans - Osman Kamara is my son.
Comm. Torto – Did he witness the attack?
Ans - We were together.
Comm. Torto - He does not seem to know anything that happened to you.
Ans - When we escaped to the bush, we were all scattered.
Comm. Torto – You said that you were all scattered around, how did he know what happened to you?
Ans - We were separated in the bush, but we met again later.
Martien – In which year did the rebels attack you?
Ans - It was in 1996.
Martien – Was it before or after the election?
Ans: Immediately after the election.
Martien - You said you found dead bodies in the village?
Ans - Yes.
Martien – Can you give the names?
Ans - Yabowarrah Kamara, Fatu Kamara, Amadu Foulah, Yusuf and O’bai.
Comm. Marcus Jones – We have been asking you questions, do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Ans - My question is - now that I am poor and cannot embark on profitable farming. What will the Commission do to assist me?
Marcus Jones – You did tell us that when you returned to your village, you started farming. Unfortunately, the rebels came and get away with all your harvest. Now that we have peace, you have a better climate to go ahead with your farming; I believe you should go farming. If you cultivate in your farm you will make a lot of profit for you to live a better life, the country should be able to create these facilities for you and to help you get medical facilities in your community. That is why this Commission is formed, so that recommendations and suggestions made will be included in our report for you to benefit in future.
Comm. Marcus Jones - Do you have any other question?
Ans: My next question relate to shelter, like I told you in my testimony, all the houses in my village were burnt down. What assistant can we get so that we can have proper shelter?
Marcus Jones – It is important you look for some NGOs to assist in constructing a better structure for you, they might not be able to give you all the money you required, but they will be able to assist in giving you building materials. The TRC does not give money to people and also it would not be possible for government to go all over the country giving money to people to restructure their burnt houses. It would not be even advisable for TRC to give out money to people because some people will come out to give elaborate story or terrible lies. The Commission is interested in knowing the truth and made its recommendation to government. That is the work of TRC.
Ans - I want to comment on this last response you made to me. You told me that the Commission is mandated or have not got the resources to give to people but there are NGOs who are responsible for that. I am an illiterate and I don’t know how to go about finding these people?
Marcus Jones – You can talk to our briefer they will advice you on what to do. Any more questions?
Ans - During the war we have to send some of our children to Freetown at that time Freetown was safe, unfortunately, Freetown was also attacked by the rebels; our children were sent back to us, what we will do now that we are displaced.
Marcus Jones – In our report, the Commission will make recommendations to the government and these recommendations will be implemented in the future.
Marcus Jones: Do you have recommendations to make to the Commission for onward transmission to Government?
Ans - My recommendation is that Government should assist us get better accommodation so as to forestall overcrowding and the spread of disease. I also recommend that government build a school for our community.
Marcus Jones – I thank you for helping us. We urge you to be a little bit patient and we will be living in a better country in future.
DATE: 01 May 2003.
WITNESS NAME: Ramatu Sesay
WITNESS NO: 013
REFERENCE NO: 2/85/2093
TESTIMONY
My name is Ramatu Sesay. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Laura Marcus Jones, the Presiding Commissioner.
I say thanks to God. I was with my husband in Kono when the war started and we ran to Makeni. From there I came to a village called Komasendo. I went there to buy palm oil, I bought ten drums. I later sent for my husband to join me in the village. We took the palm oil to Makeni, we spent two days there and on the third day, my husband asked me to go to Kono. I traveled to Kono on a Thursday, I took the palm oil with me, and I arrived in Kono the same day. When I arrived in Kono I found my relatives packing their belongings they asked me why I was there, I told them that I never knew what was happening. Then one of my customers bought a drum of palm oil from me. I left the others in the store. I returned to my house with the intention of getting a vehicle to take me back to Makeni but I couldn’t. I was worried because of the information I got from my parents. I spent that night in Kono. At about 5 a.m, I heard gunshots and I woke my brother to inform him about the gunshots I heard. On my way to the store, I met people running helter-skelter. There were firing all over the place, I went back to my brother and told him that I have lost all my commodities. By the time I reached the Community Centre, the whole Koidu Town was in a confused state. I finally left for Kamasondo on my brother’s advice. I told him that I cannot return without my goods, he insisted that I must go back to the village, I refused and he left me behind and came to Makeni. On his return to Kono he persuaded me to return back to Makeni, on our way going we met so many corpses. I met one man who asked me where I was going, I told him that I am going to Safroko, we then continue our journey. We walked on feet until we reached Masingbi and then finally board a vehicle to Makeni. At that time my feet were swollen and he took me to the hospital. After I recovered and I went back to the house. I finally decided to go back to Kamasando. The little money I had on me I used to buy 250 bushel of rice, 27 bags of salt, 2 Cartoons of Cosmos Cigarette, 2 bags of soda. It was after I had collected all these goods that the rebels attacked Kamansondo again, I ran to the bush with my husband. Whilst in the bush, we were hiding on top of a hill, he saw rebels entered our house and he told me that rebels had entered my house. They didn’t take anything from my house. They went out and there was no way we could go to our house. On the 3rd day they took a vehicle and looted all our belongings. On that day, they found me in the house. A small boy said that I should give him money. I told him I have no money and I asked him why. I then saw many people coming with arms. The little boy took my shoes and he ordered me out to sit under the sun and looked as they went away with my properties. I also have 31 bags of garri in a nearby village, my husband told me to go that village, because the highway was blocked by the rebels. He advised that we follow a by-pass route to Gbinti en route to Port Loko. My husband then returned to the village. After selling my garri, I then went to Freetown to stay with my relatives. Whilst I was in Freetown I had information that the SLA had gone to Kamasando, and they have passed through my village. I was worried about my children who I had left behind in the village. I boarded a vehicle for Port Loko. No sooner the people, who knew me saw me, they started making some gesticulations. I asked them why but they didn’t say anything. I asked them about my husband some couldn’t talk but others advised that I go to the village. Upon reaching, I met my house wide open, the windows and doors damaged. I saw my children and I asked them about their father, they started crying and told me that he had instructed them to go ahead. As he was going, he met rebels; they beat him and asked him for money. The rebels then asked him about his wife and he told them that I am not around. As they were interrogating him a rebel came out and said that it’s the woman who kept the money. They beat him until he was helpless. They gave him their luggage to carry and about 31 people were abducted. When they reached their base, they gave him a bag of husk rice to pound. Wherever he wanted to go, he was given a guard. Any time he wanted to drink they would not allow him and as they moved to their final destination they killed him. I tried to find his corpse but I couldn’t. We followed the road and I found my husband’s shoes and shirts, the abductees later informed me that my husband was killed. I told them to continue to follow me so that I will find my husband’s corpse, but my relatives did not allow me. After two days, I paid some people the sum of 200,000 Leones to help me find the corpse of my husband. I had wanted to give him a fitting burial rite. On the way, there were rebel road blocks, the rebels asked where I was going, I told them that my husband was killed in the next village, I told them that I wanted to find his corpse but they advised that I should not go. When I insisted to go, the rebels took my bag from me. Since it was impossible to get the corpse of my husband, I decided to go back to his village Rosint, in Sanda Chiefdom. Some of his relatives said I should forget about him, some people told me that the rebels had eaten his body; others said that vulture had eaten his body and some also said that his body has decomposed. So I did the traditional memorial rite for him in his village and I came back to my village but I couldn’t stay because I was not in a good condition. I decided to go to Freetown but I find life very difficult so I had to return back to my village. Up till now, things are not favorable with me. I have no capital to start business, and no shelter. I depend on my relatives for survival. I used to live well but now I am poor. This is my story.
Comm. Marcus -Jones – we are moved and sorry to hear your testimony, we sympathize with you for the loss of your husband.
Ans - That is my greatest problem; if he was alive I would not have suffered this way.
Comm. Marcus –Jones - I know, but your husband would want to see you brave to take care of your children. You told us about your children, you said your husband sent them ahead, which was how they escaped the rebels. So your husband was very thoughtful about the children. It is now your duty to go on and take care of those children. We thank you for coming to this Commission and giving your testimony, we have heard all you told us, people in their homes or at work place have heard you, and we all acknowledge your suffering and of others during the war. It is now for all survivors to go on and take care of their family and live in a better country where there will be no such violence any more. Will you be able to answer some questions now?
Ans - Yes, I will be able to answer.
Marcus Jones – I would ask some questions for clarification, who were your attackers?
Ans - I can’t identify them.
Marcus Jones - Do you know the fighting group they belonged to?
Ans - I was told that the group belongs to the SLA who retreated from Makeni.
Marcus Jones – Do you think you were targeted because of your influence?
Ans - I think so, because people knew I was well to do, the other houses were not attacked by the rebels.
Marcus Jones – who gave you the details that your husband was manhandled by the rebels?
Ans - The abductees who escaped from the rebels. In my testimony, I told you that about 31 people were abducted; some of them escaped and they gave me the information about the death of my husband.
Marcus Jones – Where they able to tell you what happened to the corpse of your husband?
Ans - Some of these abductees told me that the corpse of my husband was eaten by the rebels in a village called Makabo in Marampa Chiefdom.
Marcus Jones - Was your brother abducted as well?
Ans - My brother was unable to tell me that my husband had been killed because it was heavy for him. He was abducted but he escaped.
Marcus Jones - My question was whether your brother was abducted?
Ans - He was abducted but he later escaped.
Marcus Jones - Did your brother see what happened to the corpse of your husband?
Ans - My brother found the corpse of my husband on the way, but they were not allowed to stay, he did see the corpse.
Comm. Torto – We thank you for coming to relate your experience with us. I want to encourage you to make few clarifications. Does the name Sheku Sesay, mean anything to you or what did it remind you of?
Ans - Sheku Sesay was my brother, he was one of the abductees.
Comm. Torto – In your statement you mentioned that your brother was forced to prepare food before he was released?
Ans - I cannot remember making that statement, he was my brother, according to him, somebody helped him to escape when they were cooking, he did not do the cooking himself.
Martien - In what year did this happen?
Ans - I can’t remember, the only event I can recall was the time the SLA retreated from Makeni.
Martien – What is the condition of your family now?
Ans - I am going through very difficult times with my family, since my husband was killed by rebels I am staying in my village but I am suffering I did not have any assistance from anybody unless my relatives. I also have a friend called Sarah Kobi who occasionally helped me.
Marcus Jones – I want to ask you some question about your husband’s corpse that the perpetrators did like killings, cannibalism, raping etc. Now that you have answered all these questions do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Ans - Now that the rebels had killed my husbands, looted all my properties, how do I stand now?
Marcus-Jones – That is a difficult question for the Commission to answer. It is for you to decide how brave you are going to be, the example you are going to take from others and how you hope to continue your life in future. It is for you to answer these questions. Whilst you are alive, you are not disable you have your children, you have your relatives, you have your friend, everything is not finish as yet, “as long as there is life there is hope”. Do you have any recommendation to make that we can include in our report?
Ans - Yes I have, out of five children, I buried four of them there is only one survivor. I am appealing for assistance to educate the only one I have now. I would recommend that government assist in education, health and the general welfare of my community as a whole.
Marcus- Jones – Did these children die as a result of this war?
Ans - No, they died naturally.
Marcus-Jones - We thank you for sharing your testimony with us. We appreciate your courage. We know you will make it.
WITNESS NAME: Gbessay Kamara
WITNESS NO: 014
REFERENCE NO: 2/85/2104
TESTIMONY
My name is Gbessay Kamara. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Marcus Jones, the Presiding Commissioner.
When the war started, I was in Boajibu. I was there together with my family, but didn’t feel quite safe. We managed to get food for our survival. My wife advised that we leave another village Kendema which is bigger. When we went there at about 7pm we heard gunshots from across the river. Everybody in the town at that time was confused; I had my kids with me. I told my wife that I will go ahead with some of our belongings and she will have to stay behind. She told me that I should not live her alone with the children; I realized later that we should all go together. Since the attack was about 7pm, we traveled all night to seek refuge. Finally, we slept in a village called Rogbanti and the following morning we managed to get food for the children at this stage the children were unable to walk on foot, they refused going any further, at this point in time there was no vehicle plying the road. We spent the night in the village. Whilst we were there we heard the sound of gunshots and we saw people running away, in the process one of my children got missing from that time I had not been able to set eyes on my child. Since then I became helpless, I decided not to go anywhere, but there was no alternative, I had to move and finally I got to Masingbi and we boarded a vehicle that took us to Makeni. On the next day, I managed to get to my village, Kamansondo. I was there together with my wife and children. I joined my relatives in the village to do some farming but I was very unhappy when I think of my son that got missing. The following year, the rebels attacked Kamansondo. On the first day of the attack they looted all my belongings. It was on a Sunday. At that time we were listening to the result of the 1996 general elections. During this time I saw someone carrying a gun. The first shot I heard, hit one of my brothers who was carrying a bundle of zinc. So all of us had to run away into the bush for quite sometime. While we were in the bush we saw smoke coming from the town. We were informed that the whole village had been set on fire. We asked ourselves what we should do as the village had been burnt. We went to seek refuge and we met my step mother and my brothers. I decided to leave my people in hiding to find out what was happening in my village but I was advised not to go the village. I therefore returned to my parents and told my people that the village had been burnt. The children were hungry as there was nothing for them to eat. I told my father that he has to manage to travel to the highway so that we can board a vehicle to take us back. Upon that decision we resolved to leave our hiding place.
Since the family was large we separated and my mother and father with my family, went to Freetown, whilst my brother and myself went to Makeni, we were advised there by our family to go to the camp. We registered in the camp and stayed there until the end of that year. During that time we were informed that the Lome Agreement had been signed. That all displaced persons must return to their homes. At that time the Red Cross provided vehicles to take us back to our villages. The Red Cross together with our family helped with that process. We manage the burnt zincs to get shelter. We were there leaving happy. On a certain day the rebels attack Kosawai and as usual we escaped. We were in the bush at that time and the rebels were in the habit of hit and run. When we venture to go back to the village thinking they had gone, we saw a large crowd of rebels entering the village, when they got to the village they told us that they have not come to civilians, whilst they were saying that some were entering people’s houses looting their properties. They were just cajoling us; they wanted to keep us in the village for human shield. I was not satisfied, I had to escape, I was later told that the rebels had left the village; I was told that they abducted many people in the village.
Some of them stay behind, the ones that were left behind, three men and one woman. I went into my room got some salt, as soon as I was about to come out, a rebel pointed a gun at me. I wanted to run away but I couldn’t. I fell on the ground and the rebel picked me up from the ground. The rebels asked me to show them the wealthy people in the village. They took me to their colleague, the one that held me did not beat me, one of his colleagues, slapped me. I saw my nephew and one suckling mother with them. One of them told me to carry his gun. They found a sheep in the village and said I must carry the gun and at the same time carry the sheep but I was unable to move fast because the sheep was sluggish to walk. Unfortunately for them, they follow the wrong route and their colleagues were on there own. In the next village, we met few people in the village but as they saw us they all started running away. The rebels asked the people in the village whether they have seen soldiers in the village they said no. They later removed the gun from me and handed it over the village head man; the suckling mother was later released. They continue to beat me on the way going. Finally we got to another village where we found other rebels and they stopped beating me. The person in charge of that group was called Kosowai; he took the looted goods from us. My child was hungry I told them that I wanted to find something for her to eat. So we were released by those rebels. We all went back to our village; some of the abductees were also released.
Marcus Jones – Have you recovered from the beaten you got from the rebels?
Ans – I must confess that I am impotent, I have lost my manhood.
Marcus Jones – Did you not seek medical advice in your village after your release?
Ans – I did not seek medical attention because I had no money at the time and it was unsafe to go back to the village.
Comm. Torto - I thank you for coming and sharing your experience with us. You were used as human shield for torture. I want you to make some clarification. Who actually abducted you and do you know which of the fighting groups they belonged to?
Ans - The rebels.
Comm. Tort – Which of the rebel groups?
Ans - The SLA.
Comm. Torto - Can you identify their faces?
Ans - I can identify the one who beat me if I see him.
Comm. Torto – Can you remember the name Alhaji, “Kill man no law”?
Ans - The rebel that captured me and took me along with the gun and sheep told me that he is Alhaji.
Comm. Torto – A tall, black man that came from Lunsar?
Ans - The Alhaji that captured me was fair in complexion, very tall, speaks krio and he hailed from Lunsar.
Mr. Charm – You said that when the rebels attacked your village in 1996 one of your brothers was killed; can you tell me the name of your brother?
Ans - It was not my brother but my sister, her name was Fatmata Kamara
Mr. Charm - Was it after the Abidjan Peace Accord or the Lome Peace Accord that you returned to your village
Ans - I cannot tell, all I know was that it was after the last accord.
Mr. Charm – Can you tell whether they were small boys or adults?
Ans - They were youths. There was a young woman with them.
Mr. Charm – How many people were abducted?
Ans - I cannot tell, I was told that they were large in number.
Mr. Charm – How long were you with them?
Ans - I did not spend the whole day with them.
Mr. Charm - Did they identify themselves as RUF?
Ans - One of the women in their group had RUF inscribed on her back.
Mr. Charm – Where you able to speak to this woman to know why RUF is written on her back?
Ans - I was not able to talk to her because she was carrying a whip and she was flogging the suckling mother.
Mr. Charm - How are you coping with your family?
Ans - I want to thank our Paramount Chief who has gone out to get seed rice from some NGOs. It is these seed rice that we are using to farm, from the proceeds we take care of our family.
Marcus Jones - Do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Ans - I want to know the relationship between the Commission and victims?
Marcus Jones – The relationship between the Commission and Victims is a very strong one. The Commission is victim-oriented; we want them to share their testimony with us and we later addressed these issue so that there will not be a recurrence of such things in the future. There is a very strong relationship between the Commission and victims.
Apart from relaying their experiences, we encourage the victims to give recommendations and suggestions that will be included in our report for onward transmission to the government. Our report will be dedicated to a large extent to the victims.
Do you have any recommendations to make to this Commission that will be included in its report?
Ans - Yes, I have two recommendations; firstly, now that our community had become inaccessible, the bridges had been destroyed by the rebels it is very difficult for us to go to the market. We are recommending that government restructure our bridges. We have few primary schools but we do not have a secondary school, our children had to go to Freetown or Makeni for their secondary education. The problem is that these children will go astray when they get to those big towns because the parents are not to there to take care of them. We need a secondary school in our Chiefdom.
Marcus Jones – Thank you very much for coming to this Commission. Your recommendation will be included in our report and submitted to government. I encourage you not to give up, but to continue and seek medical attention. I hope you are feeling better now.
Ans - Yes, I now see the essence of the Commission, as I sit here I seem to be getting some relief.
WITNESS NAME: Karayemu Sesay
WITNESS NO: 015
REFERENCE: 2/85/2089
TESTIMONY:
My name is Karayemu Sesay. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Marcus Jones, the presiding Commissioner.
My experience during the conflict. The SLA that retreated from Makeni and abducted me. They found me in my village Kamasondo and they captured me I was with them for 18 days, I was beaten, they beat me with their guns. I stayed with them throughout the 18 days. We were 43 in all that was abducted. We came down to Mamusa. I was there when they killed Ramatu’s husband. They also killed my brother Amadu Sankoh in the village; our children were beaten when they were asked to give them money. When it was night they put on their military uniform and raped us. We were taken as their wives for 18 days. The men who were abducted with us were able to escape; fortunately, I escaped from them when we reached Makeni.
They told us that when we were going back if we were interrogated by ECOMOG we should tell them that we were captured by the rebels. When we explained to the soldiers they provide vehicle for us. We walked for a long distance. When I finally get back to my village, I found out that my relatives were killed. I had nothing to do now that my brothers had been killed by the rebels. The rebels burnt down our village; my husband was beaten and up till now he has not recover from that problem. In our village we have no medical facilities. Our children are not going to school. When I was released I got some medication to treat myself from sexual transmission disease but now I am feeling better except my left eye which is still disturbing me.
Marcus Jones – we are sorry you suffered so much during the war; they attempted to take away dignity from you but I can see that you have recovered in a way and that you have come here with a great courage. We thank you for coming so that others could hear to your story. We would like to ask few questions, to clarify points which are not quite clear to us. Whilst you were held for the period of 18 days how many of them treated you as wife?
Ans - Four of them.
Marcus Jones – You said you were present when the last witness husband was killed?
Ans - Yes, we were captured together, I was present when the rebels hit him and he fell down and eventually died.
Marcus Jones – Were you present when they ate him?
Ans - there were two groups of rebels, the group that captured us beat him and he fell on the highway but the other group actually killed him. I am not sure whether they ate him.
Marcus Jones – Where is your husband and how is he feeling now?
Ans - He is at home healing gradually.
Marcus Jones - You had treatment when returned home but I can see you still have problem with one eye, was it as a result of the time you spent with the rebels?
Ans – Yes I got this eye problem as a result of the beating I got from the rebels.
Marcus Jones – Can you tell us something about your children?
Ans - When the rebels captured me and took me away I left my children behind, they were beaten by the rebels. They took away all our belongings including the food my children were to eat, I returned to found my children in a state of malnutrition. Even if you had money at that time, there was nothing to buy.
Marcus Jones – How many children have you?
Ans - Two sons.
Marcus Jones - Did they suffer any injury?
Ans - Except for the beatings they received from the rebels.
Martien – Apart from your two boys, do you also have a baby daughter?
Ans - Yes I have one daughter, on my return I found her dead and my brother was also dead.
Martien: How old was your daughter?
Ans - She was one year two months old.
Martien - How did your child die?
Ans - She died because she had no care and there was no food. She died because of lack of care.
Martien - How old was your brother?
Ans - I cannot tell the age of my brother.
Martien – Can you tell of the circumstances of your brother’s death?
Ans - My brother was killed by rebels.
Martien – Can you tell us his name?
Ans - His name was Amadu Sankoh, my brother left his children and they are now with me.
Martien - During your abduction, how many people were abducted along with you?
Ans – We were 43 in number.
Martien – Did all of you come back?
Ans - Out of the 43, 20 were able to escape on the day we were captured, 23 of us were carried away, but all of us returned except for the one who was killed.
Martien – What did they do during this 18 days, did they attacked other places?
Ans - We were not stable.
Martien - Where the abductees present when the rebels attacked other villages?
Ans - No
Martien - Where were you when the rebels were attacking other villages?
Ans - From the time they captured us, the rebels did not attack any other villages, all the other villages were rebel free.
Martien – Did they make other women wives as well?
Ans – We were all used as their wives, it is impossible for the rebels to capture a woman not make her a wife.
Martien – How many women were there with you?
Ans - We were 15 in number.
Martien – Can you tell the age of the youngest amongst you?
Ans - The youngest was about 12 years.
Marcus Jones – You said the rebels put on military uniform at night what did they wear during the day?
Ans - The same military uniform.
Marcus-Jones - Do you have any question to ask the Commission?
Ans - Yes, the question I want to ask is about the welfare of my community. I know that we have to forgive, forget and reconcile. Our community had been destroyed by the rebels; no school, no road; our goods are perishing. What assistance can we expect from the government?
Marcus Jones - It is more likely that communities rather than individuals are going to benefit from the recommendations and suggestions we have from these hearings. I will be happy if you receive that assistance. We thank you, we are impressed that you are interested in forgiving and reconciling with the rebels and also interested in community development.
Do you have any recommendation to make to the Commission?
Ans - It is our Paramount Chief had made effort to help us rebuilding our lives, but he cannot do it alone, we are appealing to government to assist us in rebuilding our community.
Marcus Jones – Thank you for coming, the commission wishes you good health, improvement on your eye, and wishes you a brighter future.
WITNESS NAME: Mohamed Sankoh
WITNESS NO: 016
REFERENCE NO: 2/85/2084
My name is Mohamed Wusu Sankoh. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Marcus Jones, the presiding Commissioner.
TESTIMONY
I lived in the village of Kamasondo and there I was, when the rebels the attacked and abducted me with my younger sister. The first day I was taken to a place called Kabere. When they captured us, they assured us that they will not do any harm to us we should not be afraid. However, the following in this village, they started killing and raping women. I was in captivity for three days together with my younger sister. So after three days, they asked us to go back when we got to Kamasondo, a woman was killed, they also burnt the village. About 4 people were killed in the village that same day. Beside the four they killed that day, we discovered two other corpses in the bush. On the fourth day, my younger sister was raped; she was nine years old at that time. Our duty was to carry their ammunition. Since my sister was raped, she was unable to travel with us and we were told that the Gbethis were on the offensive. I found my younger sister bleeding; I carry her on my back, together with one woman who helped me attend to my sister. We went to Mile 91 where we found some people that came from Bo; they were there to render medical assistance to the displaced. They attended to my sister. I had one my sister, Karayemu Sankoh who was staying in mile 91. I left my sister with her. On my return, I was informed that about 200 people were killed by the rebels in the village. At about this time, one Rev Fr. Mario went to find out whether this number of people was killed. When peace came, it was the time when the rebels stopped killing they went on looting. That was the time the rebels looted all our cattle. When they took the last cow, I insisted, I told the rebel that enough is enough. Because of that statement they gave me a very nasty slap that gave me some teeth problem.
From Kamasondo, they went to Lunsar where they killed about 20 people. That is my experience during the conflict.
Marcus Jones – Thank you Mohamed, you have done well to come to TRC to give your testimony. How is your sister doing now?
Ans - My sister cannot walk properly now.
Marcus Jones – How old is she now?
Ans - She is about 15 years old now.
Marcus Jones – Was she able to go to school?
Ans - She was going to school before she was captured by the rebels.
Marcus Jones – Is she going to school now?
Ans - No.
MARCUS Jones – Is it because of the injury she incurred from the rebels?
Ans - It is not for the bad foot, it is because there is no school in our community and we do not have the resources to educate her.
Marcus Jones – Does she work at all?
Ans - She is not gainfully employed and since I can no longer afford to educate and take care of her, I have given her to a husband.
Marcus Jones - Is she happily married?
Ans - It is better for her to get married than to sit down doing nothing.
Marcush Jones - Can you tell me something about Fr. Mario.
Ans - Fr. Mario got to Kamasondo and later returned to Lunsar.
Comm. Torto – Mohamed thank you very much for your testimony. I have some issue for you to clarify, in your written statement; you spoke of a certain victim. What victim, is it Mahawa Sankoh?
Ans - Mahawa Sankoh is my younger sister. She was raped by the rebels; I and one woman took her to mile 91.
Comm. Torto – Can you remember the faces of these rebels?
Ans - I cannot remember them, during the time they were raping my sister I was locked up in a room. I got to know when I found her bleeding in the morning.
Comm. Torto - What was Fr. Mario doing in your vicinity?
Ans - During the war the Father was supplying us bulgur.
Comm. Torto – Behind rebels’ lines?
Ans - He supplied us bulgur immediately after our village was attacked.
Comm. Torto - Which of the fighting forces attacked your village?
Ans - It was difficult for one to identify the attackers, because all of them wore military uniforms.
Comm. Torto - So you cannot remember any one of them?
Ans - It was difficult at that time to identify any one of them, when you are given their loads to carry, so it was difficult for someone to turn around and watch their faces.
Comm. Torto – You voluntarily went to found out what had happened to your people or were you forced to do that?
Ans - What happened was that we were in a dilemma in our village, the Gbethis will come and call us rebels and the rebels would come and call us Gbethis.
Comm. Torto – I hear you say that Gbethis were maltreating civilians?
Ans – I witness one incident, to show that the Gbethis were harassing civilians. Amongst the civilians they beat was my mother-in-law, secondly they burnt my father’s house, and we were forced to carry their loads.
Marcus Jones – Do you have any question to ask the commission?
Ans - Now that we have shared our testimony with you and most of our people are not well, their health is not normal, what would the commission do to help such people?
Marcus Jones - The commission in its final report, will also include your recommendation and the recommendations of others to let the government know the things that people need in their communities. We hope that you will be able to read the report and see all the recommendation made in it for your community and other communities. You have also helped yourself by coming here to tell us all you have suffered, because it is not enough to say you have forgotten it, it helps when you come in the open to talk about it for others to hear about your sufferings. Any other question
Ans - Yes, now that we have honored your invitation by coming to testify we are urging you to seek assistance from NGOs to help us rebuild our community, especially in reconstructing the bridges; we would also like you to assist us in building secondary school.
Marcus Jones – We had similar pleas this morning for you to get access to your village, and the construction of a secondary school as well. There are NGO who are in charge of rehabilitation. The interpreter has said it loud and clear for all NGOs to hear about the recommendations of these people in Kamasondo village. Do you have any recommendation to make to the commission?
Ans - The recommendation I want to make to government through this Commission – is that our community is dire in need of a secondary school. We are in dire need of proper accommodations and communication.
Marcus Jones – Do you have more questions to ask? If none, then I want to take this opportunity to thank Paramount Chief Bai Banta N’Kennedy the second for bringing his people here today to give their testimony in this Commission and to bring their problems out to the public. We hope other Paramount Chiefs will cooperate with us as we go to other towns.
WITNESS NAME: Pa Santigie Kamara
WITNESS NO: 017
REFERENCE NO: New
My name is Pa Santigie Kamara. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Marcus Jones, the Presiding Commissioner.
TESTIMONY:
It was on a Friday morning after the early Morning Prayer, just a few seconds after the prayer, we heard the sound of a gunshot from our neighboring village, that village is called Gbonkli Yama. We also heard another gunshot from another village called Druthongo and another was heard from Rokonta. All these villages were very close to my village called Manarma. As soon as the rebel got into our village and fired the first shot, the Gbethis and the SLAs who were there to protect us, fled to Port Loko. There was a grave which had been dug to bury one woman who had died before the attack but the husband had however refused her being buried in that site so it was open; I went in there to hide. I saw that the rebels had white handkerchiefs on their heads, the others from the other village had no clothes on I saw them captured my children. Those who came from the other village captured five of my children together with my wives from their hiding place. They brought them to town, spread a mat on the floor and they took out a machete. While I was hiding inside this grave I was peeping, they had a solar panel, the commander who was sitting at the verandah made an order and my child Abass was killed, his head was chopped off and he struggled before he finally gave up. The next person was my daughter, Rugie Kamara was also killed. I also saw my wife killed, my second wife Kadiatu Turay was also killed and they also killed my son named Mamudu Kamara. They also killed my elder brother named Mamudu Kamara. They also killed one Gaima Kamara, my sister Koloneh was also killed, my son Allie Kamara and my other wife Aminata Kamara was also killed. My daughter Rugie Kamara was pregnant at the time she was killed; the child was removed from her stomach. These people who did this act, they wore t-.shorts with writings at the back and front and they had white bands on their heads. Those that came without clothes had long hairs and those that came from Lunsar, had military uniforms, boots and red cloth tied on their hands. They killed sixteen people on that spot.
I escaped from the grave, before it was 6 in the morning; they had burnt down my four houses. They also went to Rokonta and burnt my two houses. I took eleven days to I bury my family and that was when I discovered that some were killed by bullets, some stabbed, and some had burnt mark on their bodies. They collected 73 people in the village locked them up in a house and burnt them alive. If you are to go to this village, you will find their skulls, the village is called Manarma. I was not myself I became temporarily insane.
I went to Freetown and I stayed at 10 Mammy Yoko Street. I spent some time with my relatives there, after some time we were told that the area is free from rebels, so I decided to come back. When I came back, one of my children Yabom Kamara, somebody told me that they saw her with the West Side Boys and N’nadaywa Kamara. After I got this information, the rebels again attack this village. As far as this chiefdom is concern it will be an individual, who suffered like me during this conflict. Almost all my wives were killed; my children were killed; the only survivors are little kids, I had decided not to testify, because all they have to say is sorry. This is what I suffered during the conflict. The education of my five children is coming to an end; my village is some distance away from Port Loko town. The rebels had burnt all our houses; I have managed to get some plastic sheets to cover my house so that I can manage with my children. We came together to establish a community school but thieves stole the materials like plastic sheet we bought.
Marcus Jones – You said you really don’t want to come because all they would have to say is “sorry”. I must say that this is not the instance where one person will say sorry to you, but the country as a whole. Can you tell us a little bit about your present status, since you are a traditional leader?
Ans - I am a section chief.
Marcus Jones - Do you think this made you a target?
Ans - I don’t think I was a target of the rebels because of my traditional position; it was because of my hard work in the village. I am one of those who are doing fine. I only have to say that is the will of God.
Marcus Jones – What are you doing now?
Ans - It is difficult for me to sit in the village and operate as a section chief. I do not have shelter, wife and no money, so there is no need for me to sit in the village.
Marcus Jones – Can you help the Leaders of Evidence to trace the village where the skulls are?
Ans - yes, I will. (Commissioners and staff visited the site and were shown the site)
Comm. Torto – Thank you for coming. I congratulate you for your courage to give such a testimony. Is there any kind of traditional ceremony to perform for the death of such a large number of people in your Chiefdom?
Ans - I did that after I buried my entire relative, it took me about one year before I returned to the village. I have done so.
Comm. Torto – We are deeply sorry for what happened to you, as the Chairperson had earlier said, would you be ready to lead us to the spot where these skulls are?
Ans - I am quite ready to lead your personnel to this point.
Comm. Torto – How many miles from here to this village?
Ans - Nine miles.
Martien – You said 73 people were burnt in a house, where there other houses burnt beside your own?
Ans - Yes, of all the houses in the villages, 34 houses were burnt down, and I owned four of these houses.
Martien – You said that houses were burnt down in the nearby villages, were your houses also burnt in those villages?
Ans - My two houses were burnt down in Rokonta and also two were burnt down in Makalissa.
Martien – Were other houses burnt in these two villages?
Ans - Besides my houses, they burnt another fifteen houses in Makalissa.
Martien – You told us that two of your daughters were abducted by the rebels, who told you that they were seen with the West Side Boys.
Ans - I was informed by one of my sisters who was also captured by the West Side Boys, but later escaped.
Martien – Where was that?
Ans - They were at camped at Rogbere Gbana.
Martien – Since then did you hear anything from or about them and their whereabouts?
Ans - From the time I got that information, up till now I have not heard about them, I am sure they are alive but I don’t know their whereabouts.
Marcus Jones – We are grateful that you have come here today. It will help ease your pain. Can you just tell us who carried all these killings?
Ans - I cannot identify any of these people, all I know is that they emerge from three villages, some came half naked, some had military uniform with red cloths tied round their hand, and some had white cloths on their head.
Marcus Jones - Have you any question to ask the Commission?
Ans - No - I don’t have question but I have a recommendation to make to the Commission.
I have two recommendations, firstly, is that of my children, I was told that they were with the West Side Boys, I would like this Commission and the Government helps me recover my children. They are Nnadawa and Yabom Kamara, I would be very grateful if you can help me trace my children. Secondly, is that of education, we have built a school that had 300 children which was destroyed by the rebels. I would like the government to assist this community in building schools in our area.
Marcus Jones – This Commission is not in place to help you with that, but the briefer will help direct you an organization that could help you. I thank you very much for coming.
Ans - I got the information that my daughter, Nnadawa is in Moyamba, I went there and visited the Police Station but I was unable to make progress because of the language barrier.
Marcus Jones – There is a media which you can go through in helping you trace the whereabouts of your daughters.
The session ended at 4.30
THE TRUTH AND RECONCILATION COMMISSION
DISTRICT HEARINGS
PORT LOKO
DATE: 02 May 2003
WITNESS NAME: Hawa Sheriff
WITNESS NO: 018
REFRENCE NO: 3/77/4488
Opening Prayers: Muslim Prayer by my Charm and Christian Prayer by Mrs. Bondu Manyeh; she asked all to recite the 23rd Psalm
Testimony
My name is Hawa Sheriff. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Torto the Presiding Commissioner.
I was in Kono during this conflict when the rebels attacked Koidu; I left and went through Kabala to a village called Faya in the Koinadugu District. I was there with my daughter. We were there for some time and the rebels attacked the village one night. As they were firing, one bullet hit my daughter’s head and another hit me on my foot. We bled profusely all throughout the night as there was no where to seek medical attention. The following morning, I saw two men and asked them for a blade; one sold a blade to me which I used to operate on my daughter’s head and on my foot. I was not able to identify any of the attackers because when we heard the firing, we went into hiding.
Torto: We are happy that you come forward to testify and that you successfully perform the operation. Since the incident have you sought proper medical treatment?
Hawa: Yes, I took my daughter to Conakry, where I was given a card as a refugee. When we got to the hospital, the doctor said that if the bullet is removed from my daughter’s head she will go mad or die. The doctor’s name is Dr. Jakitay.
Torto: Where the child?
Hawa: She is here with me.
Torto: What is her present health situation?
Hawa: At present she is attending school but she experiences frequent head aches?
Torto: How old is she?
Hawa: She is 11 years old.
Martein: You said you have the X-ray with you; can you produce it for us to see?
Hawa: Yes. (She produced it)
Torto: You mentioned one bullet and we are now seeing three. How can you explain it?
Hawa: When you look at the x-ray, you may want to think that there more than one bullet but it is actually one.
Torto: Have you any question?
Hawa: I would like this Commission assist my child regain her normal health and also people who have similar problem
Torto: Were do you stay?
Hawa: I stay at Lokomasama.
Torto: Is there any hospital or clinic around that area?
Hawa: Yes.
Torto: Have you tried to contact any of these places in the Lokomasama or Lungi area?
Hawa: Yes. I have made effort to take my daughter to Lokomasama they gave me paper to go to Lungi and then we referred to Mabeseneh.
Torto: Is she getting treatment now?
Hawa: From Mabeseneh, one woman took us to Freetown and after examination; I was told that it is a fragment and not a bullet.
Hawa: My greatest problem for now is that I do not have money to take my daughter to hospital.
Torto: What are you doing in Lokomasama?
Hawa: For now, I have a groundnut farm.
Torto: The government has the micro-credit and I want to believe Lokomasama benefited from it. I want you to explore that avenue to improve your condition. In any case, I don’t think I will ever access the micro-credit because it is not being fairly distributed.
Hawa: I only heard about the micro-credit. I was not privileged to get it because am a returnee there, not an indigene. In any case, I don’t think I will ever access the micro-credit because it is not being fairly distributed.
Torto: Have you any recommendation?
Hawa: I am pleading with the government through the Commission to help me regain my daughter’s health.
Torto: Thank you. I will encourage you to continue your search for better medical treatment for your daughter.
Sinneh Thaim Kamara
WITNESS NO: 019
REFERENCE NO: 3/77/4496
My name is Sinneh Thaim Kamara. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Torto the presiding commissioner.
TESTIMONY:
I live in a village called Lungi Lull, in the Lokomasama Chiefdom. At the time the junta attacked the F.M. 98.1 radio station, they stopped at Lokomasama. They were driven by ECOMOG from Lokomasama. They came to Lungi Lull and stayed in my house. By that time, my wife was not with me; she was staying with her parent. When I woke up, I asked who they were; they said they were the people’s army. I had nothing to do because they have surrounded my house and when I looked around; I did not see any body. They told me to open the door for them, I refused to open but they forced the door open. They asked me to lodge them. I have a store very close to my house; this was where I lodge them. I was asked to remove there luggage from the vehicle and one of them pushed me and hit me with a gun in the mouth. I lost three of my teeth. I fell down and fainted up to 7 a.m. when they saw the condition I was in, they sympathized with me. I was with them for 4 days and on the 5th day, I escaped from them. However, they caught up with me and cajoled me to join them. I went back to my house to discover that the two drums of palm oil which I had wanted to sell were gone. Also I had 80,000 Leones which they took. I eventually left the village for the bush. My wife left me because I lost my teeth. They stayed in my village for 2 months and during that period, they ate all my cattle. This is the end of my testimony.
Torto: Thank you for your testimony, in your written statement, you said that they gave you two radio set on their way to attack the radio station, on their return, did they asked you any question or they just came and pounced on you?
Sinneh: Whilst they were going to attack the radio station, they did not pass through my village.
Torto: So they did not talk to you at all, on there way going?
Sinneh: I saw the vehicle whilst they were passing through the village but we did not talk?
Torto: When they caught you and cajoled you to join them, did you join them?
Sinneh: No I was afraid to join them.
Torto: Did you remember these?
Torto: I can not remember their faces but I can recall some of their names. There was Lt. Tafaikoh, “Nasty killer” Patrick, Junior and others.
Torto: Can you identify them by face if you see them?
Sinneh: I would not be able to identify all of their faces.
Torto: Do you know were they could be now?
Sinneh: No.
Torto: Is your wife around?
Sinneh: No.
Torto: Where is she?
Sinneh: She is with her parents.
Torto: So she left you because of the dental problem?
Sinneh: That is what I imagine.
Torto: Which village is she in? Is she easily accessible?
Sinneh: She stays in a village called Masheka, along the Port Loko Creek. It is a remote area.
Torto: What are you doing now?
Sinneh: I am a farmer.
Marcus -Jones: We are sorry for the injury you sustained and for the problems you now have with your wife. These people who attacked you, which group did they belong to?
Sinneh: AFRC.
Marcus Jones: How did you know that?
Sinneh: Because it was the time they invited the RUF to join them.
Marcus Jones: Was there any female among the group?
Sinneh: No, there was no woman in the group.
Marcus Jones: What language did they spoke?
Sinneh: They spoke Krio and Mende.
Charm: Since you were with this group for four days, will you tell us the number of armed men in the group?
Sinneh: I can not remember the number.
Charm: Apart from you, were there other victims in your village?
Sinneh: No.
Charm: Do you know whether they destroyed any other village?
Sinneh: All I know is that they looted in other villages but they did not kill any body.
Torto: Do you have any question for us?
Sinneh: Yes why did the Commission invite me to come and give testimony?
Comm. Torto: The Commission invited you so that you can share your experience with the Commission and with everyone. We want to know what happened to you, who did it but above all the Commission wants to hear from you, your recommendations to pass on to Government. The Commission is interested in you as individual but over and above all, at the end of the Commission, the Commission would be able to know what happened and to know what recommendations to make so that it will not happen in our country again.
Sinneh: I must confess, I really came to get assistant from the Commission because my wife has left me for a year now. I would not be easy for me to get another wife with my dental problem; except a woman who have dental problem like me.
Torto: That was why I asked where the woman was so that we could try and counsel her.
Torto: Do you have any children with the woman?
Sinneh: Yes four.
Torto: Did she take them along?
Sinneh: She took two and left the two with me. I want to ask if you can tell how many years I have been with this woman.
Torto: I have no way of knowing that.
Sinneh: I have stayed with this woman for over 20 years she only left me when I got this problem.
Torto: Do you have any recommendation to make to the Commission?
Sinneh: I have no recommendation.
Torto: Thank you very much for coming, our staff will talk to you about being counseled.
WITNESS NAME: Santigie Kabia
WITNESS NO: 020
REFERENCE NO: 3/77/4491
I am a boat captain. One my friend invited me to collect some items from Lungi Lull to take to Freetown for him. When I left Freetown for Lungi Lull, I we slept at Mabome. At about 10 pm, I went to bed and the rebels attacked the village at about 11 p.m. My friend who took me to this village slept with me and fortunately he was not sleeping yet, he woke me and he went away and left me in the room. Immediately, the rebels entered the house and they found me and my apprentice. My apprentice escaped and the rebels captured me. They removed my trousers, watch and money I had on me. They took me out of the house and their leader at the time, told them not to harm me. One rebel was to guard me and he told me to take off the only short I had on. I refused to give him the short because it was the only thing I had on me. I engaged in a struggle with this rebel but another group saw us and they intervened on their colleague’s behalf. They beat me up and released me and took me to another house. They broke that house and looted all the properties. Whilst in this house, they asked me to untie a bag of millet and in the process; I started feeling some the pains. They then told me to carry the bag of millet on my head and follow them. When the others left the room, the few left behind, threatened to kill me. Since the place was dark, I managed to escape and I ran to where my boat was. When I got to the river, they stopped following me and I swam across the river. I got to the other side of the river, that was when the pain became excruciating. However, I managed to pass through the bush. When people heard me screaming, they came to my aid and in the morning, they sent for my parents. I was then taken to a village called Rodaren, where I for about a month. The following day attacked this second village and looted my parents’ properties. They did not kill anybody. This is the end of my testimony.
Torto: Thank you very much. During this attack was the whole town attacked or you were singled out by these people?
Santigie: The whole village was attacked?
Torto: Nobody was killed
Santigie: Yes
Torto: Did you identify personalities as you claimed that they were RUF?
Santgie: I can not identify them because they were large in number.
Torto: Can you name the group?
Santgie: It was the RUF
Torto: Can you show us the area in your where you were stabbed?
Santigie: Yes. (He showed the spot.)
Marcus Jones: We are sorry for the way you were treated and for the injury you sustained. When you came from Freetown to collect the load, which village did you go to?
Santigie: I went to Mabome.
Marcus Jones: Which village did your people take you to?
Sinneh: Rodaren
Mr. Charm: The first attack was at the night, when was the second attack?
Sinneh: It took place at about 3. a.m.
Will you be able to know whether there were women or girls in this group?
Sinneh: Yes there were men and women.
Did these women played any active part?
Sinneh: Yes. In fact, it was one of them who took my uncle bicycle.
Have you any question?
Sinneh: Yes, the ordeal I went through left me with so many pains what could the Commission do to assist me?
The assistance you will get is psychological we sympathized with what happened to you and we very much understand your plight. We’ve said many times that the Act establishing the TRC did not give us the mandate to compensate victims. For various reasons, they left that out. When the Commission shall have made it recommendation to government, a War Victims Fund will be set up to help those who suffered during the war. I don’t any of any situation were individual compensation are paid to victims of war. Not even after the Second World War.
Torto: do you have any recommendation for the Commission?
Sinneh: I don’t have any recommendation.
Memunatu Kamara
WITNESS NO: 021
REFERENCE NO: New
I was in my village called Rosint in the Masimera Chiefdom when the rebels attacked. One day, after working in the farm for the whole day, we went home to prepare food. At about that time, my younger brother paid me a visit. When he arrived, my younger sister gave me her child so that she could prepare more food. We didn’t know that the rebels were coming closer to our village. They captured me, my friend and my mother who was in the house packing her things. Also another woman was captured; her name is Amie Kamara. They took us to a veranda where there is a big tree including another captured man called Abdulai Kargbo. Another lady who was hiding in the mosque was also captured and she joined us under the tree. We have no were to go to. The rebel with the machete had no clothes on but a big cap that was almost covering his entire face. He brought a big stick and he took my mother’s hand, placed it on the stick chopped it off. I attempted to get up but the rebel beat me with his gun and he took me to a different place with the stick. I pleaded with him not to cut my hand and my mother also pleaded with him but he refused. In fact, when I pleaded with him to take me along instead, he took my child and killed him with his machete. He eventually cut my hand and my friend who had wanted to escape was caught and he stabbed her allover her body. He then cut Pa Abdulai Kargbo’s hands and released him with a message for Tejan Kabbah that they were around. They took Amie Kamara behind the house, although idid not see what transpired, she was killed. They then go back to my mother and they killed her and they raped me before leaving us. I ran into the bush and I helplessly walked through. At a point, I heard a voice calling from behind and when I stopped, the person came but he was unable to carry me. He however promised to sought help for me in the next village. I managed to walk to a farm hut where I met some people but they were afraid so they abandoned me. I continue my journey until fell down and slept in a cassava farm. Finally, some people came around and carried me to the nearest village which was deserted. I painfully walked until I reached Lomanso where I met one my uncles. My uncle sent a message to Lunsar and my relatives came and they took me to Lunsar from where I was taken by a Rev. Fr. To the Mabeseneh Hospital. Whilst in the hospital, I was informed that my son was also killed. When I was discharged, I went to Lunsar but I left because of insecurity. I eventually went to my sister in Waterloo and she eventually arranged for to go the Amputees Camp in Aberdeen. Fortunately, I am now living in a house which was constructed for me by the Norwegian Refugee Council at Masiaka.
Torto: I want tell you that we feel sorry for this agonizing experience you went through. Do you know the people who did this to you?
Memunatu: I don’t know them.
Torto: Can you identify them facially?
Memunatu: I don’t want to lie to you. I can’t identify them. All I know is that they wore military uniforms and they told us that they are rebels.
Torto: In your written statement you mentioned Karayemu’s baby and mentioned one Amie, what happened to them, were they killed?
Memunatu: Aminata joined me later at the hospital; she told me that Karayemu’s child was killed.
Comm. Marcus Jones – Memunatu, TRC is sorry that you lost so many people and as you loss a limb as well. It is a miracle you were not killed, for that reason you should be grateful to God. I just want to ask one question. Did you mention your father in the testimony?
Memunatu: No
Comm. Marcus Jones: Where is he now?
Memunatu: He is in Masmera
Mr. Charm: We are sorry for all that happened to you. When did this incident happened to you
Memunatu: April 1997
Mr. Charm – you mentioned one Abdulai Kargbo who was amputated do you know where he is now
Memunatu: he is in Freetown
Mr. Charm - where you able to know the amount of people that were killed in your village at that time
Memunatu: Yes, whilst I was in the hospital, I WAS TOLD that eight of us were killed, they buried with our limbs, in the village
Mr. Charm – where there any CDF in your village at that time
Memunatu: No
Mr. Charm - what is your health position now
Memunatu: from the time I had this experience with the rebels, I had low blood pressure
Mr. Charm - You mentioned about your sister do you know what happened to her?
Memunatu: fortunately, my sister was not captured; she is staying in the village
Comm. Torto - Have you any question for the Commission?
Memunatu: my question relates to my welfare, now that I have lost my limb, I have my children to take care, what assistance did the commission have for us as amputees
Comm. Torto – what you will benefit is the reasons for your presence before this commission. In accordance with this commission in its report all the recommendations made in these hearings will be forwarded for onward transmission to Government to implement your future benefit. We as commissioners are investigating body; we do not have the resource to compensate victims. Your appearance is not a waste of time. Any other question
Memunatu: No
Comm. Torto – do you have recommendations to make to Government through this Commission?
Memunatu: Yes, before this time I was a business woman, now I am disable by the rebels, I thank God that they have built a house for me. There are people I have who render assistant to me because of my disability. These people are running away from me. Because I cannot take care of them. I would like this commission through the government provide assistance for us as amputees, people who will be responsible to assist in our domestic affairs, to provide subsidies, for our helpers.
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION
DISTRICT HEARINGS
PORT LOKO
DATE: 03 May 2003
WITNESS NAME: Adamsay Bangura
WITNESS NO: 022
REFRENCE NO: New
Christian Prayer: Pastor John Bull
Muslim Prayer: The interpreter
My name is Adamsay Bangura. I am a Christian. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Laura Marcus Jones the presiding Commissioner.
TESTIMONY
I am Adamsay Bangura born of Tonko Limba Chiefdom in the Kambia District. During the time the rebels attacked our village in 1995, I was 11 years old as I was born in the year 1984. When they attacked, we ran away to a village called Maseneta; we stayed in this village for a period of six month but there were few people in the village.
One day, we ran out of food and we were asked to go back to our village to collect some food. When we got there we packed all our belongings and as we were returning, the rebels captured me. I was a suckling mother. I pleaded with them to release me but I was asked where the people kept their rice. I told them that I don’t know and they said they are going to kill my child. However, when they removed the child from my back, they didn’t kill the child. I traveled to the town with the rebels to collect the rice; unfortunately, another group of rebels had taken the rice. They entered into an argument as to whether to kill me or not. They took my child from me and started beating me.
As I was going along with them, one of them slashed my child’s head with a machete and the brain gushed out. Eventually, the child died. When they killed the child, I told them that they should have killed me instead of killing my child and I attempted running away from them. They caught me and then slashed my head; after which one of them raped me. After he had raped me, he took me out side and cut my hand. When the rebels abandoned me, I decided to seek refuge some where but when I remembered the corpse of my child, I came back for it with my hand chopped off. I went to the next village where the rebels had gathered some bags of rice and there was an empty bag which I used to tie my hand. I could have taken my child along and since could not; I took a bowl to cover the corpse from the rains.
Eventually, I got to my village but my father did not know of the ordeal I went through. When I told him that they killed my child and cut my hand, he could not believe until he saw the blood on my hand. I told my father to set fire as the weather was cold and I needed food. For some time after my hand was cut, I received no medical treatment. One day, my mother carried me on her back and took me to Maseneta but since there was no medical centre there, a message was sent to a Rev. Father in Madina, who eventually arranged for me to be taken to Kambia. My hand was operated on at the Kambia Government Hospital and after three months, I was taken the Connaught Hospital in Freetown. I was in Connaught when I got information that my father and mother were later killed by the rebels. From there, I was taken to the Aberdeen Amputee camp until a house was constructed for me at Masiaka by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Marcus Jones: The Commission feels sorry for you and the audience here is in sympathy with you because you suffered a lot; you lost your parents, your child and your hand was amputated. Can you recall the time this incident happened?
Admasay: Yes it was in 1995.
Marcus Jones: You told us you were 11 years and you went on to say that you were a suckling mother, was that a mistake or you were having the baby at that time?
Admasay: Yes. I had a child at the time. In our village, you are given for marriage at any time and you are not to argue.
Marcus-Jones: Where is that husband?
Adamsay: The man abandoned me because the child was killed.
Torto: I want to express our sympathy. Were you able to know the people who did this to you, or their names?
Adamsay: If I see them, I will be able to identify them.
Torto: Do know where these people are now?
Admasay: No.
Torto: Were you able to identify the fighting group they belonged to?
Adamsay: They were the RUF.
Torto: What languages were they speaking?
Adamsay: They were speaking krio.
Torto: When these happen, were you the only victim or there were other victims?
Adamsay: I was the only victim at the time.
Martein: I want to say sorry for what happened to you. You told us that your father and mother have been killed in the village. Were there other people killed in the village?
Adamsay: Yes but not in my village.
Martein: Can you tell us something about your health condition now?
Adamsay: My present health problem is continuous headache.
Martein: Did you go for medical treatment?
Adamsay: Well I did not go to the hospital because I do not have money.
Marcus-Jones: Who is that sitting next to you?
Adamsay: This man is my fiancé. He has been helping me since I had this problem.
Marcus Jones: Have you any question you may want to ask the Commission?
Adamsay: One of the problems I am having in the community where I stayed is that people taunt me because of my disability. I want this Commission to try in its own way, to put a stop to this.
Marcus Jones: We will make a note of what you have said; people in this country don’t have sympathy of people it is because they are not educated. Because if you are educated and you know what we went through during the of rebel war, you would not in your life time laugh at any body. Do you have any other question?
Adamsay: I want to know what the TRC is all about.
Marcus Jones: Is that question from the fiancé or the witness herself?
Adamsay: Yes.
Marcus Jones: She her self should be able to say what she wants to say. However, I will answer the question.
Marcus Jones: The TRC is mandated to make a record of all the violations that took place in this country during this ten year war. The TRC also have to look into the needs of the victims and having heard of these needs, the Commission will write it report based on the recommendations of the victims. The TRC also has to address impunity. When these people listen to your testimony, they will realize that the whole country has heard of what they did and they would realize that they should not do it again. The ultimate result of this whole exercise is that people should never again bring about such suffering and destruction to this country.
Marcus Jones: Do you have any recommendation for the Commission?
Adamsay: The only recommendation I have is that I am pleading to the Government through the Commission to assist me. I am a disable, an orphan and I have my brothers and sisters with me. I would be grateful if the government will assist me.
Marcus Jones: Thank you very much for you recommendation. We’ve noted it and it is applicable to other people who suffered like you. We are grateful that you have a supportive fiancé beside you. That also should give you hope and courage to move forward and forget about the past. I thank your fiancé as well.
WITNESS NAME: Abdul Sankoh
WITNESS NO: 023
REFERENCE NO: New
My name is Abdul Sankoh. I am a Muslim. The oath was administered by Commissioner Justice Marcus Jones, the Presiding Commissioner.
TESTIMONY:
On the 29th April, 1999, we ran from our village called, Madigbo to escape from a rebel attack; we went into the bush to seek refuge. Those brave enough, slept in the village, every afternoon we came to look for our colleagues in the village. One day, when we were coming to the village we didn’t know that the West Side Boys, had captured some people in our village, unfortunately, we met some of these rebels, they were eight in number and they put us under gun point. At that time I was together with one Yusuf Sankoh, they asked us to return to the village. Upon arrival to the village, we found they had captured 16 people; they then tied Mr. Usuf and myself, they started flogging these people they had earlier captured, until they killed two of them, and the rest were wounded. They told us to carry some gari and foofoo for them. We left Madigbo and went to a village called Ma Ansumana. On our way going one of our captors, called Hassan Sesay, asked whether I know him but I said no. He told me that he knew me and that I had a friend who was a member of the police force. He said, he is going to kill me because the teachers and police were against them. One of them told him not to kill us because we were young men. Upon arrival, they burnt some houses and a school, we then went to Magbele Junction were we found another group of west side boys numbered up to 60. Hassan still insisted that he wanted to kill me, his colleagues, told him not to kill me, he requested for an axe and they brought it to him. Then he laid me on the main Masiaka - Waterloo highway, he got hold of my right hand and he chopped my hand 27 times with the axe and removed all my fingers. I pleaded with him not to cut my left hand because I am a left-hander; he then chopped it off and gave it to my friend Usuf. I told him to kill me, but he refused, he said that he will make sure that I will no longer write on the blackboard. I started abusing him so that he would kill me; instead, he took a bayonet and cut my upper lips. I continue to abuse him because I wanted him to kill me; he then again took the bayonet, and cut my ear he said that it was because I had lips that was why I was abusing him. I became unconscious, I was thirsty there was no water I drank my blood. I managed to get up and I walked to a village called Magbilla. When I got to this village, I lie down and then I saw one gentleman; I asked him to get me a coconut so that I will drink the water, as soon as he saw me, he ran away. After he had left, I managed to walk to the next village Masiaka. At that time ECOMOG was in control of Masiaka and Mile 38. When I got to Masiaka and when the ECOMOG soldiers saw me, they opened fire at me. They stopped firing when they saw me advancing towards them. They went to me; they asked me who treated me this way. I told them that it was the West Side Boys, I was taken to their medical department, and they put me on intravenous treatment. They eventually brought me to Freetown and took me to the military hospital in Wilberforce. They told me to go to Connaught Hospital. At the hospital I met one ECOMOG soldier who was very friendly to me, we slept in the hospital. In the morning, the first doctor that saw me was one Dr. Dumbuya; he advised that they must remove my upper lips. I abused his mother and told him that had he been my father he would not have said that. I was later treated by a German doctor who worked for one MSF-France. At that time, my family didn’t know what had happened to me. It was the Paramount Chief who told my relatives about my plight, my father went to the hospital and he was assisting, until later when my wife joined me. We spent three months in the hospital, until we were taken to the Amputee Camp in Murray Town. The MSF opened a school at the Amputee Camp. I was sent to the psycho-social who trained me to write through Handicap International. I had a friend who helped me with the device, which I studied for three days until I became perfect. During the time President Kabba, went to the camp to hand over some items, I was in the classroom teaching, I was told to write on the blackboard “Welcome President Kabbah”. I was in the camp until the Norwegian Refugee Council built houses for us in Masiaka, where I am residing with my family. I thank God. That is the end of my testimony.
Marcus Jones - I thank you for coming, I realize that you are somebody that has a fine attitude, and I see that you are determined to move forward. Did you in reality not know Hassan Sesay, or were you pretending not to know him?
Ans - I knew him. He was my school mate; we attended the same primary school in Kambia.
Marcus Jones – Did he have any against for you?
Ans - I don’t know. Only he and God know.
Marcus Jones – Where you in conflict before?
Ans - No.
Marcus Jones – Did he have another name?
Ans - He was called Papay.
Comm. Torto – We have heard your story, we are sorry, we want to make some clarifications, and you said that you met your wife in a village. Under what circumstances?
Ans - I didn’t say I met my wife in a village, it was one man who told my wife that I have got my hands amputated.
Comm. Torto – Where is Hassan Sesay now?
Ans – My friend told me that Hassan was killed an in attack by ECOMOG at Masiaka.
Comm. Torto – You said that you and Mr. Usuf were tied, how did you manage to untie yourself?
Ans – When my limbs were cut, they were given to Mr. Usuf, it was him who buried my limbs, and he later escape to another village.
Comm. Torto – Where is Mr. Usuf now?
Ans - He is in Madigbo or Mansumana.
Comm. Torto – Mr. Usuf was the one who saw it all, I think he would have been the right person to tell the story to your parents, Why did he not tell them?
Ans - Mr. Usuf was captured at that time he only escaped later.
Comm. Torto – I thank you, and I praise your wife for staying with you. There was an incident yesterday when a man’s wife abandoned him because of his dental problem. I encouraged her to continue to stay by you.
Martien - During this incident, were there other victims?
Ans - Yes, they killed two and wounded fourteen.
Martien – Did other people suffer amputations?
Ans - During the time they captured me, I was the only one amputated. I don’t whether they did it to other people in other villages.
Martien - Would you explain what the daily life of somebody who has lost both hands like?
Ans - Firstly, I have faith in God, with my present disability, I am unable to do what I had used to do but I thank God that I am receiving assistance from people?
Martien – Do you receive assistance from NGOs?
Ans - Yes, I received assistance from Caritas, World Hope and Handicap International.
Martien: Where you given artificial limbs?
Ans - I did have my artificial limbs but I am more comfortable with my hands as they are and whenever I had these artificial limbs on I easily get temperamental.
Martien – You said you were a teacher in the amputee camp, are you still a teacher?
Ans - No.
Martien – how do you survive?
Ans - I received assistance my friends but I don’t go out in the streets begging. I thank God that whenever I want food He provides it for me.
Marcus Jones – Do you have questions for the Commission?
Ans - According to Lome Agreement, there was provision for the setting up of the war victims’ fund. How is it going to be effected if it will ever be?
Marcus Jones - The agreement still stands, in the final report of the Commission we will ask the government to implement this that provision. In any case, we hope that the civil society will do something to urge the government to facilitate it. Any other question?
Ans - No
Marcus Jones – Do you have recommendations to government?
Ans - I want to recommend to government through this Commission, that medical care and education provided for our children and to support our wives in micro credit scheme to help them support us.
Marcus Jones – We have heard your recommendations and some other victims had made the same recommendation. We are sure that your recommendation will be included in our final report. I thank you very much for coming to give your testimony, I am advising that you don’t allow your ability to waste as you are a teacher, in your community gather the children and help, so that your knowledge will not be wasted.
The session ended at 11.45 a.m.
THE FIRST DAY OF PUBLIC HEARINGS HELD IN BO DISTRICT AT THE BO TOWN HALL ON TUESDAY 29th APRIL, 2003.
THE OPENING CEREMONY
COMMISSIONERS:
Chairman, Bishop J.C Humper - Presiding
Satang Jow
Professor John Kamara - Recording
LEADER OF EVIDENCE: Ozonnia Ojielo
TRANSCRIBER: Emmanuel Koivaya Amara
SECRETARIES
Donella Williams
Malorie Barinda Pratt
Bishop Humper called the session to order. The session started with Christian Prayers offered by Bishop Ghandi and Muslim Prayers was said by an Imam in Bo. Bishop Humper gave a brief explanation of the goals, aims and objectives of TRC, which included the writing of an impartial record of violations of human rights committed during the conflict; addressing impunity; responding to the needs of victims and promoting healing and reconciliation. ‘’TRC is here to give all those affected by the war a chance to come and tell their testimonies. We believe that all those who come to give their testimonies will feel lighter and will try to be at peace with those who have hurt them. We also hope that even the perpetrators will show remorse for their wrong deeds. We hope that a better understanding of the price of human suffering and the responsibilities of both local and international bodies regarding the war will prevail amongst the people of Sierra Leone. Lastly, we pray that this process will not only bring peace between individuals but also to the nation as a whole.’’ The Chairman presented the commission to the people of Bo; he told them that the commission was made up of National and International Staff. He then introduced the commissioners and other TRC staff present at the hearing. The Chairman also spoke on the selection of witnesses. He said that witnesses who were called to testify were those who gave their statements during the statement taking phase and they came from different religious and cultural backgrounds. Those who testified, according to the Chairman, would narrate their experiences about atrocities which were committed at different times and at different places during the war and which they witnessed or heard about. ‘’The commission has encouraged witnesses to give statements on a voluntary basis and whosoever wishes to do so hereafter is encouraged to’’, said the Chairman. The Chairman read out the procedure of the hearings. After which the Leader of Evidence, Ozonnia Ojielo, invited the first witness.
1st 1st Witness: Kadie Gbongo.
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by the Chairman of the commission; Commissioner Bishop J.C Humper.
Commission Humper –The public and the commission appreciate your coming, Kadie. We know it is not easy to do what you are about to do. You are a very important personality in this country and one of those who will help change this country. Please remain calm and share your experiences, during the war, with us. We are all here to listen to you.
KADIE GBONGO’S TESTIMONY
I was in my house when I heard shooting, and people said that the rebels had come. I asked who rebels were, and they said they were those who had come to catch people. People further told me that the rebels had only come for chiefs, wealthy people and Lebanese. I was in my house when people came running to tell me that two Lebanese; Rada and Mingo, had been killed and they advised that I should go into hiding. I was told that my daughter’s shop had been vandalised and they were already making away with everything. By then, my daughter and her husband had fled. I wanted to go to the shop and see for myself, but I was advised not to go there because the rebels had come for chiefs. I was at the riverside when I heard people asking for me, so I hid myself. I heard them saying that they had come for the head of madam Gbongo, so I went to the Sewa river and crossed over to the other side; I could swim. Owing to the fact that my son-in-law was a Lebanese and that the rebels were looking for me, wherever I went, the villagers sent me away; they would not accommodate me. I had to walk through a cave until I got to a town. By then, there was firing behind me. I walked through several towns until I got to Bo. We stayed in Bo for quite some time until we were told that the war was over and we could go back home. I had no problems with accommodation in Bo because I had built a house here. In fact, I opened the Gbongo market. When I went back home, after a year, we heard firing again and learnt that the rebels had come again. I had twenty seven {27} dependants and the rebels killed three {3} of them. During the last rebel incursion of my village, I lost all that I had; everything I had was burnt down, including my family tomb. I ran to a village and built a house there, but the rebels came after me again. They even asked the people in the village to lead them to me, as they wanted my head. I heard the news, and I ran away. I heard of the rebels, but I never saw them nor did they ever see me. I lost, literarily, all that I had. There was a time when we were again told that the war was over, and I went back home.
Mr. Johnny Paul Koroma’s regime was the worst for me. People were clearing the bushes to chase me wherever I went into hiding. I never saw the corpses of my dependants who were killed during the war; they were never buried. I got a cut off and I could not come to Bo. The paramount chief was in sympathy with me and he sent food for me. Unto this day, it is through the help of the paramount chief that I even eat good food. The war really devastated me. The rebels were hunting for me because they said I was wealthy. They said that if they killed me, people would have peace in that village. I had many dependants and then I did have the resources to take care of all of them. But now, if Chief Steven Bio does not give me food, I would not have anything to eat. They killed my grand - children, my son-in-law and they were hunting for me.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Mama Kadie, we have heard your testimony. We know that you are one of those who have gone through difficulties from one stage to another. We have a few questions to ask you in order to clarify a few issues. Is it that you were a target that those who came, came purposely for you?
Mama Kadie: I do not know if I was a target, but people told me that the rebels were looking for me.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What happened to your Son-in-law?
Mama Kadie: My Son-in-law was not killed; he ran away together with my daughter.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You said that when you came back, after the first attack, you met all your property intact.
Mama Kadie: Yes. We made a shed in the bush were we hid all my property. The first set of rebels were neither looking for goods nor were they burning houses, but the last set of rebels did. They killed my grand daughter, Jenneh. They also killed my nephew, Sidi, whom I brought up. They killed and burnt the house of my host where I went to seek refuge.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Madam Kadie, we appreciate your coming here and, like the chairman said, we sympathize with you. That is why we appreciate your coming. In spite of the difficulty, we know, you had as you narrated in your story; you have given us good information. However, there are a few issues we would like you to clarify. You said that when the people came they were looking for chiefs, Lebanese and wealthy people. How many people do you know, apart from your Lebanese son-in-law and yourself, who were pursued like you were?
Mama Kadie: Even our Paramount Chief was pursued. He became sick, and they did everything for him, but he could not make it; his children had to take him to Bo. The chief’s compound was burnt down. They were looking for him in order to kill him; therefore he had to run away. The rebels followed people into the bushes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara – Did you then or up till now believe that those people were acting on information given to them about you?
Mama Kadie: They had information about me; that I was wealthy and that got all my wealth through trading. They then took all my wealth and killed my dependants. They went in search of me from village to village, but I thank God that even though I lost everything, I still have my life.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Do you suspect anybody for this?
Mama Kadie: There was one Foday Sanpha who told them that he knew my hiding place. They told him that if they could not find me, they would kill him. When they went to the supposed hiding place and could not find me, they took him to Tisana, a village, and slaughtered him because he had told a lie to the rebels. Foday followed to every town I went. He even asked me for food sometimes. Little did I know that he was closely keeping watch on me for the rebels. Up to this day, Foday’s wife and children are in the village.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You told us about two sets of rebels. You said that the Johnny Paul Koroma’s rebels were good, can you explain that better?
Mama Kadie: I said they came in three stages; two came before Johnny Paul Koroma’s. By then rebels were engaged in massive looting and killing, and they had no respect for people; they even said that there were no longer chiefs. We saw people we could not identify; they were involved in looting. On all the three occasions when the rebels came, we went into hiding. We went back, upon the instructions of the Kamajors, and we have not seen any rebels since then. Our president had also declared that the war was over. We are happy that we have peace now; though we are poor.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We thank you in your happiness and we hope that this peace will hold.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you for your testimony. We admire your courage and your bravery throughout this period. You have given us a lot of information, but please allow me to ask you a few questions. Apart from your business, did you belong to any other strong group in your community?
Mama Kadie: I was the Women’s Leader of my Chiefdom; I belonged to a back yard farming group; I had also given a piece of land in order that a school be built there; I also gave accommodation to soldiers who were sent to my community.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was your relationship with people in your community cordial?
Mama Kadie: I had cordial relationship with all the women at Lugbu. I was the societal head; if I stood out and shouted, all the women would come out running. I have been a section chief for thirty one years. I am eighty seven years old. I don’t believe I should have enemies in Lugbu because I have done so much for my people; I don’t know why people at Lugbu should hate me. May be they did, but they did not express it openly.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you Madam Kadie, I would ask the Leader of Evidence if he has any questions for you.
Leader of Evidence: I don’t have any questions except to ask whether she still wants to come to the closed hearings.
Mama Kadie: I cannot come on Thursday because I am undertaking a construction.
Comm. Bishop Humper – Do you have any recommendations to make to the commission which we could incorporate in our report?
Mama Kadie: I recommend that the government helps to build a hospital at Sumbuya. There are five chiefdoms in that area. If they can have a hospital with doctors and a theatre where surgical operations can perform, that will be fine. I am also appealing that a bridge be built over the Sewa River and that a ferry service be also made available to the communities.
2nd Witness: Mr. Samu Lebbie
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by the chairman, Commissioner Bishop Humper.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We welcome you and we hope that by the time you finish telling your story, you will have peace of mind.
SAMU LEBBIE’S TESTIMONY
We were at Yambama when the rebels came, and we were driven into the bush. We were there, but we had nothing to sustain us. One day, my father asked me to accompany him to Bo. On our way to Bo, we came across the rebels. They arrested us and tied us up with twines. At that time, they were arresting and killing people. They were looking for young people to recruit. They held me up, head down, and started butchering me on the back of my neck. Should it please the commission, I will show them the knife marks on my neck. When they had drawn the knife several times across my neck, I laid on the ground as if I was dead. When the rebels left, the soldiers came, and they picked me up, put me in their vehicle and took me to the hospital. At the hospital, the expatriate doctors came and helped me with my wounds. I later learnt that all of my relatives had been killed. The whites were responsible for my feeding and shelter and I was with them for four months. We were there until the war calmed down and we were taken back to our respective homes. This is what I experienced during the war.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We know what you must have gone through. We know that you have a story to tell this nation. I want you to clarify one point for all of us. You didn’t mention a name but we want to know the group that attacked you. Did I hear you say that they were rebels?
Samu Lebbie: They said that they were rebels. However, I could not identify them because they attacked the village late in the night.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: I appreciate your story, we know you have gone through a terrible experience, but we are happy that with God’s help you are able to come here today and tell us this story. As you have said, many of your friends and relatives are not here today. I know it won’t bother you that with that terrible experience we still ask you questions. You have not given us an exact estimate, but can you tell the number of people with whom you were on that day and how many of them were slaughtered?
Samu Lebbie: Twenty of us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Where they all members of your family?
Samu Lebbie: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You mentioned white people who helped you; where did they come from?
Samu Lebbie: I don’t know, they only said that they came from overseas.
Prof Kamara: Where they all white or where there also blacks?
Samu Lebbie: Well, there were some blacks, but the one who treated me was white.
Comm. Prof. Kamara – Was it an organized health center or hospital?
Samu Lebbie – It was a hospital, here in Bo, and I was in ward 2.
Prof Kamara – What are you doing at the moment?
Samu Lebbie – I am alone at the moment. I am not doing anything; my brothers help me out. I feel pain on my neck whenever I raise or bow down my neck?
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow – Were other people in the village when you were attacked?
Samu Lebbie – Yes, the rebels came in and attacked the entire village.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: For how long did you stay in the bush?
Samu Lebbie: Two months.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us about conditions in the bush?
Samu Lebbie: When we were in the bush, we lived on the little provision we had taken along with us, and when that got finished, we were on our way again.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us more about the rebels who attacked you?
Samu Lebbie: I can’t tell the number of rebels that attacked because it was dark.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were they in uniform?
Samu Lebbie: Yes, they wore military outfits.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: As they chopped you at the back of your neck, what exactly did they say to you?
Samu Lebbie: They were saying that we were informants and that we gave information to the soldiers.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You did mention your cousin, who was abducted. Has he been traced since then?
Samu Lebbie: All of them were killed, except me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: With your experience, did you receive any counselling apart from the medical treatment?
Samu Lebbie: Not yet, but the government says we should forget about all what happened to us.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How do you survive?
Samu Lebbie: Thanks be to God. But for the pains from the wounds I sustained, I am fine.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you prepared now to forgive the perpetrators who did this to you?
Samu Lebbie: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you able to perform burial rites for your relatives who were killed by the rebels?
Samu Lebbie: Yes, I was able to travel to my other relatives and we did perform the rites.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Who discovered the dead bodies of your relatives?
Samu Lebbie: Nobody did. However, after some time, the bones were collected and taken to my relatives and the rites were performed.
Leader of Evidence: The group leader did you remember the name of their group; did they have any alias or nick names?
Samu Lebbie: I don’t know.
Leader of Evidence: When they attacked you and your family, didn’t they call out any names or say anything?
Samu Lebbie: I cannot recall any name at all. All the rebels were saying was that we were collaborating with the soldiers and we were going to be killed for that.
Leader of Evidence: Since the attack, have you ever seen any of the perpetrators?
Samu Lebbie: No.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thanks for coming; we appreciate your being with us. Do you have any recommendation which you would like us to forward to the government?
Samu Lebbie: I need help from the government; I want to be making garden at the back of my compound so that I can sustain my family and myself.
3rd Witness: Brima Moiwo
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by the chairman, Commissioner Bishop Humper.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What you are about to share with us today will not stay with only us, but will go all over the world. Also, at the end of this commission, you will not regret having come here today.
BRIMA MOIWO’S TESTIMONY
I am here today to tell the truth. I am happy about what the commissioner has said to me. We realize that you people consider us and think about us. In 1991, at the beginning of the war, I was in Sumbuya where I had been for forty years; it was in Sumbuya that I had all my kids. I learnt that the rebels would be coming to Sumbuya on a Monday. I saw people getting their property together. The rebels never hit by surprise; they always gave notice. I had, in all, twelve dependants, so I ran away, into hiding, with my family to a village; the rebels were attacking big towns and not villages. The rebels attacked on a Saturday, but they did not attack the village where I was. On Sunday, the rebels came, and everybody, including ECOMOG, went into hiding. We ran to Madina and the rebels came and took over Madina, and all the people ran away. Whilst we were there, one of my children fell sick; I could not get medication so Kadiatu, my daughter, died. At that time of her death, the rebels entered where we were and asked us to dance for them. I told them about the death of my daughter, and they asked us to throw it away since they were not responsible for her death; they did not want to see the corpse. When we went to Tormia, the rebels went there again and took over the village. They imposed curfew which started at 4 pm; we couldn’t come out. My other daughter fell ill and died because of lack of medication; she was 5years and 6 months old. A leader of the rebel group gave orders to throw away the child, but we went and buried her. Five days after the imposition of the curfew, we learnt that soldiers were on their way; the rebels ran away because they were afraid of the soldiers. The curfew was immediately called off. After three days, the soldiers came and asked everybody to come out of the bush. My children and I joined the first food supply truck that entered into the village in order to move out of the village. I went to a town where I had hoped to meet my relatives. However, all of my relatives had left by the time I got to the town. At Kambia, I made bold and bravely approached one of the rebels and I told him that I wanted to go home together with my people. He enquired about where I wanted to go and, when I told him, he was happy because, according to him, they were in control of the area to which I wanted to go. If I had said that I wanted to go to Bo, they would have killed me. They asked me to list down the names of my dependants; then I had six dependants left. They ordered me to go to my village and that I should pass through Mattru, where another set of rebels were. The only thing which helped me was the Koran; I had wanted to put it on the ground when one of them asked me why I wanted to put it on the ground. I cannot tell the name of the rebel who asked me to take my Koran and released me; but I believe that he was a Muslim. On my return, I found out that one of my kids had died. The day on which I got to Sumbuya was the day somebody gave me the information that one of my wives was also dead and that she was killed in the mosque. I did not have the opportunity of attending the funeral ceremony of my wife; she was like a mother to me. We had six children with only one surviving; he is now in this town. I was sleeping when a rebel knocked at my door; I came out together with my wife. The rebel asked whether I was the one who sold salt; I was not trading in salt. They assembled everybody in the town and asked their chief to ask me if I sold salt, he did, and I said ‘no’. They then tied me up tightly; I can still show the marks. They said if I continued to deny the fact that I traded in salt, they would beat me to death. As the argument was going on, one of them hit me on my head, with a gun; unto this day, I experience serious headache and snort, sometimes, run from my nostrils. All those who were with me ran away; they thought that I was dead. At any rate, the rebels came back looking for me later; they found me and treated me. I then decided that I should go and pray, but one of them said that even if I went and prayed, God would not answer me; I responded by saying that he was not my creator. Another rebel said that I could go and pray, so I went. I came back and I reported myself to them. They then sent me to call my wife. When she came, they tied her up and gave her fifty strokes of the cane. Each time they hit her, she would say “my husband does not sell salt”. One of the rebels who came from Mattru investigated the matter; he asked them to produce evidence of the salt for which they had been punishing us. Their reply was that they had searched everywhere, but they had not found salt. The rebel who came from Mattru then told the rebels who had been punishing us that they had gone against the objectives of their course. He took them to Sumbuya, and I was happy about the way in which they were punished. During the war, six of my children died, but none of them was killed by rebels. My family house was burnt down and unto this moment, I have not been able to erect it again.
Comm. Bishop Humper: I have heard all what you have said. I need to ask a few questions for clarification. Did I hear you say that in one of the areas, to which you went, you told the rebels that you wanted to go back home?
Brima Moiwo: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did they tell you that all those areas were under their control?
Brima Moiwo: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you have any reason for going back home?
Brima Moiwo: well, if one were killed in an area where one were known one would be buried, but if one were killed elsewhere, ones corpse would rot.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You said that there was a curfew, who imposed the curfew?
Brima Moiwo: Indeed it was the rebels who were in the area at the time.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did I hear you say that during the war rebels did not kill at all?
Brima Moiwo: I said some of them did not kill; some did.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you. Like the Chairman, I will ask you a few questions. It will be on the atrocities committed by rebels. Where did you live between 1991 and 1999?
Brima Moiwo: I was at Sumbuya all the time, in the chief’s compound.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All the time; you did not move at all?
Brima Moiwo: I was at Sumbuya when I heard about the rebels, so we had to move; we were moving from place to place.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You spoke about rebels all the time; was there any difference between those rebels?
Brima Moiwo: There was no difference between them. The first set of rebels spoke in Liberian accent but, apart from that, there was no other difference.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You said that the rebels at Sumbuya who maltreated you and your wife were not killing or looting property?
Brima Moiwo: I was not at Sumbuya when they got there, I was at Madina where I was told that a Lebanese had been killed.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: When they were beating you, they said that it was because you traded in salt; didn’t they want any other valuables?
Brima Moiwo: All I can tell the commission is that when they got to my house they were only looking for salt. I can’t tell whether they wanted any thing else.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You said that something awful was done to those who punished you, but you never told us what was done to them. What was that?
Brima Moiwo: They were flogged for telling lies on me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: In your testimony, you said that your children died, but that were not killed by rebels.
Brima Moiwo: Yes. They died because of lack of medication.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you see other children from other families die?
Brima Moiwo: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell how many other children died?
Brima Moiwo: I can’t say anything about others. I know the figure only for my own children who were dead.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us how your first wife was killed?
Brima Moiwo: I can’t tell because I was not there.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thanks for coming to share your testimony with us. Now can you make any recommendation to help us in writing our report?
Brima Moiwo: I am appealing to the government, through this commission, to consider me for help. I have four children all of whom are going to school. Only God knows how we survive. Even my house is in a very poor condition, and I need help.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We have heard your recommendations. We are going round the country to get your testimonies and - in the end - we will compile and submit our report. Thank you very much for coming.
4TH Witness: Mr. Hassan Daco Sallu
The chairman welcomed Hassan Sallu who swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by Commissioner Bishop Humper. The chairman commended Hassan Sallu for accepting the invitation to come and give his testimony. He encouraged him to testify and told him that his testimony would greatly help the commission in writing the report.
HASSAN DACO SALLU’S TESTIMONY
I, who sit here before the commission, am a Mende by tribe and a Sierra Leonean born in Sierra Leone. I think not of any other country other than Sierra Leone. When the war broke out, I was one of the Kamajors who fought for this country so that it could not be destroyed. At that time, I did not understand the causes of the war; a war which was perpetrated by the people of this country. The elders and local authorities called us together and told us that we should do something for our country. Our own brothers went to our village and told us that our village and Njayama Bongor were neighbours and that we should not sit by and witness the destruction of our villages. Owing to my love for this country, in spite of my mother’s advice and protest, I joined the Kamajors. The Burkinabes did not enter into our village; it was our own people, Sierra Leoneans, who did. At that time, Hinga Norman was a chief at Njayama Bongor. We were asked to come together and fight in order to protect our territory. When we returned, our people tested us by drawing our noses in order to know whether we were dead or alive. At one time, the NPRC asked us to set up a Civil Defence Force unit so that we could protect ourselves. When the war actually broke out, we ran away to Bo. In Bo, we had nothing to eat; our sisters had to go fetching food for us. When our sisters normally went out for food, they were detained at Sewa defence and all the food they would have collected would be prepared for the rebels. Our people resolved that we should go and fight against those who had abducted our sisters and to fight for our country. There were about twenty five {25} of us, and we were taken to Hinga Norman. He said that he was a chief in that area for the British. He told us that throughout his schooling, he had military training, and that he would not sit back and allow people to take this country. By 5:45 pm on a Thursday in April, 1994, we were attacked by rebels. Some survived, but some did not; only seven of us survived. Arthur Demby, the brother of the former Vice President, died during that attack. About 22 of us were in a particular house, about 10:30 am, when we saw some people, who were in very neat military outfits, passing. They were asking our brothers whether people were being trained to fight against them. Later, I opened the door and watched; two of my other colleagues joined me and the others closed the door. As soon as we went out, they fired RPG at us; we fell to the ground as if we were dead and we later crept into a cassava farm. Idriss Kamara and Hinga Norman were in an armoured car and they asked whether we were those who were being trained and who attacked on that day. Hinga Norman said that we were his children. All the people in Hinga Norman’s house were killed and buried at the back of the house. While we were there, a native society emerged, and we were then taken to Bo. In 1996, we joined the Kamajor society, we were initiated in Bo, and our aim was to bring our people, who had fled from the rebels, back home. We met Lt. Mbriwa who was the commander. We crossed the Sewa river at night, released nine hundred and fifty five {955} and brought them back to Gerehun. There was a camp called “Kenema Highway camp”; we removed the rebels from there. There was another camp called “Tamaboro”, we also removed them from there. The day on which we captured that place soldiers were sent to give us reinforcement. The leader of that group was a soldier named Marah. We went to a place called “Supermarket”, where we found little children; one of them was a male child whose skin had been removed down to the sole of his feet. A small girl told us that the child had been treated like that because the rebels believed that his father was against them. We went and captured “Zogoda”, there was a training base there and we took all of those we captured to Kenema. Falla Sewa, who was the brigade commander then, took photographs; there was dancing and jubilation. We handed over to the soldiers all the guns we had taken from the rebels. One of our brothers, Alex Gumu, died during the attack on Zogoda; we brought the corpse back with us. We went to places around Matotoka and drove the rebels out of the area. By the time the ‘’Johnny Paul Koroma’’ war came, we had been fighting alongside the soldiers. However, they asked that the Kamajors be disbanded. While we were there, we saw police and army personnel in a truck and they said that they had come to join us to make peace. Some of the Kamajors joined the truck; I did not; I walked to the police station instead. I was afraid that they may have set an ambush for us. There were armoured personnel carriers and ammunition there; the Guinean contingent was there. They stood by the brigade and we stood on the other side. The only person there was the CPO. The CPO asked us not to fight against the soldiers as they formed the government of the day. Moreover, they had arms and we didn’t. We told them that we believed in God and that we voted for a government whose overthrow we won’t compromise. A group of women, who went singing, told us that there were other groups of people who were coming to attack us; I ran away with my hand on my head; we didn’t have any guns. RPG was fired at us, the CPO ran away. We didn’t have any guns, so they started pushing us until we left the town. They said that we should not come to the town again, so we went into the bush. When we heard of the reinstatement of the government, we came to town and drove the rebels out. It was during that time that I was shot in my leg. Should the commission allow me, I will show the part of my body where I was shot. After I had been shot, ECOMOG entered into Bo. When ECOMOG entered, they took me from the scene and sent me back to the village. There was a lady who was treating me with native herbs. A doctor told me that my leg should be amputated. Dr. Jah was the first doctor who did a surgical operation on me. Neither I nor anybody paid him anything. I was there for three days before I was taken to Freetown. I was still hospitalised at Curney Barnes hospital when the January 6th attack on Freetown took place. The hospital was partially burnt down; it only God who saved me. I still feel pain, but I have come back. I now take care of the children of my brothers who were killed during the war. At one time, a rebel asked me a question, he said “You have been fighting for your people and your country, what have they done for you?” The NCDDR is not doing anything for some of our brothers who were disarmed; they still have their cards. Some who were supposed to e trained for one year have had their training reduced to six months; those who were supposed to be trained for six months have had their training reduced to three months. NCDDR has cut down everything. I am saying that everybody in Sierra Leone should be part of the peace and should be happy. Those of us who suffered during the war, for this country, should be considered.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you for coming to share with us something we had not known before; that through you, some 995 women were released - that is very vital for the TRC. You have said a lot about how you became a part of those who were fighting for the country. Did you say that Burkinabes were also fighting?
Hassan Sallu: Yes, they were in the country.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How long do you think the Burkinabes took here?
Hassan Sallu: They were here only during the time of the NPRC.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How many of you were attacked?
Hassan Sallu: About twenty five {25} of us, but only two survived.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You should be regarded as a hero. You have done a lot and have suffered a lot in order to bring peace to this country; we salute you. I have a few questions for you, and I believe that they will help us to understand your story better. You mentioned Hinga Norman and Idriss Kamara; what were both of them doing at that time around that area?
Hassan Sallu: Hinga Norman was the regent chief at Telubongor. Idriss Kamara was the Secretary of State in Bo at that time, so when he heard that that village had been attacked, he went to see what was happening.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: That happened during the NPRC time?
Hassan Sallu: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: This means NPRC encouraged Kamajor activities.
Hassan Sallu: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You also mentioned the training, how long was the training?
Hassan Sallu: We had had only one week training when we were attacked. As a result of the attack, we went to fight and no one had the guts, after that, to go back for training.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: The Kamajors and other groups who were fighting along side the government came to be known as CDF.
Hassan Sallu: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: There were the Tamaboros, Kamajors and other groups. Did I hear you say you attacked and drove the Tamaboros?
Hassan Sallu: Whatever it was, they were all the same.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You spoke of a child whose skin was removed; what group did that?
Hassan Sallu: The child which I spoke about was taken from Bo, here, and he suffered that treatment because his father was allegedly against the rebels.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Who did this?
Hassan Sallu: The rebels.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: When you came to Kenema, you said you handed guns over to Falla Sewa; why did you, when you yourselves needed guns?
Hassan Sallu: The rebels were saying that they got guns from the soldiers and that was why we handed the guns over to the head of the brigade.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: When you were recruited into the Kamajor militia, what kind of training did you receive? Was it traditional or conventional warfare training?
Hassan Sallu: Traditional.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us more about the command structure of the Kamajors?
Hassan Sallu: We copied from the soldiers; we used the same ranks.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us what the civilians suffered in the hands of the Kamajors during the conflict?
Hassan Sallu: I wish to say this in the name of God. The people under my own command, in my own area, did not suffer at all.
Leader of Evidence: One of the key mandates of the TRC is that you should tell the truth about all what happened during the war. I am therefore going to ask you questions to help clarify certain things. In 1994 you were one of the first to join the vigilante group, and you joined the Kamajors in 1996. So when did you receive your training?
Hassan Sallu: When we went to Hinga Norman, the ULIMO’S were there; they could train you overnight and you would know a lot of things.
Leader of Evidence: You said you lost some of your men; did they die during training or during an attack?
Hassan Sallu: They were killed during the war, after the training.
Leader of Evidence: You also said that you were trained in traditional warfare and not conventional warfare?
Hassan Sallu: That is correct.
Leader of Evidence: Can you explain, for the benefit of the commission, how that training was done and what was the nature of that training?
Hassan Sallu: We were initiated overnight and we all came out the following morning and prayed to God so that He could help us to fight against those who had taken arms against our people. After that, all the initiates went out and fire shots at one another. From that point, you were a Kamajor.
Leader of Evidence: Does that mean they fired at you and bullets didn’t go through you?
Hassan Sallu: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Where do you think those powers came from?
Hassan Sallu: We believed that an initiate must not have any erotic contact with a woman. The initiate had certain food which he was forbidden to eat. A Kamajor was also forbidden to fight against his own people.
Leader of Evidence: Were there also children who were trained together with you?
Hassan Sallu: In my own battalion, NCDDR can prove it; we had no children amongst us.
Leader of Evidence: What about the other battalions; did they train children?
Hassan Sallu: There was a ruling that children should not be given guns.
Leader of Evidence: Can you tell the TRC the nature of the initiation?
Hassan Sallu: I will tell you whatever you want to know about the Kamajors. If you wish to know about the initiation, I will tell you. During the war, if a Kamajor chanted a few words on a cup of water and splashed it on somebody who was not a Kamajor, and that person was shot at, nothing happened to the person. If I was a Kamajor, and I perspired and rubbed the sweat on you, no bullet shot at you would pierce through your body; soldiers can attest to this.
Leader of Evidence: As a commander, what was the strength of your battalion?
Hassan Sallu: In the Kamajor society, whoever was resident in your area automatically fell under your command. Even the chief was under my control at that time; so I cannot exactly tell the number of people whom I had under my command.
Leader of Evidence: I mean Kamajor men.
Hassan Sallu: I had fifty {50} men under my control. Out of that number, only two people died and I was shot.
Leader of Evidence: Did you have any nick name?
Hassan Sallu: Yes, Hassan Dokor was my nick name.
Leader of Evidence: Many people came to Freetown and claimed that atrocities such as drinking of human blood and the cutting off of ears were committed by the Kamajors. Can you attest to that?
Hassan Sallu: The people who have been making these claims are those who came and destroyed their own people. Our society, the Kamajor society, had rules. Kamajors were forbidden to deal with filth or anything that was unclean; we were very Godly. The people of Bo will tell the TRC that the rebels gave Kamajor outfits to non Kamajor fighters and whatever evil things that those people did reflected on the Kamajors.
Leader of Evidence: As battalion commander, what areas were under you command?
Hassan Sallu: Five villages were under my command and I fought against the rebels.
Leader of Evidence: Were you involved in Operation ‘’Black December’’?
Hassan Sallu: It almost coincided with the December/January invasion.
Leader of Evidence: Can you explain Operation ‘’Black December’’ for the commission?
Hassan Sallu: The man, who had all the powers that would enable one to enter into the enemy camp unnoticed, is dead. He was an old man and his name was Jawara.
Leader of Evidence: A lot of people have come to the commission and have testified that you, the Kamajors, did a lot of bad things which included punishing people whom you claimed to be collaborators. How were you able to identify collaborators?
Hassan Sallu: When the Kamajors finally decided to fight, it was to defend the people of this country. Now the very people for whom we fought are saying that the Kamajors committed atrocities. It must made known that the intention of the people who started the war was to take away everything from this country.
Leader of Evidence: My question was that people have been to this commission to say that you punished people whom you claimed to be collaborators. How did you – as a Kamajor group; not you as a person - identify collaborators?
Hassan Sallu: I want you to understand that the Kamajors had no magic to tell who was a collaborator or not. Soldiers were in the towns, and the civilians for whom we fought, told us who was who.
Leader of Evidence: What was the punishment for these collaborators?
Hassan Sallu: No form of punishment was actually stipulated.
Leader of Evidence: Does that mean it would be left with the commander to decide?
Hassan Sallu: As commander, at that time, we never meted out any punishment; people here can attest to that.
Leader of Evidence: People gave statements that a lot of atrocities were committed by Kamajors against people who belonged to other tribes and lived in the South. Can you make any statement on that?
Hassan Sallu: In my own area, it never happened. There was no incident in which Kamajors committed atrocities against people on the basis of tribal difference. Nothing like that ever happened. I want you to know that, during the fight against the rebels, all tribes were involved. Even when we were fighting as Kamajors, we had people from other areas and tribes. Why then could the Kamajors have decided to commit atrocities against people from other tribes? If I, a Mende, witnessed an incident in which a Fula was trying to inflict pain on any of my Mende brother, I would fight for my brother.
Leader of Evidence: The commissioner asked you a question about the command structure and you said you followed the same pattern as the soldiers?
Hassan Sallu: Yes, I did.
Leader of Evidence: So you are saying you had the same command structure with the army from the lowest rank right on to the highest rank?
Hassan Sallu: Yes; we had all.
Leader of Evidence: How many battalions did you have during the intervention?
Hassan Sallu: We had five battalions during the intervention.
Leader of Evidence: Can you name them and where they are based?
Hassan Sallu: First battalion was in Dambala, Second Battalion at Gerehun, Third battalion was at Bumpeh, Fourth in the North, and the Fifth battalion was in Pujehun district; towards the border.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you. How many divisions and where are based?
Hassan Sallu: There were divisions in the South, North and West.
Leader of Evidence: West would be the Western area?
Hassan Sallu: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Who was commander in the west?
Hassan Sallu: The commander in the west was a Creole, I don’t know his name.
Leader of Evidence: What about the Commander in the North?
Hassan Sallu: Commander Dumbuya was Commander in the North.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know where he is now?
Hassan Sallu: It is quite some time now since we stopped operations; I can’t say exactly where he is currently.
Leader of Evidence: But I hope that he survived the war.
Hassan Sallu: Nothing happened to him; he did not sustain even a scratch in the course of the war.
Leader of Evidence: What about in the South; who was Commander in the South?
Hassan Sallu: Eddie Mansallay was the Commander in the South.
Leader of Evidence: Where is he now?
Hassan Sallu: As I said earlier, I can’t say where he is now.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know whether he is in Bo or Freetown?
Hassan Sallu: I don’t know. Since the government announced that the war was over; we all became civilians. I therefore cannot tell the whereabouts of anybody. If I were able to tell where he is now, that would presuppose the continuing existence of the Kamajor society. In the course of the war, if I were awaken from a deep slumber and asked about the whereabouts of any Kamajor, I would have stated it without any problem. There is democracy now, and even a child knows about his or her rights.
Leader of Evidence: How many members were in the war council; just numbers – we are not asking for names here?
Hassan Sallu: I must say, as I have sworn on oath to say the truth, I don’t know. By the time the war council was moved to our end, I had sustained injury and I was not opportune to know its composition.
Leader of Evidence: Could you describe, for the benefit of the commission, what base zero looked like – the structure, size and environment?
Hassan Sallu: That was a base and if you were an enemy, you would never know or set eyes on base zero. Base zero was not in the bush; it was in town - in Sherbro land; it was located in a school compound. As long as you meant bad for this country, even if you flew over it, you would not see Base zero. There was a white man who did not believe anything; he came in the ECOMOG helicopter to find Base zero. He flew round and round, but he could not see the base. Civilians can attest to the fact that Base zero was in town and not in the bush.
Leader of Evidence: Would you like to describe the relationship that existed between Kamajors and soldiers? What led to the fight between the Kamajors and SLA?
Hassan Sallu: One morning at Telubongor, they launched an attack about the time when people were going to the mosque in order to offer the fajir prayer. While the soldiers and UNAMSIL personnel who were on the ground had guns, we had no guns. Some people were still asleep when the attack was launched that morning. People were taken out of their beds and their heads were chopped off by the attackers; a lot of people were killed. When some people heard the sound of the gun, they went into hiding under their beds. The attackers shot through doors and people got killed.
Leader of Evidence: Can you describe for TRC what happened at Koribondo?
Hassan Sallu: I can’t tell the Commission about anything that happened at Koribondo because I was not fighting on that axis. It was only after the intervention that the Kamajors were based at Koribondo.
Leader of Evidence: You said that before the war you were a miner, but now you can’t do anything for yourself. Can you tell the Commission the conditions that must be met for someone to mine in your area?
Hassan Sallu: We took licenses in order to enable us embark on mining activities. Everyday, we hear the rules regarding the mining ad sales of diamonds on the wires. We abide by these rules in our area that is why Baoma is rated high; we do not mine without licenses.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thanks for coming and for your brilliant answers to questions asked so far. Is there any recommendation that you wish the commission to forward to government?
Hassan Sallu: I want the commission to ask the government this question. After the overthrow, and considering the number of months we spent in the bush, what compensation did they give to the Kamajors? I want the commission to help me so that my voice can reach His Excellency. We are not asking for rewards but, like a rebel once asked me, ‘’after fighting for this nation, what has the government done for you?” Should my children ask me, what would I say to them in response? I want to ask the commission to tell the government to help people who have suffered in the South. We heard that there are structures for amputees; they are putting up buildings here and there, but when we ask them for help, they would say that the South was the first to see the end of the war. We are appealing to the TRC to tell the government to show concern for us who fought and suffered for this country. The children and girlfriends of ministers are either abroad or around driving luxurious cars, while we continue to suffer. I fought, during the war, so that the country could not be destroyed. Now I am injured, so please tell the government not to forget about us. If there is a trust fund for those who were injured during the war, we will be happy because the funds will take care of us. So please don’t forget us. I am very thankful to the commission.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Hassan, we thank you for coming. We have listened to your recommendations and we will include them in our report.
THE SECOND DAY OF HEARINGS HELD AT BO TOWN HALL ON 3OTH APRIL, 2003.
COMMISSIONERS
Bishop J.C Humper {Chairman}
Professor John Kamara: Presiding
Satang Jow: Recording
LEADER OF EVIDENCE: Ozonnia Ojielo
TRANSCRIBER: Emmanuel Koivaya Amara
SECRETARIES:
Malorie Barinda Pratt
Donella Williams
The hearing was opened with the usual Christian and Muslim prayers. The presiding commissioner then asked the leader of evidence to invite the first witness for that day.
1st Witness: Theresa Blackie
The witness swore on the Bible. The oath was administered by Commissioner Professor John Kamara.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Please relax and very quietly tell us what you went through.
THERESA BLACKIE’S TESTIMONY
I am here, before this commission, to narrate my experiences during the war. We were by the hearth one morning when we learnt that the rebels had come. We learnt that the back of one of our brother’s foot had been slashed. Not too long after we had got the news of our brother’s injury, we saw a man, who was dressed in military fatigue, rushing toward us. We all fled into the bush. As we took to our heels, one of the rebels came upon us. Among us was a pregnant woman who was assaulted by the attacker. She was dumped into the water several times and, after that, we were asked to drink from that stream. That was the stream from which, prior to the attack, we fetched water to drink. The town Chief was shot dead and his corpse laid in front of the house. Our brothers asked us to set up a dance which would look like a native dance, and we did. Those who came to release us from the rebels were shot to death. The old people who could not run were locked up in houses and burnt to death. Even my brother who took care of me was also assaulted. My own very sister was assaulted in such a way that she couldn’t withstand the pain; she died. Another sister of mine, who was pregnant, had a miscarriage and died in the process. All the houses in that village were burnt down and now there is no place in which members of the family could live. I can’t take a stranger to my village now because it has been devastated; the attackers burnt down all the eight houses which we had. My grand father could not flee from the scene, and I had to boil cassava for him which he lived on until he died. I am very incapable of taking care of my children now; I have lost everything. One of my brothers who was a farmer and who was helping to take care of the family was also killed. My mother is getting old and can’t do much. I am a woman and I also can’t do much.
Prof Kamara: I know that people have suffered in this war, but people like you have suffered more, especially for the fact that you are a woman. The interpreter has been using the word “assaulted”, what do you actually mean? You said your brother was assaulted, how was he assaulted?
Theresa Blackie: They would pursue any one they saw and they would either kill or injure you.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: How was the woman who was dumped into the water assaulted? Did they dump her in before or after her death?
Theresa Blackie: She had gone to the river to seek after her daughter when they met her. They had sexual intercourse with her several times before they killed her and dumped her into the water.
Prof Kamara: You said that you have a lot of children to take care of, how many children in all?
Theresa Blackie: They are twelve in all; some are my brother’s children.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: What is the current state of the village which was destroyed?
Theresa Blackie: We have still not started any constructions; we live in make-shift houses.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We have listened to all what happened to you and we admire your bravery and courage. I will now ask you a few questions. The rebels who attacked you, what were they like; what did they look like?
Theresa Blackie: The attackers that came to my village were people that I can’t identify.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were they in uniform?
Theresa Blackie: They were in combat fatigue and when we saw them, we ran away.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell whether they were young boys?
Theresa Blackie: They were a mixture of people; old and young. However, we were in danger and we did not have time to look at them properly.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you remember what language they were speaking?
Theresa Blackie: I can’t tell, they were just going round the place.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You spoke of rape; can you say how many people raped your sister?
Theresa Blackie: I can’t tell, I only came upon my sister in that condition.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you able to give those people decent burial?
Theresa Blackie: I was not around to witness my sister’s burial. The husband came around, after twelve days, to look for his wife, but by then the body had decomposed so he dragged it and buried it in a piece of land nearby.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: The events have been too traumatic for you, have you received any form of counselling?
Theresa Blackie: No, except that I spoke to the TRC staff.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you received assistance from any NGO?
Theresa Blackie: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: The children you spoke about, are they going to school?
Theresa Blackie: No, they are not going to school; they go around looking for food.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you know why your village was attacked?
Theresa Blackie: No, I don’t have any idea, but each time they came they took our property and we ran away.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you for coming to give this testimony. We’ve been hearing stories that rebels would only enter into a village if they were being led by a native of that village?
Theresa Blackie: It is not to my knowledge whether any one of them was a member of our village. There was none as far as I know.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Can you say that your village was some sort of a target?
Theresa Blackie: Because of the festive occasion, those people normally came from the neighbouring villages to attack us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you say, in your statement, that the rebels said that that was your drinking water so, after they had killed the lady, they dumped her into the water?
Theresa Blackie: As the pregnant lady noticed that the perpetrators were approaching, she was afraid and she tried to escape. When the rebels saw her, while she was crossing the river, they attacked and killed her.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Where was your mother when that happened?
Theresa Blackie: She liked being in the farm house. When the attack took place, we jumped through the window and ran away.
Comm. Bishop Humper: So how did you know about the manner in which those people were killed? Did somebody tell you?
Theresa Blackie: When we came back to the village, we saw the corpses scattered all over the place.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Has anything been done for the reburial of your sister’s corpse?
Theresa Blackie: It cannot be possible now because when the rains came, since the grave was shallow, most of the bones were washed away. However, we still have a few of the bones there.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Is it not a tradition that the remains of the dead should always have a proper burial?
Theresa Blackie: Even the chief that was killed, his brother came later and buried his bones. In the case of the pregnant woman, women attended to her dead body because the men could not be involved in that kind of business.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We have heard your story and we have asked questions; have you any questions to ask?
Theresa Blackie: Owing to the hardship which I went through in the course of the war, I would like government to step in and help.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Is that all?
Theresa Blackie: I would like government to help me especially in the rebuilding of my house. Should that assistant be rendered to me, I would be happy.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We have heard all what you have said. We will compile all in our report and when we get to that stage we shall remember your request along with others. For now, we appreciate all what you have said and we sympathize with you for what you have gone through.
2nd Witness: Sheku Macauley
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by Commissioner Professor John Kamara.
SHEKU MACAULEY‘S TESTIMONY
When I was in my village, I got a message that they had burnt down a nearby village and that they were coming to my village. They said that they were coming to Baiima and that they needed food. I bought about two bags of cassava. There were twelve strong men who were taking care of the village; they had some machetes. Times there were when, during the day, two men would be assigned to each soldier. One day, we learnt that those men who were protecting the village had been tied up. We also learnt that it was the soldiers who had tied them up. We went and untied them. Later, we heard gun shots, and we ran away. When we came back, the whole town had been burnt down.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We thank you. That was a fairly short, but traumatic testimony. I am confused about the different groups you have mentioned. “They” said they were coming after burning the next village, who are the “They”?
Sheku Macauley: “They” were soldiers; not rebels. They were the people who had run away from the village that had already been attacked.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Was it the rebels who attacked the neighbouring village?
Sheku Macauley: They said it was they, but I did not see them.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So soldiers were sent to protect your village?
Sheku Macauley: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Who was this Carew?
Sheku Macauley: He was in charge of the men in Bo.
Prof Kamara: According to what we have here, he was supposed to be a Brigade commander.
Sheku Macauley: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Do you know where he is now?
Sheku Macauley: No.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Can you tell his rank in the army now?
Sheku Macauley: I don’t know, but I was told that he was elevated in the army.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You did mention a security group that was associated with the army; what group was this?
Sheku Macauley: They were all working together.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Who were the others?
Sheku Macauley: Those men were taken from each of the villages around to protect the area.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You said your companions were tied?
Sheku Macauley: Yes, I did.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Now, about burning the village. If those security people were there, then who burnt the village?
Sheku Macauley: I wouldn’t tell because that was what we saw; everything was mixed up.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Were there no rebels at that time?
Sheku Macauley: There were no rebels, there were only soldiers.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: There were no rebels; only soldiers, but why did you run?
Sheku Macauley: Because we heard shooting.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Now, in your own opinion, what would you conclude?
Sheku Macauley: All I know is that those who had guns were shooting.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: And those who had guns were soldiers; so they were shooting?
Sheku Macauley: Yes.
Prof Kamara: Led by this Carew?
Sheku Macauley: Well, he only took them there and, after a short while, he left.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did I hear you say it was before 1997 that you had these attacks?
Sheku Macauley: I was at Baiima during the first attack; it was the attack which took place after the first one that I witnessed.
Comm. Bishop Humper: This incident was in 1997, you say?
Sheku Macauley: It is about eight years ago.
Comm. Bishop Humper: So they were CDF?
Sheku Macauley: That was how they called them.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How did you manage to survive it all?
Sheku Macauley: I survived by the grace of Allah.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: In your statement, you mentioned a Lt. Turay at Baiima; can you tell us more about him?
Sheku Macauley: Lt. Turay was with us at Baiima; he left after two months. I did not see him do any bad thing.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you know his whereabouts now?
Sheku Macauley: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You also spoke of a Kamajor in your statement; why was he tied?
Sheku Macauley: I have told you that I don’t know why he was tied.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What was the relationship, then, between that Kamajors and the soldiers?
Sheku Macauley: He left peacefully. In fact, when he was leaving, I went to see him off and he gave me some amount of money. He even came to visit us from time to time.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that you were feeding the soldiers; for how long did you feed them?
Sheku Macauley: For just one day.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What was the role of the women in the village in all these?
Sheku Macauley: The women were not there.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You spoke about the disappearance of three people; can you clarify that?
Sheku Macauley: As it were at that time, if you learnt that rebels were coming to attack, everybody would run away.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We are not happy that you cannot keep dates of events which should help us in our write up. Any way, the Leader of Evidence will now talk to you.
Leader of Evidence: I can understand that some of your experiences do traumatize you and make you not to remember certain things, but also bear in mind that this commission is not a court of law and that no one you mention here will have to suffer any consequences with the commission or face the Special Court. Your statement will help us, greatly, to write our report, so relax and let’s go through some of what we have in your statement. You said that before 1997 your village was attacked; who attacked your village?
Sheku Macauley: What I know, like I said in my statement, is that the rebels first attacked, but I was not there; I was in my village.
Leader of Evidence: You know that we had different groups being referred to as rebels; which one attacked?
Sheku Macauley: All I know is that those who came were in military fatigues.
Leader of Evidence: So, if I understand you, the SLA soldiers were already in Baiima before the second attack?
Sheku Macauley: The men who were brought by Mr. Carew were there before the second attack.
Leader of Evidence: If they were there before the attack, what were they doing when the attack took place?
Sheku Macauley: I know that they were there, but I was not there, so I don’t know what they were doing during the attack.
Leader of Evidence: If the soldiers were there before the second attack, what role did they play?
Sheku Macauley: The soldiers were there, but they had gone before the attack; I was not there so I can’t tell.
Leader of Evidence: From 1997, how long did you stay in Baiima?
Sheku Macauley: After the attack we went back from the bush to Baiima and we stayed there.
Leader of Evidence: How long? Three Months?
Sheku Macauley: I was there for over two or three years.
Leader of Evidence: The SLA soldiers; how long did they stay there?
Sheku Macauley: They were there for five months.
Leader of Evidence: Whilst they were there, how were they getting their food?
Sheku Macauley: They were supplied by the army battalion.
Leader of Evidence: There was no instance when villagers had to supply them with food?
Sheku Macauley: No.
Leader of Evidence: They themselves never forcefully went to people’s houses and took food?
Sheku Macauley: I never had complaints of that.
Leader of Evidence: What did the relationship between the people and soldiers look like during the latter’s stay?
Sheku Macauley: As far as I know, it was cordial, except that if one stole, one was flogged.
Leader of Evidence: Was any member of your family injured or harassed at any time?
Sheku Macauley: The rebels did a lot of harassment, they burnt so many houses.
Leader of Evidence: If I understand you Mr. Macaulay, there were soldiers at Baiima, at what point did the rebels come in to burn your house?
Sheku Macauley: When the soldiers had left, the village was attacked four times.
Leader of Evidence: Were you attacked?
Sheku Macauley: Yes, about four years ago. They shot me in my hand.
Leader of Evidence: Was any other person injured when you were shot in your hand?
Sheku Macauley: Yes, they killed about three people and the bullet hit me in my hand.
Leader of Evidence: Can you give the commission the names of the people who were killed?
Sheku Macauley: Well, they killed one Mr. Bundu; Mr. Foday and Madam Boya.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We have asked you a number of questions; do you have any questions for the commission?
Sheku Macauley: I am an illiterate, I have been called to come and testify and I have done that. What is the purpose of doing this?
Comm. Bishop Humper: We are not asking questions, but posing questions for clarification of information. Mr. Sheku gave a statement where four groups were involved, so we need to pose questions for clarification which will help our records for historical purposes. What TRC is doing is national.
Sheku Macauley: I don’t have any questions, all I am saying is that those of us who have suffered in this war should be considered, especially those of us in Baiima; all our houses were burnt down.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We have taken down your recommendations and we will do our best.
3rd Witness: Mr. James Umaru
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by Commissioner Professor John Kamara.
JAMES UMARU’S TESTIMONY
What happened to me during the war that was really painful to me is that at one time, we had normally spent our day when, in the evening, we were attacked. My wife was in the house, and she was not able to leave the house. I ran away into the bush. The attackers took control of Tikonko town and nobody was able to go close to the town; we slept in the bush. The following morning, we went watching the town. My wife’s intestines had been removed and the house had been burnt down. The only clothes I had were the ones which I had put on prior to the attack. The corpse laid there for the rest of the day. That night, I resolved that I was going to sit by the corpse of my wife, even if it meant that I had to be killed. After two days, my children and I went and buried my wife. Following the burial, we went back to the bush camp; nobody was able to stay in Tikonko by then. There was no food, so we lived on palm kernel. After two weeks, one of my daughters decided that she was coming to Bo in order to look for bulgur so that we would not die of hunger. Since we did the burial, up to this time, nothing has happened to me.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you very much, we have heard your story and we hope you will be patient to answer a few questions. You said they attacked, who are “they”?
James Umaru: The rebels attacked us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: How were you able to identify them as rebels?
James Umaru: I was able to identify them as rebels because I knew that they were the people who committed those types of atrocities.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Can you tell how they were dressed?
James Umaru: At that time, we could not stand to look at them. However, most of them were in military fatigues, while some of them were in plain clothes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You went into the bush and when you came back, they had killed your wife. From the appearance of the corpse, can you tell whether they killed her before or after the house was burnt?
James Umaru: They killed her, took her out of the house and covered her face with a piece of cloth.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So the fire did not affect the body?
James Umaru: No.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: I know it was not easy for you, but did you notice any missing parts from the body of your wife?
James Umaru: We came back to the village after a whole day. By then, the body had started decomposing so we could not tell. However, I don’t think that any part was removed.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Also, would you have guessed the reason for which her body was opened?
James Umaru: I don’t think it was any reason other than mere cruelty.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you for your story. We are sorry for what happened to you and your family. Do you have any idea when this incident occurred?
James Umaru: It was during the time of Johnny Paul.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us of what happened to other people in your village?
James Umaru: What happened to me is what I have explained. Tikonko is the seat of the paramount Chief; it s a big town.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I would like to know if there is a mass grave in Tikonko.
James Umaru: Yes there is.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you have any idea how many people were buried in that mass grave?
James Umaru: Thirteen {13}.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Why was your wife not with you when you ran into the bush?
James Umaru: It was because of the way in which we were attacked; my wife was not with me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How do you survive now that all this has happened to you?
James Umaru: I live by God’s grace because I can’t farm any longer.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you for coming, it is sympathetic to hear you as we hear others tell their story. You loved your wife and sat by the corpse and said you would die by her. In your statement, you stated “Sobel”, I don’t know whether it was you or the statement takers who used that word, please clarify it for the Commission.
James Umaru: Yes, I said “Sobels” because when we were in our town, none of these happened until those people came.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Who are “Sobels”?
James Umaru: Those people who came to destroy.
Comm. Bishop Humper: I guess you buried your wife in haste; are you making any provision for the traditional form of burial?
James Umaru: No, I do not have that plan. Even her burial was hastily done because I did not have anything that would have allowed me to do a fitting burial. If I have the opportunity, I will do so.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Before handing you over to the Leader of Evidence, I will ask you two questions outside your statement. Did you have soldiers in Tikonko all the time to safe guard the town?
James Umaru: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Whilst they were there, were there any attacks on the village?
James Umaru: They did not attack us whilst they were there.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Can you recall the name Tafaikor?
James Umaru: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Was he involved in that attack?
James Umaru: I can’t tell; he left the town before the attack.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Who was this Tafaikor?
James Umaru: He was a person.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: I know, but tell us more about him.
James Umaru: He was a soldier, and he was once deployed at Tikonko, but while he was there I never saw him commit any atrocities.
Leader of Evidence: At the time of this incident that led to the death of your wife, were the soldiers still stationed at Tikonko?
James Umaru: At that time, soldiers were not based at Tikonko.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We share your sorrow over the death of your wife; we hope that you will continue to cope. We have asked you all these questions, and now we would like you to ask us questions if you have any.
James Umaru: You have asked me and I have explained all that I know to you. All I want you to know is that I don’t have a dwelling house now and I have still not performed the burial rites for my wife who was killed. People are traumatised, especially me; I go around really traumatised.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We have heard all what you have said, and when the report is written and recommendations of all testimonies taken into consideration, we will see what can be done. We wish you a better life.
4th Witness: Mr. James Legg
The witness swore on the Bible. The oath was administered by Commissioner Professor John Kamara.
JAMES LEGG’S TESTIMONY
At one time, I was in Bo; it was in 1999. It was on December 5th of that year that my sister went to town and came back with a message that our child, Angela, had injected the child of a Kamajor. The child, according to the report, got abscess as a result of the injection and, for that reason, Angela was tied up. After tying her, she was abandoned until a passer by came to her rescue; untied her and took her to a lady called Dikpama.
A message was sent to me. As soon as I receive the message, my sister and I went to the scene. We travelled for about twelve hours. When we got there, people were crowded around her; she could not talk properly. I introduced myself to her and she began to cry. Her speech had been affected by the tautness by the tight knot. We stayed there that night and, in the morning, we went round the town to confer with the relatives and elders.
We went straight to the Kamajor battalion commander of the 19th battalion in Bo; Mr. Ngaujah. He gave us a paper to go to the police. We made our report and then took Angela to the hospital. I left her there and came back home as there was another sick person at home. Later, my other sister came to say that she had passed away. The police who had taken the statement was there when she died. We were asked to make another statement which the child of the deceased made. ECOMOG was around at that time and we reported the matter to them; they promised to investigate.
Five trucks of Kamajors were loaded to go and bring the culprits, but they later decided that they could be possibly ambushed. They asked Kosseh Hindowa, who was the battalion commander for Bo district, to apprehend the culprits and bring them forward. On the day of the burial, the culprits were brought. I went there to see them myself. We went back home and, while the funeral ceremony was being arranged, the culprits were asked to make a statement. After the burial, we went to Kosseh Hindowa and enquired after the culprits, but he told us that they had been released and sent back to their home village. He said that the culprits were Kamajors and shouldn’t witness such an occasion that was why, according to him, they were released. After the burial, we went to Kosseh Hindowa. He promised that he would send for them. Whenever we went to see Hindowa, we would go to the police as well.
The police cautioned Kosseh Hindowa that the matter should be treated seriously, but it was as though Hindowa had no respect for the police and our own rights were cast aside. So I had to explain to TRC when the statement takers came around. Apart from telling Hindowa and the police, we also had it announced on the radio station in Bo. We also contacted late Prince Brima and told him our story. He confronted Hindowa, but all was to no avail. After some time, we gave up all pursuits of the culprits.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: There is not much difference between some other testimonies and yours; it’s just that you went through all the normal processes. However, what did the police say eventually?
James Legg: The CPO advised us to keep our cool since it was during a period of war. He further stated that one day the matter would be picked up.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Since the end of the war, have you ever been to the police to resurrect the matter?
James Legg: No.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Why?
James Legg: Because we were tired of running around, so we have decided to leave everything in the hands of God.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You said that the lady who was killed administered an injection to a child and that the child got abscess; whose child was that?
James Legg: The child of a Kamajor.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Who injected this child?
James Legg: My niece.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Is the child still alive?
James Legg: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Was your niece, Angela, a trained nurse?
James Legg: Yes, she was a nurse in training at Serabu.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Who did you report the matter to when you came to Bo?
James Legg: We reported the matter to Ngaujah, the commander in charge of the 19th battalion in Bo.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Was he the one who ordered the arrest of the culprits?
James Legg: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How did Hindowa come in?
James Legg: We had to bring him in since he was our boss; he was in charge of the Kamajors in Bo.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Can you remember the name of the CPO who asked you to wait and deal with the case at some later date?
James Legg: No.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Can you remember the year?
James Legg: Yes, it was on December 5th 1999.
Leader of Evidence: You said there was a post mortem result?
James Legg: They are in the hands of the doctor and the police. They have never shown it to us.
Leader of Evidence: Did they give you any other report from the police?
James Legg: They never explained anything to us.
Leader of Evidence: What happened to the photographs that were taken?
James Legg: They were in the hands of the police, we never saw them.
Leader of Evidence: Can you help the commission with the whereabouts of Mr. Hindowa?
James Legg: I know the address of his residence, but I don’t know whether he is in town.
Leader of Evidence: TRC will give you a letter signed by me, and one of the staff will go with you in one of our vehicles to get Mr. Hindowa to come to the commission tomorrow and give his own version. What of Mr. Ngaujah?
James Legg: I also know his contact address.
Leader of Evidence: The commission will try to reach him also. Those people responsible for killing your sister, do you know there names or can you tell the commission about their whereabouts?
James Legg: One of them is here right now and his name is Mr. James.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know the name of any other?
James Legg: No, I don’t know, and I don’t want to tell a lie.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know where Mr. James is at the moment?
James Legg: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: The commission will try to reach him.
James Legg: The lady that was killed has a daughter here in the audience and she knows all the people who killed her mother.
Leader of Evidence: So she was there when her mother was tortured and killed?
James Legg: Initially, She was there but, after awhile, she came to Bo.
Leader of Evidence: How old will this child be now?
James Legg: She will be about 18.
Leader of Evidence: I will ask a statement taker to take statement from her and, before the commission closes down on Saturday, she will come here to testify. When you went and saw your niece, what situation was she in and what was her condition like?
James Legg: She was in a critical state; she could not talk; she only made signs showing the marks on her body.
Leader of Evidence: The child that was injected, where is that child now and where are the parents?
James Legg: I can’t tell, but I believe that they are still within this town.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Mr. Legg is very precise about the date 5th December, 1999. Our mandate falls within the period March 1991 and December 1999. I am not a lawyer so I can’t say you have a right to take this matter to court, but if you want us to take it from a reconciliatory point, we will. We are interested in it and we will do all within our power to help. Now I will ask you to ask us questions if you have any.
James Legg: I am not handling this matter single handed so I will have to go and hang heads with other family members. We have the maternal and paternal sides of the family, so I will have to meet with them before taking any decision.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: That is not a question but a statement.
James Legg: The mother of the deceased has left for somewhere else and I am the only one who is taking care of the kids, I am asking the commission to help me with the children.
5th Witness: Kadie Youngah
The witness swore on the Bible. The oath was administered by Commissioner Professor John Kamara.
KADIE YOUNGAH’S TESTIMONY
When my husband and I were in Daru, I received a letter with regards to the death of my father. While we were travelling from Daru, there was a cut off on the road. As a result of the cut off on the road, my husband and I were forced to stay in Kenema. We were in Kenema for sometime. Although we did not know anybody in Kenema, my husband, my kids and I were put up by a kind lady. It did not take before we were driven away on the basis of the point that soldiers and their relatives were being sought for. My husband left us and went to check whether the road had been reopened. Kamajors later came and surrounded the house in which we lived. They took my husband out of the house, hit him on the head and took him away. As they were taking my husband away, I shouted out to them that I would give them all the money I had on me; that was the money which I was taking for my father’s burial. They took away all our belongings and the money, and they also took my husband away. When they had taken him away, some people came to us and asked us to hide as the Kamajors had sworn to come back for me and my children after they would have killed my husband. One day, a brother of mine was passing by; he did not see me, but I saw him. I called out to him and told him about the death of my husband, and I also told him that I needed help. We later went to Tikonko. While we were at Tikonko, there was another attack. We went to another village which also came under attack. During the attack on the village, I was recognized as the wife of a soldier.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We know that things have been difficult for you as you have just explained in your story. However, we will ask you some questions in order to clarify a few points that you have mentioned in your testimony.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We have listened to your testimony and we sympathize with you. We will ask you a few questions to clarify certain things. You told us that you hailed from Tikonko, but your husband was stationed in Daru?
Kadie Youngah: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: From Daru, were you going back for the funeral rites of your father?
Kadie Youngah: Yes, but we did not get there.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us more about the lady who lodged you?
Kadie Youngah: I was told by my husband that she was his aunt.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us more about the Kamajors who attacked your husband?
Kadie Youngah: They were dressed in their traditional Kamajor outfit.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you know why your husband was attacked?
Kadie Youngah: They attacked him because he was a soldier.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you know where he was taken to?
Kadie Youngah: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Since then, have you been able to perform any funeral rites for your husband?
Kadie Youngah: No, I have to take care of the children and I don’t have the resources for that now.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What do you do for a living?
Kadie Youngah: I do petty trading.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you identify any of the people who killed your husband?
Kadie Youngah: I was in a state of worry by then; I couldn’t identify anyone.
Comm. Bishop Humper: The lady who lodged you drove you from her place, was that where you were when the rebels came?
Kadie Youngah: No, we were in another house.
Comm. Bishop Humper: So, can you say that people disclosed your identity?
Kadie Youngah: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: When you say they split open your husband’s stomach and took out his intestines, was he dead or alive?
Kadie Youngah: I said they hit him on the head and carried him away.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You have done well in telling us your story. We have asked you questions, do you have anything questions to ask us or recommendations to make that we might include in our report?
Kadie Youngah: I want to make an appeal to this commission, I have a lot of kids and my husband is dead. Even the house in Daru was burnt down; please do something to help me.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Have you heard of NaCSA? Do you know to what extent they have helped people in your area? Do you know about other NGO’S?
Kadie Youngah: No, I don’t.
Prof Kamara: We have heard you and we will include your recommendations in our report. Thanks for coming.
CLOSED HEARINGS {Children and Victims of Sexual Violence who testified during Closed Hearings Remain Anonymous; The Commission has the Responsibility to Protect such Witnesses by Preventing the Disclosure of Their Identities} HELD IN BO ON 1ST MAY 2003
COMMISSIONER PRESENT: Satang Jow
TRANSCRIBER: Emmanuel Koivaya Amara
SECRETARIES:
Donella Williams
Malorie Barinda Pratt
1st Witness: Lady Asay.
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by Commissioner Satang Jow.
Commissioner Satang Jow: Lady Asay, on behalf of the TRC, I wish to welcome you to this special hearing in Bo. The TRC was established by an Act of parliament in 2000 and was given a broad mandate to create an impartial historical record of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed during the armed conflict; to respond to the needs of victims; to address impunity; to promote reconciliation and healing, and to prevent a reoccurrence of what happened during the conflict. However, the Act also gives us a different mandate to focus on women and children because we are aware that women and children suffered immensely during the conflict and the report we are going to present to the government and the international community will not be complete unless we collect your records. That is why we are very happy that people like you are giving statements and are also appearing for hearings. I want to tell you that there is nothing to be afraid of. All we want to do is to set the records straight and to make recommendations which will help women like you. The information you are going to give to us today will remain confidential. We will not reveal your identity, but the information you give to us will be very important for the commission. I want you to feel relaxed, take your time and tell us your story. We want to know what happened to you during this period of armed conflict in Sierra Leone. You may now begin your testimony.
LADY ASAY’S TESTIMONY
I am Lady Asay and I come from Kasama. One morning, the rebels caught me and took me to an oil plantation. The rebels wore military fatigues. They then flogged me for sometime and they told us to cook for them. In the evening, they caught a man called Joe and killed him. That night, two male rebels had sexual intercourse with me. We slept in that oil plantation and, the following morning, we went to town. The rebels then began to set fire to our houses. In addition to burning our houses, the rebels also looted most of our properties. That was what they did to me. The children, to whom I have I have given birth, cannot go the school. I have let them learn Arabic. After that incident with the rebels, I did not get pregnant for six years, and when I got pregnant, I was discharging puss and other offensive smell from my female organ. However, I was able to deliver. Unto this day, I experience the same problem each time I get pregnant. Up to this moment, I have no money to rebuild my house. I am residing in somebody else’s house. I still do not have money to see a medical doctor.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I have listened very closely to your testimony. Your experience has been a very painful one and I have no doubts that other women have gone through the same experience. We admire the courage you have and we are happy to note that you are trying to rebuild your life. But I would like to ask you a few questions in order to clarify the testimony you have just given to us, and to fill in some of the details wherever we need them. Asay, can you tell us something about yourself; how old were you then?
Lady Asay: I was 25 years.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you married?
Lady Asay: I was married with two children.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us your husband’s name at the time?
Lady Asay: …
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How old were your children at the time?
Lady Asay: 8 years and 5 years.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Asay, you told us that when the rebels attacked your village and many other villages, they abducted people; can you tell us how many of you were taken away?
Lady Asay: I cannot remember the number now. There were many women including women from other villages.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you all taken to the same place?
Lady Asay: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did they abduct only girls or were young boys also abducted?
Lady Asay: They abducted young men and boys. Some of them, since they were taken away, they are coming back only now.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us what they looked like?
Lady Asay: When I saw them, they were dressed like soldiers. Since soldiers usually went to the village, we were, initially, not afraid of the rebels. When they later went to the plantation, they declared that they were rebels; they introduced themselves as the people who killed, looted and burnt down houses.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How far was the plantation?
Lady Asay: A short distance from the village.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Asay, you told us, in your statement, that the only thing which you did was to cook for them. Is that right?
Lady Asay: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us how many of the rebels raped you?
Lady Asay: Two of them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was it continuous or was it one after the other?
Lady Asay: They did it one after the other.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was anybody present while you were raped?
Lady Asay: There was a crowd, but it was dark. However, but my mate witnessed the incident.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you know of any other person that was raped?
Lady Asay: There was a woman who was abducted from Koija; she was raped. But after the incident, the woman went away.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell me what the rebels were saying to you as they raped you?
Lady Asay: They were speaking Mende, and they told me that they needed to have sex with me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you plead for mercy?
Lady Asay: I did not say anything; I was afraid of them because they had guns. I was not the only victim. They were raping women all over.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did they kill any victim during that period?
Lady Asay: Yes; one Pa Joe was killed.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Why did they kill him?
Lady Asay: I don’t know why he was killed him, but I witnessed it.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was he the only person killed?
Lady Asay: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were there any women amongst the rebels?
Lady Asay: They had women among them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you give us an idea of how many women were with them?
Lady Asay: They were many.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What was the role of the women?
Lady Asay: They were also carried guns and wore uniforms.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us the age group of the two men who raped you; were they old or young men?
Lady Asay: They were young men.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What happened after they had raped you; did they abandon you or help you to get up?
Lady Asay: I was with them until the following morning when I went to town together with them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you clarify how long you stayed with them?
Lady Asay: I was with them for one day and one night; from morning until the following morning.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you recall any name which they used?
Lady Asay: I cannot recall their names.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Would you be able to identify anyone of them, if you saw them?
Lady Asay: I cannot identify them because the act was done at night.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did the rebels have camps or just an open space?
Lady Asay: It was in an oil plantation, but they had a big hut there. That was where the people stayed to work in their plantation.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How did you feel after you were raped? Tell us about your reaction.
Lady Asay: I was angry, but I was powerless and could not do anything.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you still angry?
Lady Asay: Now that I have children whom I have to bring up, my power has subsided.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: In your written statement, you said that they asked you to go back and bring all their belongings.
Lady Asay: They did not send me to town. When they went with me, I was there until they returned.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did the rebels take your properties with them?
Lady Asay: Yes; they took a lot of my properties.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did they burn any houses?
Lady Asay: Yes; they burnt my husband’s house and also burnt my father’s house.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you talk to your parents about what happened to you in the bush?
Lady Asay: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What did they say to you?
Lady Asay: They told my husband to take me to a hospital in Bo because it was a problem, and it was serious.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you discuss this with your husband?
Lady Asay: Yes; he took me to Bo and I was treated.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was he very sympathetic?
Lady Asay: Yes; he felt sorry for me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us about the hospital in Bo?
Lady Asay: It was not a real hospital. We went to a nurse, Sister Monica, who gave me injections and some medicines.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You told us that you encounter problems, especially when you are pregnant;
have you been to the hospital?
Lady Asay: It is only when I get pregnant that I experience this problem.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you receive any traditional treatment?
Lady Asay: I did not take any traditional medicine; I only took the treatment which Sister Monica gave to me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you telling us that you have this discharge only when you are pregnant?
Lady Asay: Yes, It is only when I am pregnant that I experience it.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you saying that you are o. k now?
Lady Asay: Yes, I am quite o. k, except that when I am pregnant, I experience it.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Physically, what is you condition?
Lady Asay: I am quite o. k.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mentally, how do you feel?
Lady Asay: Mentally, I am o.k.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Before the incident happened, were you engaged in any work?
Lady Asay: I was engaged in making garden and petty trading.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you still engaged in these activities?
Lady Asay: Yes. Since the rebels burnt down all our houses, we had had a set back. My husband was involved in diamond mining, and we used to put some money aside for the children. But since that of the rebel attack and destruction, we have been left with nothing.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How many children do you now have? You said that prior to the incident, you had two children and, after the incident, you also had two children?
Lady Asay: I have three children. I have given birth to five; I lost two and suffered two abortions.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was it after the incident?
Lady Asay: After the incident, I gave birth to one child and he is still alive; he is five years old. I had another pregnancy and I gave birth to a set of twins which did not survive.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Where did you deliver?
Lady Asay: At the place of the same nurse whom I spoke about; Sister Monica.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Asay, I would like to know whether you did any medical test.
Lady Asay: No, I have not done any test.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Why, is it that nobody advised you?
Lady Asay: I had no advice from anybody.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was that the first time you suffered rape?
Lady Asay: That was the only time the rebels raped me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Has this incident affected your relationship with your husband?
Lady Asay: It has not affected my relationship; there are no disturbances. He was in sympathy with me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Asay, you can ask the commission any questions or make recommendations.
Lady Asay: Since we have narrated all what happened to us, including the humiliations which we have suffered, and considering the fact that we do not have money to educate our children, we need assistance from the Commission and the government.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Asay, this is why we have called you to talk to the commission. We will make recommendations to the government for people like you. The report will be sent to government and the Security Council and the government of this country is bound to implement the recommendations made by TRC. We are hopeful that, as a result of these recommendations, your situation, and those of women generally in Sierra Leone, will be improved and your children, and your children’s children and all those who come after, will live in a more peaceful Sierra Leone where things like this will not happen to you again.
Lady Asay: In the name of God.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: If you were to make recommendations to the government on what happened to you, what recommendations would you make?
Lady Asay: Government should help in providing training for us.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Asay, do you have anything to tell us?
Lady Asay: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I wish to thank you again for coming to this commission and for sharing your experiences with us. We have noted your concerns and the recommendations you have made to us, and we will consider them along side with those of other women in our final report. We would like you to have faith and courage because the TRC will ensure, through its recommendations, that the condition of women is improved and that what happened to you; the violations you experienced, will never happen to your girl child. You may now stand down.
2nd Witness: Lady Taj.
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by Commissioner Satang Jow.
LADY TAJ’S TESTIMONY
At a time when the war was tense, we were in our village. It was in December and Christmas was approaching when we heard that rebels had attacked. There was an exodus fro the surrounding villages into our village. We were gripped by fear and we had to leave the village; we went into the bush. During our first week in the bush, no rebel attacked our village. It was during our second week in the bush that the rebels attacked our village. We were in the bush, and we heard them. The rebels attacked us in our hide out at night. When the rebels attacked our own shed, I was asleep. I was awakened by the noise. When I woke up, people were running helter-skelter. I immediately took to my heels, but as I was running, a rope caught me on my feet and I fell down; the rebels caught me. The rebel who caught me raped me where he caught me. I could not, however, clearly figure him out because it was dark. The rebels took our belongings away from where we had hidden them. The rebels ordered those of us whom they had captured to accompany them. We were half way through the journey when the rebels sent some of us back on the grounds that they had a lot of people already. We returned to the bush where we stayed until we were told that soldiers had recaptured the village. We were then asked to leave the bush and return to town, which we did. The soldiers had advised that a craft was coming to drop bombs in the bush. We therefore left the bush and went to town. Upon our arrival in the village on a Sunday, the village was attacked. We ran away, leaving our remaining belongings in the village; we could not take them along. When the rebels went away, we came back to the village and saw that our houses had been burnt down.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you very much for that testimony. We have listened to the testimony and we are sorry for what happened to you. Can you tell us how old you were at the time of the incident?
Lady Taj: I cannot guess my age; I don’t know. But I have a son who is 19 years old this year.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Prior to the attack, were you living with your parents or husband?
Lady Taj: I was staying with my husband, together with my parents. But I later went to the camp together with my husband; I was married.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How old was your child at that time?
Lady Taj: I cannot remember.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: In your testimony, you told us that a lot of people started coming to the village and that you went into the bush when you saw them.
Lady Taj: Yes, people were coming to the village and I was afraid and, therefore, went into the bush.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were they rebels?
Lady Taj: They were civilians from other villages.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What did you hear?
Lady Taj: I heard from those who came from the town {Witness did not understand the question asked by Commissioner Jow because of the interpreter’s incomprehension of the question}
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You told us that during the second week of your stay in the bush, the rebels started coming to the village. You lived in a shed, in the bush. Can you tell us what the shed looked like?
Lady Taj: It was a farm hut.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How many people were in the hut with you?
Lady Taj: There were three of us who were women, and there was one man; my husband.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was your child with you?
Lady Taj: The child was with his father and, by then, the relation between me and my child’s father had been severed.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What were the rebels saying in the bush?
Lady Taj: The people who were in the bush were the ones shouting that the rebels had come.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You told us that you fell down and you were caught. Can you tell us how many people caught you?
Lady Taj: Only one person caught me, but two of them had sexual intercourse with me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was he in uniform; the man who caught you?
Lady Taj: I cannot tell which clothes they wore, but they had guns.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did the rebels rape you in the presence of other people?
Lady Taj: I cannot tell, because everybody was running away. After the first rebel had raped me, the other rebel also raped me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us what the person, who raped you, was saying as he was raping you?
Lady Taj: When the rebel who caught me initially wanted to rape me, I attempted to shout, and he warned that if I shouted I would be given a big cut in the flesh. When the other rebel then came to rape me, I pleaded with him to put his gun aside.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us what language they were speaking?
Lady Taj: They spoke Mende and they spoke Liberian Creole.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you plead with them?
Lady Taj: I pleaded with them, but they could not be persuaded.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you hear them call their names?
Lady Taj: They did not disclose their names. When they caught me, they were speaking Mende, but after they had raped me, they started speaking Liberian Creole.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us their ages?
Lady Taj: They were all young boys.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you see anybody else being raped?
Lady Taj: No, but I heard from the people of another village that the rebels went there and raped a lot of girls.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you sustain any injuries?
Lady Taj: I sustained stomach ache.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you received medical attention?
Lady Taj: The only medication I have received is traditional herbs.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are there times when you feel depressed and cannot eat; do you feel sad?
Lady Taj: Yes I feel depressed because the stomach pain, sometimes, becomes so painful that it appears as though I am going to die.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: When you went back to the village, who did you talk to?
Lady Taj: I talked to my aunt, my father’s sister, and she prepared native medicines for me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What about your actual parents?
Lady Taj: My mother and father are dead.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What about your husband; did he also return to the village?
Lady Taj: My husband came back to the village, but he left me because of this incident. He picked a quarrel with my aunt because of the medicines she provided for me and, as a result of that, he left me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did the husband know about what happened to you from other sources?
Lady Taj: Yes, he has heard about it from other sources; after our separation. I did not tell him because I was ashamed.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you alone or married?
Lady Taj: I am alone.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you have discharges or any bleeding?
Lady Taj: I have painful menstrual cycles and I experience discharges which wet my pants.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Why did you not go to a medical health centre for help?
Lady Taj: I was ashamed and, in addition to that, I had no money. My aunt therefore advised me to use the native herbs.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you have any children apart from the boy you mentioned?
Lady Taj: I don’t have a child of my own, but I adopted a child. It is that child alone that I have.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What is your feeling at the moment; do you have any other relationship?
Lady Taj: I get involved in relationships with men. One man even said that he was interested in marrying me, but the man has been sent to Freetown by his relatives in order to learn and acquire skills; now I am on my own.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you interested in getting married?
Lady Taj: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I will like to know the reaction of your community when you returned.
Lady Taj: They accepted me and I went along with them amicably. Most of them do not know what happened to me because it happened at night.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Is this the first time you are speaking about this incident in detailed or have you spoken to any NGO about it?
Lady Taj: I have never spoken to any NGO. I have, before today, only shared my experience with the TRC statement taker who took the statement from me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How do you feel now that you have spoken to the TRC?
Lady Taj: Today I feel a bit better because it is the TRC and the government to which I have narrated my story. I would not have felt good if I had explained this ordeal to any other person.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that when you went back to the village, everything had been destroyed. Can you tell us what you lost?
Lady Taj: I lost all my clothes, cooking utensils, bags and everything that I had in my house. My father’s house and property were also burnt down and my father died as a result of that.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How do you support yourself; are you being assisted in any way?
Lady Taj: I have nothing. The boyfriend who was going out with me gave me Le10, 000 in order to be doing petty trading and to up keep my child. Even this year, I want to embark on my garden work, but I have no money.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you for answering my questions and now it is your own time to ask questions and make recommendations to the commission.
Lady Taj: I want to know whether – now that you have listened to my testimony – the Commission only wants to know what happened to us or whether we have been asked to narrate our experiences so that the Commission will provide help to those of us who need it.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We all know that victims suffered. Women also suffered tremendously. We have been asked to make a report and make recommendations in the report. It is only when we know what happened to you that we can make recommendations for government to implement. This is why we are undertaking this exercise to get first hand information from people like you. That is why we are going to note your concerns so that we can incorporate them in the recommendations we shall make to government.
Lady Taj: I want the government to help us with shelter. Government should also give us grants so that we can embark on petty trading.
3rd Witness: Lady Sama
The witness swore on the Bible. Commissioner Satang Jow administered the oath.
LADY SAMA’S TESTIMONY
I was living with my parents at Bumpeh. I was a pupil at the time when the rebels attacked Bumpeh; the attack took place was on the 15th August, 1994. When the rebels attacked Bumpeh, there was fighting between them and the soldiers. Owing to persistent firing in the town, nobody was able to run away. My parents and I went into the house and hid ourselves under the bed; we were there until the firing subsided. We did not know the whereabouts of the soldiers who had been in Bumpeh; the rebels took over the town. We were in the house when the rebels entered and started taking people out of their houses. The rebels removed me from under the bed and had sexual intercourse with me; they took away my chastity. At the time that the rebels took away my virginity, none of my relatives was around. When I came out of the house, after the incident, I did not know what had happened to me; all I knew was that I was bleeding and discharging. Outside the house, I met my elder sister, Mahinteh. I told her that the rebels caught in the house and had sex with me, and that I was bleeding and dizzy. She told me to sit down while she brought water for me to drink. The rebels came again to the house and met me and Mahinteh. The rebels said that they were going to take us along with them; they took us to a village called Sihena. I knew the village. The rebels also caught people at Sihena and gave them loads to carry. When we arrived in Mattru, the rebels, who had adducted us, presented us to their elders, saying that we were the people whom they had caught. The elders then ordered that we should be killed. However, as God could have it, we got somebody who pleaded on our behalf. We also pleaded with them that we knew nothing about the conflict in our country. The man who pleaded for us had to also sign for us; they told him that if we escaped, they would kill him. The man promised the rebels that he would take care of us; he took us to the rebels each morning. I was thirteen years old by that time. I later got somebody who volunteered to take care of me. I would work for the person as though I were the person’s child; I did household chores. I was still living with that person when we went back into the bush. I was with the rebels until I grew up. When we came out of the bush during the AFRC regime, I used that opportunity to come to my parents who live here, in Bo, here; I introduced to them the people with whom I stayed in the bush. During the ECOMOG intervention, the rebels came looking for me in my parents’ house. My parents hid me in the house, but the rebels came and took me away again; they went along with me. I was with the rebels until the disarmament process began. After the disarmament process, parents were going to look for their children at demobilisation centers and other places. However, my parents did not go in search of me; may be, they did not have the chance to do so. I took permission from the person with whom I was staying; I told her that I was coming to look for my parents; I didn’t know whether they were dead or alive. At least some of them must be alive, I thought. She allowed me to come to Bo and search for my parents. Since I came back to Bo, the person with whom I was staying in Makeni has not come to look for me. I stopped going to school because of the war. My parents do not have the upper hand to educate me. I just stay at home with my mother. When I came back from the bush, I had given birth to two children. I cannot afford to do anything for even my two children. My children and I depend on my parents. Since I came back, my parents have been doing everything for me; they are taking care of my children. My caretaker hasn’t come back to look for me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I admire the clarity with which you have told us your testimony. You explained everything very clearly. Can you tell us about yourself before the attack; what level you were in school and the name of the school you attended?
Lady Sama: I was attending Bumpeh High school. I had just been promoted to form two when the rebels attacked Bumpeh.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You remember the date very well, 15th August, 1994. Before this date were there any other attacks on Bumpeh?
Lady Sama: The rebels had attacked the town twice; that was the third attack.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Who was taking care of the town?
Lady Sama: The Sierra Leone Army; the government soldiers.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You have told us that during the attack of 15th August, there was an encounter between the rebels and the soldiers; what happened to the soldiers?
Lady Sama: I would not know; by then, I was in the house, hiding under the bed. By the time I came out, there were no soldiers around.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You were hiding under the bed and they asked you to come out; how did the rebels tell you to come out?
Lady Sama: Two of them removed me from under the bed and one of them raped me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was he a young man or an old person?
Lady Sama: One of them was a child, but the one who raped me was a young man.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Would you identify him, if you saw him?
Lady Sama: I cannot identify him now because it has been a long time. Since that time when I was taken to Mattru Jong, I have not seen him.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: As you were being raped by one of the rebels, what was the other rebel doing?
Lady Sama: The other rebel was asking me about my parents and the properties in the house. I told him that my parents were farmers and they had no money.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you raped only once or more than once; how long did it last?
Lady Sama: I was raped only once and it lasted for over an hour.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you plead with them?
Lady Sama: I pleaded with him, and I was even crying, but he could not be persuaded; he stayed on top of me until he was satisfied.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What language were they speaking? Did they wear uniform?
Lady Sama: They spoke Mende, and they wore uniform.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You told us that you had not started having sex before the incident; when did you start seeing your menses?
Lady Sama: I had not started seeing my menses by then. I started seeing my menses during the war, while I was with them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did your mother know about it? If she did, what did she say to you?
Lady Sama: I did not know where my mother was at that time.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did your sister suffer any violations?
Lady Sama: They did not do anything to her because she was a suckling mother by then.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you say that after this incident the rebels went away.
Lady Sama: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: But they came back the second time; how long did it take for them to come back?
Lady Sama: When they left us - after they had raped me - they went into town and came back on the same day.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: This time they decided to take you and your sister away.
Lady Sama: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: And you went along with them.
Lady Sama: Yes, we went along with them because they said they would kill us if we did not. We pleaded with them to release us, but they refused.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How did you travel?
Lady Sama: We walked through the bush on foot. By the time we arrived in Mattru, since I was not used to covering long distance on foot, my feet were swollen.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that rebels abducted other people and gave them loads to carry; what sort to loads did they carry?
Lady Sama: They were given bags of rice, tins of palm oil and baggage to carry.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were they looted items?
Lady Sama: They were looted items, and all those items were looted from Bumpeh.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us whether those who were abducted were only women, or were there other groups?
Lady Sama: They also abducted girls and women.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How many rebels travelled from Bumpeh to Mattru Jong?
Lady Sama: Their number was large, but since I was not happy on that day, I would not know.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: In your testimony, you said that when you arrived in Mattru Jong, the rebels presented you to elders; who were those elders? Were they commanders?
Lady Sama: Those were rebel leaders; I do not know their ranks.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: The elders had asked that you should be killed, but you were spared. Were there others who should have been killed or was it you and your sister only?
Lady Sama: They spared all of us; they did not kill anybody.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: The man who pleaded on your behalf; was he called by any name?
Lady Sama: I don’t know his name.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: For most of the time you lived with them; you saw how they were operating; can you tell us a little bit about them?
Lady Sama: I was there with the rebels, but I was also living with a woman who was also abducted.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What is the name of this woman?
Lady Sama: Her name is Hawa.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How long did you stay with Hawa?
Lady Sama: I was with her for quite a long time because I was small.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was she kind to you?
Lady Sama: There were days on which she was kind to me and there times when she was not kind to me. There were times when she would ask me to cook and she would not give me my share of food; I had to find food for myself.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you ever been locked up? Because we have heard testimonies about abductees being locked up in a box.
Lady Sama: I have never been locked up in a box. I was not actually punished, but sometimes the woman was harsh with me and they gave me hard chores to do.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you assigned to any of the rebels as wife?
Lady Sama: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: After the first incident, did any of the rebels have sexual intercourse with you again?
Lady Sama: No, I was attached only to the woman that took care of me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You told us that you were able to go back to your parents during the AFRC period; how were you able to go back?
Lady Sama: I was talking about Bo, here. By then, nobody was in the village. I came to Bo, here.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: When you came to Bo, did you find your parents?
Lady Sama: When I came to Bo, I was able to see my parents through the help of my former teacher who told me that my parents were in Bo, and he actually took me to them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us how you managed to leave the bush and come to Bo?
Lady Sama: When the AFRC came to power, they were going for us and bringing us to town. I was still with the rebels and my care taker when, at one time in Bo, I met my teacher who told me about my parents.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: During the ECOMOG intervention, the rebels came back and took you away. Is that true?
Lady Sama: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Where did they take you to?
Lady Sama: The day on which the intervention started, I left the rebels and came to my family. They went after me and enquired about me to my parents. They threatened that if I was not handed over to them, they would Kill my parents and burn their house.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: For how long were you with them?
Lady Sama: I was with them from 1997 to 2000.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that you came back with two children, who is the father of these children?
Lady Sama: Their father is a boy who was a trader; his name is Sama.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How old are they?
Lady Sama: The first one is three years and the other is eleven months.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you have them after or during the incident?
Lady Sama: My husband too was abducted; he went to my care taker and made arrangements with her. That’s how our relationship started.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What is your condition like now?
Lady Sama: Praise be to God! Some times I get headache; but when my children get sick, I am worried.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us how you feel generally, are you angry?
Lady Sama: I feel distressed because my companions together with whom I went to school are now taking their WASCE exams; I cannot continue.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have your received any medical attention?
Lady Sama: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you no discharges, no bleeding?
Lady Sama: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: When you were having your children, did you encounter any problems?
Lady Sama: I had no problems.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you spoken about your ordeal in detail to anybody?
Lady Sama: I have not told anybody. Apart from my mother, the only other people I have told are personnel of the TRC.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What happened to your sister?
Lady Sama: My sister knew the terrain in which we were, so she escaped.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you seen her since then?
Lady Sama: I have seen her. She is still with her former husband and she has given birth to three other children.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you received any assistance from other NGO’s?
Lady Sama: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you take part in any reintegration program?
Lady Sama: No. I was trying to enroll in one of the skills training institutes, but because of the lack of money, I could not. As for the children, my mother will take care of them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Is you husband still with you?
Lady Sama: I am not with my husband. I heard that he is in Kenema. He was also abducted.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How do you support yourself?
Lady Sama: I depend solely on my parents.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Finally, you have gone back to Bumpeh. How does the community there accept you?
Lady Sama: When I came, a lot of people came to the house and welcomed me. They thank me for taking care of myself and the children.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: For how long were you abducted; from 1994 to when?
Lady Sama: From 1994 to 2000.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Sama, you can now ask us questions.
Lady Sama: I want the TRC and the government to support me in order to learn a trade and to assist other girls, like me - who have suffered in the same way - to rebuild our lives again.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: From our records you are still young; you are only 22 years, and there is a lot you can do. We know that there are some NGO’s which are offering these kinds of assistance. We will try and put you in line with some of these NGO’s.
4th Witness: Lady Dikpama
The witness swore on the Koran. The oath was administered by Commissioner Jow.
LADY DIKPAMA’S TESTIMONY
This is a very stressful thing to me. I cannot state, in English, the year in which the war started. However, it was during the fourth month in that year that we were attacked in our village; Gboyama. Yes! The attack on our village was in April; on the 4th day in that month. The village was attacked in the evening. I had prepared the evening meal and we had just finished eating when they attacked the village. The rebels surrounded the village and made sure that they held all the roads leading into and out of the village. After they had blockaded the roads, they then started shooting and setting fire to houses all over the village. My husband and I grabbed our children, my mother and father and we found our way out of the village. We went to a place where we normally went, during the day, to farm. It was about the raining season and we stayed in that place for quite some time. My mother fell ill and I gave her medical treatment. All of our children were around; they were all very young. We were there when we saw the rebels advancing towards us in large numbers; the rebels surrounded us. As soon as the rebels arrived at the place where we had gone into hiding, they arrested my husband. When I asked them to proffer a reason for the arrest of my husband, one of them replied: “You are asking us why we have arrested your husband? Your husband is a Kamajor and we are going to kill him”. I told them that my husband was not a Kamajor and I pleaded with them not to kill him. They asked for the profession of my husband and I told them that my husband worked at PWD. They asked me about his work location and I told them that my husband worked on the roads in the chiefdom. I told them that that was what he did and that he had never been a Kamajor. The rebels said that they were going to kill him. My father, Jusu Komba, called one of the rebels and enquired about what my husband had done that he should deserve death. The rebel repeated that they were going to kill my husband. The old man pleaded with them not to kill him. The old man told the rebel that my husband was like a father to him and that they should kill him instead. The old man further told the rebel that since he was an old man, he would prefer to be killed so that the life of my husband is spared. He pleaded with the rebels to allow my husband to live so that he could take care of his children. The rebels could not be persuaded. The rebels asked my husband to lay prostrate and they used his machete to kill him. The rebels continuously hit my husband until his brains dashed out. The rebels tied my husband and said that they would make sure that he did not see his wife again. After that, they used the machete to cut the veins on the back of his leg. After they had killed my husband, a rebel turned to me and asked whether I was pleased with what he had done: “What do you say?” he asked. I told him that he had killed my husband and that my husband was not a Kamajor, and then he was asking me about what I had to say about it. I said to the rebel: “Look at all the little kids that I have”. Hawa, who was the eldest child, was just nine years old; the rebels raped her right in my presence. She was devirginated. The rebels said that they were going to take Hawa along with them, and I asked: “You have killed my husband, and now you want to take my child away; if you take her away, who will help me?” They told me that I had to wait until the other children grew up in order that they would help me. When they were taking Hawa away, she was crying. I have another child whom I got after Hawa. He is called Vandi. He was also in school when the rebels attacked us. He was seven years old. Eventually, everybody went his or her own way. When we returned home, I told Vandi that I was going to send him back to school, though his father was dead. “God will provide”, I said to myself. In the future, should he be educated, he will be in the position to fend for the home. By the grace of God, I will be empowered to support him. He is very clever. When he went for his training on the Koran, it didn’t take long when his master told me that he, Vandi, had finished his training. He sat for his examination last year. He scored the grade that was set for admittance into Ahmaddiya Muslim Secondary school in Bo. I was informed that Vandi passed the examination, but at that time, I hadn’t money to send him to school. We went together to look for somebody who could lend me some money, but I could not find anyone who was willing to lend me the money. This is the result of the war. I told Vandi to have faith in God and to wait for the appointed time. If it is the will of God that Vandi will go back to school, God will make it happen. I put my trust in God and I look up to Him. This is the end of my testimony.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You told us that your husband was attacked because they thought he was a Kamajor?
Lady Dikpama: When they were working at PWD, they used to wear black t-shirt; that was the t-shirt the rebels met on him. That was why they said he was a Kamajor. The rebels accused my husband of being a Kamajor because of the t-shirt which he had on.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you know of any Kamajor in your village?
Lady Dikpama: There were no Kamajors.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us about the rebels in your village; were they in uniform?
Lady Dikpama: They were in combat fatigues.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were they with guns?
Lady Dikpama: They had many guns.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us about the rebel who killed your husband?
Lady Dikpama: There were a lot of them and I could not identify the one who killed him?
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What language did they speak?
Lady Dikpama: The people who did this act spoke Mende; some were speaking other languages.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We know of instances when rebels asked people to sing and dance when they killed people; did they do that to you?
Lady Dikpama: I did not see that, but I forgot to mention something. After they had killed my husband, the rebels asked me to clap. A rebel told me that if I did not clap, I would also be killed. I told him that if it was the will of God, I would be dead, otherwise, God will judge. Then he raised his machete and wanted to hit me; but a commander presently came from the back and grabbed his arm. I told the commander that that man had killed my husband, and that he wanted to kill me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What did the commander do?
Lady Dikpama: Nothing.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You told us that your husband died; were you able to give him a fitting funeral after his death?
Lady Dikpama: No, I did not.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How long did you stay in that farm?
Lady Dikpama: As soon as my husband was killed, we left that place and went into the bush.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that your daughter was nine years old when she was raped; did you plead with the rebels on her behalf?
Lady Dikpama: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you have an idea why they did that to her?
Lady Dikpama: I cannot say; I have no idea.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did they ask you to stand and witness the rape?
Lady Dikpama: They just caught her and laid her right by me, whilst I was crying.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you able to get your daughter back from the rebels?
Lady Dikpama: About three months ago, some announcements were made about abducted children. I was determined and I went into the bush and finally found her. She is staying with me now, but I found her with two children.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was she a bush wife?
Lady Dikpama: I cannot tell whether she was married. But I found her with two children. Today is the fourth day since I brought her back. She is confused and I am giving her time to come to her senses.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you giving her all the support?
Lady Dikpama: Yes, I am giving her the support I can afford. I even go out of the way to lend money in order to support her.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Will she be willing to talk to the TRC?
Lady Dikpama: The only problem now is that she doesn’t appear to be too normal.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Dikpama, do you have any questions to ask the TRC?
Lady Dikpama: I don’t have any questions. May be one concerning Hawa: The situation is this; I have brought Hawa with two children, now I don’t even have a means of maintaining a livelihood. This is the situation; you can finish it for me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We have noted all the concerns you have raised; particularly the one about education for your son, Vandi. There are many other women like you who have told similar stories. In the report we are going to present to government, we will incorporate recommendations to improve the situation of people like you, your son and Hawa, but I want to suggest that Hawa needs immediate attention. She cannot wait for the conclusion of our report. There are a number of NGO’s across the country, and they offer emotional and material support to girls like Hawa. Through the Regional Coordinator here, we will try and put you in line with some of these organizations. That is all I can say for now Dikpama. Have faith in the TRC.
AFTERNOON SESSION OF CLOSED HEARINGS
HELD IN BO ON 1ST MAY, 2003
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
Bishop J.C Humper {Chairman}: Presiding
Satang Jow
Prof. John Kamara: Recording
LEADER OF EVIDENCE:
Leader of Evidence Ojielo
TRANSCRIBER:
Emmanuel Koivaya Amara
SECRETARIES:
Donella Williams
Malorie Barinda Pratt
1st Witness: Master Rokono
Comm. Bishop Humper – We called you here this afternoon because our Mandate is, among other things, to create an impartial history of the conflict in this country. At the conclusion of these hearings and the work in totality, the commission will submit its report in which it will make recommendations to the government and the international community. I want you to know that you are not in a court. You will share your experiences during the war with us; we represent your parents and elders. Feel free and relax your minds; we are here to support you and to journey with you throughout your life. At the Lome peace agreement, the RUF and other warring factions came together and thought it fit to establish the TRC. Seven commissioners were appointed; four nationals and three internationals. Here, with me, are commissioners Professor John Kamara; a national commissioner, Satang Jow; an international commissioner, and Bishop Humper, who is talking to you. I am the chairman of the commission and I am a national commissioner. There is another team which is in Port Loko, and there are some other commissioners on that team. With your mother, father and grand father here with you, you are at home. Feel free and talk to us. We will be the last people to take you to court; our ultimate goal is to make you become a full grown person with all the potentials of helping this nation. At the end of all this, we will ask you what you want to become that will make you a great gentleman of this nation.
MASTER ROKONO’S TESTIMONY
Before the war broke out in our part of the country, I was in class one in a school in Mattru. We were on holidays in a village around Mattru when the rebels attacked us. The rebels killed some people and they abducted us. They asked us to join them and, wherever they went, they took us along with them. They were stealing from some people and cutting off some people’s hands and arms. They trained us and gave us guns; they punished me a lot. We would attack places, kill people and take some of the people away. We also took creatures away during such attacks. At one time while we were in the bush, we went short of food and water and two of us were sent to fetch water. At another time, they sent us again and we ran away from them; we took our guns with us. As we were trying to escape, we went to a town because we were thirsty and we wanted to drink water. The people in the town asked where we were coming from, and we told them that we had been abducted by rebels, but that we had escaped and were trying to run away. They tied us and laid us in the sun, but some people pleaded for us and we were released. As we were going, we met some other set of rebels and they wanted to kill us; we explained our story to them and we joined them. We went to a town were rebels and soldiers were fighting and we took advantage of the situation and ran away; I went to my home town. When I got to my home town, my mother decided that I should go back to school and I started going to school.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We can imagine what you went through. You said that they punished you a lot; what kind of punishment did they give to you?
Master Rokono: They would tie us and, at other times, flog us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How many of your type were with them?
Master Rokono: Just two of us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Amongst the group, were there girls?
Master Rokono: Girls were there.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Is it that whenever they went to attack those villages they captured girls?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What were they saying about the country?
Master Rokono: I cannot remember.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Do you say you are going to school; what class are you in now?
Master Rokono: Class six.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What would you want to become when you grow up? Or you have not thought about that yet; you are waiting until you finish your NPSE?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: When the rebels attacked your village, how many of you, young boys, were abducted.
Master Rokono: Two of us.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: And the two of you stayed together right through?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: The other boy, what’s his name?
Master Rokono: David Sandy.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You live in the same village?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that when you were with the rebels they did a lot of bad thing; can you tell us some?
Master Rokono: They would burn people’s houses, kill people, loot property and take people away.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you say anything to them on such occasions?
Master Rokono – No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said you were trained; can you tell us some of the training you went through?
Master Rokono: We were made to parade for long periods; they tied us and asked us to roll.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you trained to use guns?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: On what occasions did you use the guns?
Master Rokono: On many occasions.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Who was your commander?
Master Rokono: Corporal Gborie.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was it a nickname?
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: That was what they called him.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you know the names of the other rebels?
Master Rokono: I don’t know.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How did you relate with them?
Master Rokono: We called them corporals.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What was your rank?
Master Rokono: I had no rank; I was only a follower.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you, at any time, take part in amputations?
Master Rokono: I did not amputate, but I killed people.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How did you feel at the time you were doing it?
Master Rokono: We were forced to kill.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you, at any time, object?
Master Rokono: Sometimes I did, but, at such time, they would threaten to kill me if I didn’t obey their orders
Comm. Kamara: I can imagine how young you were in 1994; so the story you are telling us took place when you were barely six years old. According to your statement, you were at one time forced to open a woman’s belly?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Kamara: How soon after you were abducted were you made to do that horrible act?
Master Rokono: It was after some time.
Comm. Kamara: When you say some time, can you guess whether it was a year after or two years?
Master Rokono: It was after about a year.
Comm. Kamara: After a year; when you were just seven years?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Kamara: Has your mind ever gone back to that time?
Master Rokono: It used to.
Comm. Kamara: How have you felt whenever you thought of that?
Master Rokono: I don’t feel good about it.
Comm. Kamara: Can you remember the person who made you do that?
Master Rokono: I don’t.
Comm. Kamara: You say you are now in school; you are 15 and you are in class six. How do you find going to school?
Master Rokono: I have now come to realize that where we were was a bad place.
Comm. Kamara: Now, you are happy at school?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Kamara: Have some of those friends you’ve made at school got the same experience like you?
Master Rokono: No.
Comm. Kamara: There are no other young boys, in the school, who have gone through your kind of experience?
Master Rokono: No.
Comm. Kamara: Do the other boys and girls in the school know you have gone through this experience?
Master Rokono: Yes, they do.
Comm. Kamara: And they encourage you?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Kamara: Do you find it easy to learn?
Master Rokono: No.
Comm. Kamara: When did you start going to school? Can you remember when your mother said you should start going to school? Was it during Johnny Paul Koroma’s time or when was it?
Master Rokono: I cannot remember.
Comm. Kamara: Thank you very much for your information, Master Rokono.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did they give you drugs?
Comm. Bishop Humper: They never gave me anything of the sort.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Can you remember some of the names of the rebels?
Master Rokono: I can remember only one, I have forgotten the rest.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Who is that?
Master Rokono: Lt. Sorie.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you hear any name like Akim?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you hear any name like Issa Sesay?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Mosquito?
Master Rokono: Yes, but it was only Mosquito whom I did not see.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We have been asking you questions to help us in writing our report, now you are going to ask us questions or make suggestions as to what you think the government should do so that young boys like you will never again be victims of war in the history of this country. Do you have any questions?
Master Rokono: I don’t have any questions.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: In the written statement, you said that your parents were killed by RUF; were you told or did you witness it?
Master Rokono: I was told by people.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: So your parents are no longer alive?
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you say that your parents were killed?
Master Rokono: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Who is taking care of your education?
Comm. Bishop Humper: My grandmother sent me to school, but she is dead. My uncle now takes care of me.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Is your uncle working? If yes, where?
Master Rokono: Yes, at the Education office.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What message do you have for your brothers out there? What message do you have for this country?
Master Rokono: The only thing I have to tell them is that they should stop doing bad things; we should all come together.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Are you physically fit?
Master Rokono: No, not much.
Comm. Bishop Humper: When you came back, were you taken to the hospital?
Master Rokono: No, nothing like that happened.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You have had the courage to come to this commission, there are some of your brothers out there, what is your message to them?
Master Rokono: The only message I have for them is that they should stop doing evil acts; we should all come together and be one.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What would you like people to do for you?
Master Rokono: The only help I want from any source is help to go through my education.
2nd Witness: Master Bowanag
Comm. Bishop Humper: We welcome you to this commission. We are a family you can relate to. We have three commissioners here, Commissioner Satang Jow of the Gambia, Commissioner Kamara and myself, the Chairman of this commission, Commissioner Humper. This is a very big day. Initially, you said that you will do something before we do anything; you said that you will sing a song. Are you ready now to sing the song? There is also a song called “Promise” which you said you will sing for us.
Master Bowanag: {Sang two songs}
Comm. Bishop Humper: In your songs, you spoke on behalf of all your brothers. Your songs will go out not only for this country, but for the entire world. Feel relaxed; all the commissioners and staff here are your people. Say whatever you want to say to us this afternoon; this is the only opportunity you have. You have told us so much in your songs. So, now, tell us what you went through during the war; we are now listening to you.
MASTER BOWANAG’S TESTIMONY
At one time, while I was living with my father and step mother in Kenema, my step mother sent me to fetch water. At that time, my father was not around. My step mother was used to maltreating me; she would send me out of the house; to stay in the street, etc. When I went to the stream to fetch water on that fateful day, I heard gun shots. When I heard the gun shots, I went to the direction from which the sound of the gun supposedly came from in order to see what was happening. I went there and the rebels grabbed me and asked me to go with them. They captured a lot of other children and took us along Hangha road; we headed for Hangha and finally got to Bo Njeila. After four days, we got to their base. There was a lady called Monica to whom we were handed for training. After training, they gave us guns. When we went to the bush to be trained - it was at Zogoda - we were there for a year. We were given training in what we referred to as ‘firing squad’ and we were also trained how to dodge bullets coming from the enemy. Some of the children who were with us died during the training. There was a hole over which a rope was hung. During the training, we were requested to go over that hole; swinging on the rope. If one got tired and could no longer hold unto the rope, one would fall into the hole and die. The hole served as the grave of victims who died during that process. There were five holes, and when about twenty children would have fallen into one hole, the rebels would close that hole and go on to use the other hole. Some of us endured that training, but some could not. A lot of children died during that training. When the newly captured children came, I was in sympathy with them. One day, I was asked to go with one of the newly captured boys to fetch water, and I proposed to the boy that we should run away. They normally sent us around with security so that we would not run away. The boy hit the man, who was sent to keep watch on us, on his head with the bucket. While they were struggling, I used the gun to secure me and my friend. We went into the bush and we stayed there for fifteen days. At one moment, he said that he wanted to drink water and I told him that I did not have water. He then asked me to kill him. I told him that he had not done anything and therefore I had no reason to kill him. However, he insisted that I should kill him or else he would kill me. I then shot him, but he didn’t die on the spot. As I was walking away, he called out to me; he shot at himself. Before he died, he said that I should always remember him and that I should bury his body. So I covered his body with leaves and continued my journey. I took six days in the bush. When I went unto the road, I saw the Kamajors and I went into the bush again. As I went back into the bush, I saw another group of Kamajors who grabbed me and asked me to lead them to the rebels or they would kill me. I told them that we should follow the route on the map which led through the hills because if we followed the straight path, the rebels would see us and they would kill us. I told them that the rebels were using the technique of placing empty containers on the way and once one stepped on them, they would know that someone was coming and they would way lay and kill the intruder. I led them through that hilly path and we came upon the rebels and attacked them. After that, we came back to the Kamajor zone and I was handed over to a David Johnny. Owing to the maltreatment the Kamajors gave to me, I escaped and went to Dambala where I stayed with a lady. It was at that point that I heard of the Unaccompanied Street Children’s program. When I enquired, the lady told that me I would have to come to Bo in order to know more about the program.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you for sharing this testimony with us. We want to get one thing clear. Which was the first to capture you; the rebels or Kamajors?
Master Bowanag: The rebels were the first to capture me.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you say your step-mother had already asked you out?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Was she in town when the rebels came?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you hear anything about her when you were in the bush?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You said you landed in the hands of the Kamajors?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Can you tell us why they were maltreating you?
Master Bowanag: They claimed that I was a spy for the rebels; that’s why they were maltreating me.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Apart from killing your friend in the bush, did you kill any other person?
Master Bowanag: No Sir.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We have heard your story and we believe your songs will reach out to all Sierra Leoneans. Did you say you were living in Kenema when you were abducted?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you say your father was out of the country or out of Kenema when this incident happened?
Master Bowanag: Yes, he was out of Kenema.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said you were living with your step-mother, where was your mother?
Master Bowanag: My mother was in Bo; she and my father had separated.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us more about Libya?
Master Bowanag: That was a camp for ex–combatants.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How many children were in that camp?
Master Bowanag: Many.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were there young girls?
Master Bowanag: Many.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What were they doing?
Master Bowanag: Some cooked, some were women of the commandos, and some were being raped.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you there when they were raped?
Master Bowanag: Yes. There was also a house called “Iron house”, that was where they took pregnant women to burn them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You mentioned Monica, what was her role?
Master Bowanag: She trained the children how to fight; she would take them to the bush.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell what she was like?
Master Bowanag: She spoke Krio but she also spoke Mende, she is now at Daru camp.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you seen her since?
Master Bowanag – The last time I saw her was when we came for training.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Apart from Monica, who else trained you?
Master Bowanag: Superman, Mingo and Mosquito who originally started training me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us what type of training was given to you?
Master Bowanag: They were training us so that we could go to the war front and fight.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that some children died during that training; can you tell us how many children died?
Master Bowanag: Two hundred of us went for the training, but only one hundred and fifty of us came back.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How were those children buried?
Master Bowanag: They were covered in those holes into which they fell, and that was their grave.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You mentioned Zogoda; tell us about Zogoda.
Master Bowanag: That was a place where advanced training was taking place. A lot of people died there also. They trained us how to escape bombs and bullets. They would fired live bullets and bombs and you were expected to try and dodge them otherwise you would be killed.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: At your age, you should not have the kind of experience you have just told us about; unfortunately you were in that situation. In accordance with your songs, I hope it will help other children not to be in this same situation : as you have just explained to us – which you found yourself in. You said you were sent to fetch water then you had gun shots, instead of running back to the house, you went to investigate. Why did you react that way?
Master Bowanag: I did that because my brother was at home and on my way going to look out for him, I met the rebels.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So they took you to Bo Njeila, to Hangha, to Libya; after training, you went to Zogoda. How long was this training?
Master Bowanag: Six months at Libya and six months at Zogoda.
Comm. Kamara: The friend whom you advised to escape; were you all trained together?
Master Bowanag – No, he was one of those who were newly abducted.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: After the Zogoda training, did you participate in any rebel attacks?
Master Bowanag: We used to go on attacks, but I would stay behind. Whenever we were sent to loot, they would send one Burkinabe soldier with us; we had seven Burkinabe soldiers with us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: How many such expeditions can you remember; either looting or killing?
Master Bowanag: About ten times.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Did you witness a lot of killing and looting?
Master Bowanag: Yes. They were also burning houses and looting at some point; we had no bosses with us, so at that time, I was shot on my foot.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Your friend asked you to shoot him and you refused. How many guns did you have?
Master Bowanag: He had one and I also had one.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: And because he threatened to kill you, you decided to shoot him?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Kamara: Did you really want to kill him?
Master Bowanag: No, that was why I shot him on the leg.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You buried him?
Master Bowanag: I did not dig a hole, I only cut leaves and covered his body.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: I want you to make clear your journey to the rebels with the Kamajors.
Master Bowanag: I told them that we should use a bye pass route up the hills since camp Zogoda was in the middle. I did not want the rebels to take notice of us when we would be approaching. If they did, they would kill us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Where was camp Zogoda?
Master Bowanag: Near Zimmi.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: How did you discover the program in Bo?
Master Bowanag: A woman whom I met at Dambala told me about the program for war affected children, and I was advised to come to Bo.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Zimmi and camp Zogoda are two extreme points, so how did you get there?
Master Bowanag: We walked.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Can you tell us some of the incidents you encountered on the way?
Master Bowanag: We met rebels on our way when we were going towards the north, but the Kamajors advised that we leave them alone as we hadn’t much ammunition.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: At camp Zogoda, did you meet with Foday Sankoh?
Master Bowanag: Yes. Red Cross were also coming there in their helicopter; they brought medicines and ammunition for us and we, in turn, gave them diamonds.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Did you say that Red Cross was supplying ammunition to rebels?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Did they land at any spot?
Master Bowanag: They would come to our camp and use our landing area, but they did not quite land; they lowered their helicopter and used a rope to send down medicines and ammunition to us, and we, in turn, did likewise to send diamonds up to them.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: How did the diamonds get there?
Master Bowanag: By a rope.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We have asked you a lot of questions; do you have any questions to ask?
Master Bowanag: When you wanted to bring this TRC program to this district, did you sensitize the people?
Comm. Bishop Humper: Yes, we did.
Master Bowanag: People are saying that the TRC and the Special Court are the same, and if you testify at the TRC, you might end up being arrested.
Comm. Bishop Humper: There are thousands of your kinds out there, but people like you will get the others to know that they can come here and tell their stories and they will not be arrested. What do you want us to write in our recommendation; to tell the government?
Master Bowanag: I want to tell government to reach out to those children, like me, who have suffered; some have even suffered more. Government should open a center because some children are rejected when they go to their people; they are called rebels. I want them to help us with our education. In my case, for instance, my head master has been threatening that I will not take the NPSE mock exams because my program did not pay for it. I am asking the government to help me go through my education. As for me, I don’t want to be with my parents because they don’t want me to become educated and be what I want to be in future in order that I can take care of myself. I don’t have even school materials. This is all I have to say.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: what is your state of health?
Master Bowanag: I am not sick, my present plight is that I lose memory of things easily.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Since your return, have you ever been to see a doctor?
Master Bowanag: I don’t have anybody to take me to a doctor.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you had any counselling before coming to talk to the TRC?
Master Bowanag: Yes, the Unaccompanied Child Protection Group did counsel me.
Comm. Kamara: The two songs you sang just now, who composed them?
Master Bowanag: Myself.
Comm. Kamara: Are you interested in music?
Master Bowanag: Yes.
Comm. Kamara: Do you have the opportunity to pursue this course?
Master Bowanag: I don’t, if I have the opportunity I will be happy.
Comm. Kamara: When did you compose those songs?
Master Bowanag: When I was with Talking Drums Studio.
Comm. Kamara: If you are with them, why won’t they help you?
Master Bowanag: They won’t do it.
3rd Witness: Master Japo
Comm. Bishop Humper – You are welcome. We want you to know that here, in this room, you have mothers, fathers and grand fathers. I will first of all introduce the commissioners to you. We have Commissioner Jow from the Gambia, Commissioner Kamara and me, the Chairman, Commissioner Humper; we are both Sierra Leoneans. You heard about the Lome Peace Accord that gave rise to TRC so that people like you will go back to your people and join the society; our law in this country does not allow children to be sent to jail. I want you to know that we know much more than you do, but we want you to tell us all that happened to you during the war as it will be useful to us in the writing of our report.
MASTER JAPO’S TESTIMONY
I am retired Capt. Master Japo; they used to call me “War Blood”. I was born in Bo in 1984. My mother and father were in Bumpeh when this war started; I was in Bo, here, going to school. One day, my friend and I went in search of food at Kabama; we went to pick mangoes. It was then that heard that people were packing out of the town; little did we know that there were rebels and SSD’S in the area. When Foday Sankoh initially came, he had SSD men and one SLA. My friend advised that we rush back to town. As we were going to town, we saw some men who had dread locks and others had red caps; the ones who had red caps spoke Krio. They asked us to carry ammunition boxes. We complained that the boxes were heavy, but they said that if we complained, we would be killed. We arrived in a village were many people had been captured, and there was fire on many of the houses. When we dropped the boxes, I saw my mother and father; they were naked. There were also other people there. They ordered all the women to have sex with their fathers; and all the men were ordered to have sex with their mothers. I shouted out that I had never done that. They asked me to identify my mother. When we got to the top of the bush, they put them all in a house, sprinkled petrol on the house and set the house on fire. They asked us, who had carried the boxes, to follow them. I had no relatives left, so I went with them. We walked and came to a place called Mosenesi junction where they said we should join them. They eventually took us to Rutile where the mining was done. There was a restaurant where I saw a Pa, who was not too old, and a woman. They then said that they had captured boys because boys were needed. There was no way for me to escape. They said that if we attempted to escape or do otherwise than obey their instructions, we would be killed. That Pa had a country cloth on, and he asked us to sit down so that he could address us. He told us that he was taking us to a place, and that we would never see the place where we were again. Whilst we were there, the Guineans who were here had heard that rebels were at Sierra Rutile; the Pa then asked us to go to Moriba town; down the market place. We were there for a while and one of my friends escaped. The following morning, when they did not see my friend, they said that I was a brilliant boy and that I was going to join the revolution. I said “No”, but they said that I would be a gun carrier, so I agreed. They moved with us and we walked to Taninahun junction. They asked us to use the road that leads to Freetown; I had never been to Freetown. We got to a place where, according to them, was our destination. The lady and the old man asked me to help do the washing up of cooking utensils so that in the morning we would move on. We came to Bo and then to Kailahun; that was a very strange experience. They then selected me and my friend, Abdul, and told us that we would be going to Liberia. They showed me something yellow and said that I was sick, but I said I was not. They then struck me on the leg. With that kind of experience, I became hostile and I hated my friend whom I had loved. After we had finished eating, they told us that some people would take us from Senegal Park to Burkina Faso. We travelled all day and night, and they told us that that would be our final destination. They told us that they were planning a dangerous war in Sierra Leone and that we were going to be trained as spies. I then saw two fresh human heads on a stick and I also witness the death of children. We were told to run. There was food, but since I was used to eating rice, I could not eat anything other than rice. I was then prepared to fight because I had lost both parents. They then gave me, other boys and big men marks on the sides of our stomachs. Each morning, we went jogging; at times we would run and never get tired. There were times when we would be in the bush for long hours, and there were times when we would squat with our guns on our shoulders for about five hours.
One day, they told that they were going to teach us to swim with a rope. During that exercise, some men died. When it was time for me to swing on the rope, I prayed that the souls of my late parents be with me. They pushed me and I held on to the rope till I crossed over. They then said that they would take us to Liberia and that we would be there and then move on to Kailahun. It was in Kailahun that I met Sam Bockarie. General Mosquito requested that I become his boy; I was to be responsible for washing his uniform. However, the Pa said that I was a trained man and that I should be in the jungle; by then we were trying to enter into Koribondo.
We walked a long distance, captured Koribondo and we were based there. It was then agreed that I was a brilliant boy and, as a result of that, I was sent on a mission to capture a village. It was 6 in the morning and I made a ‘one lock’ ambush. I went to one door and knocked; a Pa opened and when he saw me he was afraid; he locked the door. I then whistled to give a signal to my colleagues and we overran the town. We went to several villages and took them. I was then a small boy, but I considered myself a big man. I had a commander who was called Ibrahim Koroma, a.k.a “Flash”. There was another one who did not talk and did not take bath. Whenever it wanted to rain, he was afraid; since that was my terrain, I would manoeuvre with him when the clouds showed signs of rain
In 1996, they told us that our men were coming to join us in order to capture Bo. One of my men, Richie, who was a trained SLA, said that he would be with me, and that I should not be afraid of anything. We hit New London in Bo. We were inside the brigade, yet the kids did not know anything about us; they gave us food. When the Burkinabe was arrested, we changed our tactics. We had an identification card which was the two Leones note. We had a mark which we were given upon completion of training. We hit Bo, but we did not succeed; we pulled out and went to Kenema. We went to a place called Sembehun junction, and It was agreed that I should be a spy. I went to parties and danced all night. I watched them carefully; I stayed with them and sent news to my colleagues. The first time I did that, my men came and they hit, but they did not succeed. They came again a second time. We agreed that we would attack Kpetema, and that if we settled there, we would be able to get troops from Liberia. They asked me to attack Kpetema. They agreed that they would add Bobor Pain and another boy, both of whom hailed from that area, to the attacking force that would be led by me. We hit and we succeeded; we abducted the men in the palm wine booth and asked them to join us.
They asked me to attack another village, and I asked for weapons. There were fifteen of us. We hit again and I succeeded. I was then promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. I was then a big man in the jungle. I had no one to look back to, so I fought without fear. We fought and took many villages. One evening, General Mosquito came and said that he had heard of my successes. I then had my boy who later died when he was with me; I asked him to hold my weapon while I climbed a tree where I could not be seen; and I asked him to go and tell the other men to come at night because I was keeping watch on the town. I told myself that we would succeed in that town. The people had come from prayers, and I had thoroughly studied the town and had found my escape route in case my movements are found out. By then my boy had taken the message that I had entered into the town. There were Nigerian soldiers hiding in trenches and I read their maps; so I sent a message to my men saying that they should come at night. One Ecomog soldier suspected our movements and he was presently killed. That day, many men died; out of forty five men, fifteen died. We sent for more men, but they refused to send us men, so we went back and reported the matter to Sankoh. Sankoh said that we should not destroy his mission, so he sent us back to fight. We fought for three days; we took all the ammunitions of Ecomog and we used the road that leads to Daru, from Freetown. On our way, we saw a truck and we laid an ambushed; it drove into the ambush, we shot at the tyres and it somersaulted. We took everything that was in the truck and we moved on. When the people of the village heard gun shots, they knew that we had come. Guineans were there. I had a shot very close to my ears and, as I turned round, I saw a huge man; I told my men that we should pull out. As we were pulling out, we saw a truck and those who were in it told us that they were going to Magbosie. I was told that I should capture that village in order to get promotion in the jungle. There was a Lt. Jongopie and others who wanted to know me. By then I was a small boy and everybody wanted to know me. We were then in control of Magbosie right unto Okra Hill; we made a bye pass route from Magbosie to Okra Hill. Magbosie was called Foday Sankoh’s garage; there were a lot of cars there. We were there for a long time; people did not realize what we were doing; but in Mile 91 and the surrounding villages; the Temne area, people knew that rebels were there. We decided to start looking for women; we laid ambushes for vehicles. Lungi and the surrounding villages were my area; when you approach the town from the direction of Bo, the first storey building which faces you was where I had my office. I captured five SLA soldiers. I am not denying that I kill or burnt houses, but I never killed an innocent person. If one asked me not to kill him or her, I would ask that person to join the revolution.
Since we were big men in the revolution, I advised that we take a move to capture Daru. Some of my colleagues said that Daru was an SLA base, but my bosses told me that I should not be afraid, so I went on. I left Koribondo and I never went there again. We went to Kenema and slept at Labamba hotel. We had some big men whom we sold diamonds to and we asked them to help us sleep in the hotel with the understanding that we would leave the following morning. We all went on board a truck and sealed it as though we were taking supply items. We did not enter into the town; we disembarked half way to the town. I knew the zone well, even the routes that lead to Guinea and Liberia. The first time I saw Charles Taylor, I knew that he was a Jew. Alimamy Balay came from Guinea and bribed us to sell diamonds to him; they bribed us to sell diamonds in exchange for food and wearing apparels. There was an air field so helicopters came with food for us. We made contacts with South Africans who gave us fuel and we gave them diamonds. Alimamy Balay, Charles Taylor and Poto all sent representatives.
The revolution took a different turn; some big men came and started using me, so I went to tell Pa Sankoh. He told me that it was peace time so I should try to fend for myself. We captured some men together with whom we did things in common; we would attack together. We opened a mining company and the South Africans joined us; they would go to Freetown and load fuel and land on our air strip. Ecomog refused to join us, so we gathered our full squad and decided to drive Ecomog out by force; we removed Ecomog finally. Bunumbu, Daru and all the other places were free for us, and we decided to enter into Tongo. There was a man called Banya who was born and bred in Tongo; we convinced him and he joined us. We gave him a lot of dollars; the South Africans were behind us; Charles Taylor, Alimamy Balay and Poto were all supporting us. Then we had a good force; we fought for the whole day, but they repelled us. We attacked again and took over Tongo. We asked Banya to take one area and we asked Rambo to join him and we warned them not to allow anybody to take the area from them. When we captured the headquarters, we launched our attacks from there. When we found our diamonds, the big men would search us and take everything away from us. We fought, we killed and we decided to leave Tongo. We captured Bunumbu and there was a fellow called Bobor Pain; that was where he hailed from, so we asked him to lead us. We hit Bunumbu once and we failed. We hit again and we succeeded. There were soldiers in that terrain; we did not spend a month there when we were attacked. We fought and burnt an armoured car. Ecomog came and we burnt their military truck. Another set came and sprayed us; that caused much bodily harm to many of our men. We resolved that we would not leave Bunumbu until the last man was killed. So we decided to convince the soldiers in Daru. Papay Sankoh made an arrangement and asked us to enter in the early hours of the morning; we attacked and took Daru. We were there until we had a programme to enter into Liberia for further training. We shook hands with Charles Taylor and other big men. However, all that we had was taken away from us; what we had was claimed to be government property. We were fighting; therefore we decided to go our several ways in order to fend for ourselves. We went directly towards the Guinean border; into Mallehany. Any rebel who did not trust himself to be strong would not survive. We were there until we heard gun shots in the bush one morning. We then advanced to see what was happening and we saw that two fouls were fighting for rice and there were two men with plastic shoes. We asked them to identify themselves, but there was no response from them. When two of my men rushed towards them, they were gunned down; there were only three of us left then. We left a boy at the scene as a camouflage, hoping that if they saw the boy they would think that we had left. Seven Kamajors led by their commander, Sidique, came from the bush. I told one of my colleagues to go up the hill and I laid on the floor; I instructed that we should pick them one after the other. As they attempted to take the rice, we shot at them; we killed them one after the other as they came out to take the rice. They wanted to dodge, but we were up the hill and we were using motherly invectives. We were there when some other men came, disguised as rebels, and when my personal body guard shouted “Identify”, they shot and killed him. I then retreated, but one of my men had RPG so I called out and, when those men turned towards me, I launched the bomb at them.
We went to another village where we were captured; they stripped us and each man gave us a hundred strokes of the cane. The Kamajors left us with five men to keep watch on us. I told my colleague that I had no gun and that I was wounded, so he should help and save me as I had saved him on many occasions. I told him that as a trained man, I could open the door to the room in which we were placed. I had a swollen foot as a result of bullet wounds, so I held the door and my boy helped me to open it. We killed the first two Kamajors whom we saw. My body guard then took the guns of the Kamajor guards and since they were heavily drugged, they knew nothing; we gunned them down and took their guns. We met some men on our way and we exchanged our usual codes; the ULIMO boys then recognized me and I identified myself. I was dumped into a hole where there was a boar constrictor. I initially thought that it was a human being and I beckoned to it. When I realised that it was a snake, I ran out of the hole and I went to a farm house. People were at the farm house. I opened a bullet, put it in water and rubbed it on my foot; I was hoping that my flesh would split open and the bullet would come out. My boy was still with me and he urged me to move on. What bothered me most was the treatment I was getting from my bosses; all they gave me were capsules. I was getting fed up when they came with a pen knife and removed the bullet. My wound started fettering and the foot was getting rot, but I still held on to my gun; I not afraid of anything in this world. We then went to Bunumbu again; I was captured again and I was beaten thoroughly. I wanted to leave the movement, but I had to go on because I had no relatives. I went back to Tongo; we mined diamonds and did sober business. We were in Tongo when Balay came with Lansana conteh’s son. He came to get men who would launch an attack on Guinea. He said that there was eight hundred thousand Leones for each fighter who would be involved in that deal. We left Tongo and went to the air field from where we took off and went to Bunumbu. There was a road that led to Guinea, so we went by that road and we were based somewhere around Guinea. We did not understand the terrain so we took children’s school uniforms and the teachers’ uniforms too. We decided that we were going to cross over into Guinea, so we tied ourselves to drums and we crossed the river over to Gegedu; there about five hundred of us. We wore those school uniforms and told a lie that we were school children, but they suspected us. We took another strategy; we dressed as though we were going to the night club, but our presence was suspected due to the way in which we spent money. They didn’t know that we had our bomb carriers with us; it was a risky programme. There was a boy whom we asked to show us the terrain; as he pointed to the direction we were asking for, they killed him because if we had allowed that boy to go back that would have been a problem. We sat by the bank of the river, waiting for 6 a.m. The Guineans had three groups; soldiers, police and vigilantes. When we arrived, people were praying, so we decided that somebody should enter into the Mosque and take the imams gown which we would use. Whilst we were on this mission, some of our men were cooking; we went back later and ate. When we entered into the town, the police were sleeping. We tried to enter quietly, but they suspected us so we decided to enter with force; we put on our full combat fatigues. For three days and nights, we were engaged in active combat. We crawled close to them and one of our men hit the barracks. We challenged men no matter how huge they were. The Guinean soldiers had a filthy armoured car. However, our Generals were greedy. We were on a hilly side and when we shot at them, it got to them, but when they shot at us, it did not reach us. When they came close to us, we shot at the armoured car. They therefore brought together all their three forces. We had eight Generals; no child died in that battle, all of those who died, on our side, were big men. I went into one house and took out a box. When I opened it, it was full of money. Major Trust Me asked me to give him the box, but I refused. However, my boss ordered me to give it to him and I did; but he was not satisfied. We went to Karefa Smart’s hospital and we succeeded in opening it, but whoever attempted to jump over that gutter was fired; major Trust Me was fired and his guts came out. We continued to fight. When one of them saw me, we shot at each other several times. His cap fell down, and when he was trying to retrieve it, I took note of him and that was his end. That night, we left Sierra Leone for Guinea.
If you attempted to leave Tongo in order to come and participate in the disarmament programme, you were in trouble. Some Generals started harassing me because of my women. One night, I had a dream; in that dream, somebody told me to go and the person promised to be with me. The following morning, I took my gun and left. On my way, I saw a jeep filled with some of our men, I hid from them and when they had gone pass me, I shot and killed them. When the others heard the two gun shots, I was in danger, so I escaped and walked on to Mano junction. It was a problem to enter into the town; I thought that they were going to kill me. I was the first man who came to be disarmed. I asked for medical treatment, but they made no effort; I asked for benefit, nothing happened; they said that I was a child so they sent me to CARITAS.
The day on which I got to CARITAS, they asked me to go into a vehicle, but since I still had drugs in my system and I became outrageous. I was taken to the 34 hospital and I was given some drugs in order that I could sleep. When I woke up, I felt better. They tried to trace one of my aunts.
I entered for the BECE exams and Tucker paid 45 thousand Leones, out of his pocket, for me. When I went to the DDR office, they treated me shabbily; IRC is worse. Should I become somebody, it is through the help of Steven Tucker; he does everything for me.
I thank God and I thank you all.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Master Japo, we thank you for your testimony. We know that you went through a lot of troubles unduly. Although we believe every word that you have spoken, we will, as part of the procedure, ask you questions in order to make clear some of the ponts you have raised. What one thing it was that moved you to join the RUF?
Master Japo: I had no relative again.
Comm. Kamara: You spoke of the Foday Sankoh garage; did you take part in the massacre which gave that place its name?
Master Japo: I am neither denying nor am I acquiescing, but any time there is war, there must be death tolls.
Comm. Kamara: Did you take part in that massacre which gave that place its name?
Master Japo: Yes, I was there.
Comm. Kamara: You spoke about a fight over rice, you said people were killed on either side, how many?
Master Japo: Three on our side and four on their side.
Comm. Kamara: You also said that Alimamy Balay and Lansana Conteh’s son came to recruit you and they gave you some money, how much?
Master Japo: Any man who went and returned, and if the mission was successful, would be given eight thousand Leones.
Comm. Kamara: You spoke of Karefa Smart’s hospital; where is that?
Master Japo: Near the bank.
Comm. Kamara: Where is that?
Master Japo: Gegedu.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Whilst in the RUF, you rose to the rank of captain, and you had your own unit, tell us something about the command structure within the RUF.
Master Japo: We were in groups of five headed by Mosquito and, later, by Eagle.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you in the top command structure?
Master Japo: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you speak to people like Foday Sankoh?
Master Japo: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you receive salary?
Master Japo: No, what you grabbed was what you ate. A very tough man from Liberia, Poto and another man from Kenema sold our items for us, and they would take needed items back to us.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You spoke of drugs given to you, did you take other drugs?
Master Japo: Yes, soberly; there were different types.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How were those drugs acquired?
Master Japo: People with whom we did business outside the country brought them for us; without those drugs, we couldn’t work.
Comm. Kamara: Do you know of any instance in which the International Red Cross came to any base to give arms and ammunitions?
Master Japo: We were in a bad zone, you could neither come out nor enter; you would be asked to go back.
Comm. Kamara: Can you tell us a little bit about how you captured Koribondo?
Master Japo: We went in and spied on them; we left all our uniforms and ammunitions outside. After that, we entered into the town. It was at Lungi that we planned to enter into Koribondo.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What happened there; were people killed; were houses burnt?
Master Japo: It was a war; all that should happen.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you ever go to camp Zogoda?
Master Japo: Oh! I forgot all my camps.
Leader of Evidence: The year you were captured, was it the same year you were sent to Burkina Faso?
Master Japo: No, the following year, 1995.
Leader of Evidence: How long did you stay there?
Master Japo: About seven months.
Leader of Evidence: How many small boys were there?
Master Japo: Many; about fifty.
Leader of Evidence: Did Foday Sankoh come to see you?
Master Japo: Yes, he came to spur us on.
Leader of Evidence: The drugs they were giving to you, did they give it to you continually?
Master Japo: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: You were given dedrugged in Freetown; where?
Master Japo: At a hospital.
Leader of Evidence: Do you still feel like taking drugs?
Master Japo: Yes, but I don’t take any other drug other than marijuana.
Leader of Evidence: So you were Sankoh’s CSO until he got arrested in Nigeria?
Master Japo: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know anything about Zambians?
Master Japo: No.
Comm. Bishop Humper: This was quite an exercise; you are not only helping small children, but also the nation as a whole. What questions or recommendations do you have for the government?
Master Japo: I don’t have any support now except from this man who is helping me. As for the NGO’s, they are not helping in any way. I am appealing to the government to help me, I want to learn; I am not happy with the trade I am learning right now, I don’t like it, but my aunt with whom I am staying is poor.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did I hear you say you have no permanent place?
Master Japo: Yes, my aunt lives in a single room and we are about twenty of us who live in that house. I have to go into the bush and get wood which I split to sell. I get help from Tucker; I sometimes knock on his door late at night for food. He has to go looking for me all over these days; he was not happy about how and where he met me.
Comm. Bishop Humper: If you want this commission to send a message to the government, in its report, concerning children in this country, what would that be?
Master Japo: There should be no war in this country any more; children have suffered. I was living with one man, but his wife harassed me; she works at IRC and they are supposed to protect us. My stature does not portray how much I suffer. I depend on Tucker largely, but he too is a family man and he can’t do more than the ordinary; he too is a family man.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You are a clever person and I know that if you have the opportunity, you will do great things. This will be the opening message for this country; if there are any of your brothers moving around, please encourage them to come to the commission before Saturday, when we shall leave here, and tell their stories. You have a double barrel; you are a victim; you watched your parents being killed, and you were also a perpetrator.
Master Japo: I did not want to come; I thought I was going to be jailed. But Tucker convinced me and explained to me because I was about to run away to Liberia. I have something to say; I am a sickler and very recently a bullet was removed from my body, and it was this man who gave me money and sent me to a doctor. Please do not forget me.
Comm. Bishop Humper: By God’s grace, something will be worked out for you. Thank you for testifying to the Commission.
HEARINGS HELD ON 2ND MAY 2003 AT THE BO TOWN HALL
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
Satang Jow: Presiding
Bishop J.C Humper {Chairman}: Recording
Prof. John Kamara
LEADER OF EVIDENCE:
Leader of Evidence Ojielo
TRANSCRIBER:
Emmanuel Koivaya Amara
SECRETARIES:
Donella Williams
Malorie Barinda Pratt
The usual Muslim and Christian prayers were said before the start of the hearings. The Leader of Evidence called the first witness for the day.
1st Witness: Ann Ellie
The witness swore on the Koran. Commissioner Satang Jow administered the oath.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Ann, I welcome you, on behalf of my colleagues. We want you to feel relaxed as you relate your experiences. We are now ready to listen to your testimony.
ANN ELLIE’S TESTIMONY
At the beginning of the war, we were at Njala when the strangers came. We were in the hall that day and the rebels told us that they were going to protect us. We started doing things normally. The rebels missed their way and after a month and a half, they started threatening the men in the town. Then there was the monthly general cleaning. One night, a man told my husband that my husband and the other men were not taking instructions from them; the man claimed that he had reliably learnt that each time my husband and the other men heard gun shot, they ran away. One morning, we were awakened to the sound of gun shots all over the place. The town was held in complete panic. When we got to the point of convergence, they gave instructions that if anybody heard any gun shot, they should hide under their beds. We wanted to go out of the town, but the rebels did not allow us to go anywhere; we should continue to be under the beds, they told us. The rebels started killing people. They then went to our own house; I was in my own room and my husband was in his own room. The rebels came and said if we did not open the door of the house, they would kill all of us. When my husband opened the door, they put a gun on his chest and shot at him. My mother was also killed. They took all our properties away and, at the moment, we have nothing. That is what is paining me now. This is the end of my testimony.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We thank you for your testimony. We will, however, ask you a few questions for clarification. Who were these people that attacked your village?
Ann Ellie: They were rebels.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How were you able to escape?
Ann Ellie: While they were shooting, we bowed down and carefully ran away from them; that was how I escaped.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you have a fitting burial for your mother and husband?
Ann Ellie: All of those who were killed were buried in one mass grave.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You spoke of soldiers coming to your village and then you said that those soldiers misbehaved; is that true?
Ann Ellie: Well, there were three rebels during the attack who, when we got back to the town, were forcefully taking properties and abducting people. They were doing that all the time. After looting our properties, they would begin to shoot and everybody was afraid of getting close to them.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: They were not different from the rebels; is that so?
Ann Ellie: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: There were soldiers in the town to protect the town. Where were those soldiers when the rebels attacked?
Ann Ellie: They were in the town and they did not go anywhere.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Whose child was your mother carrying?
Ann Ellie: My child.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Where is the child now?
Ann Ellie: The child is with me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How many times did the rebels attack the town?
Ann Ellie: Two times.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Was it in the same year?
Ann Ellie: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you describe the way they were dressed?
Ann Ellie: They had the same uniform as the soldiers.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you recall any name that the rebels were calling?
Ann Ellie: They had some Mende names, but I cannot recall them. There were so many names.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I want to know if they had nicknames.
Ann Ellie: There were so many names, but I can only recall ‘’C.O’’.
Leader of Evidence: What was your mother’s name?
Ann Ellie: Her name was Jane Bockarie.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We have had your testimony and you have answered several questions. Now it is your turn to ask us questions or make recommendations.
Ann Ellie: The only thing I have to say is that my husband and mother are dead. I have children and there is no father to take care of them; my children left school because of school fees. I don’t have money to pay their fees.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I will like to tell you that this commission will complete its assignment and submit its report to government and, in this report, we will also make recommendations. A number of people had made recommendations and these recommendations will be incorporated in the report. We know you have immediate concerns and the commission’s staff will try to refer you to certain agencies around Bo who will assist you as soon as possible.
2nd Witness: Michael R. Conteh
The witness swore on the Bible. Commissioner Jow administered the oath.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mr. Michael Conteh, we welcome you. Relax, feel free and feel at home as you give your testimony. The TRC is not a court. You can now begin your testimony.
MICHAEL R. CONTEH’S TESTIMONY
When the war started in this country in 1994, we heard that the rebels had been to Koindu. I hail from Njala Komborya; nine miles from Koindu. I went to my village, which is seven miles away. While I was in my village, I heard that the rebels were three miles to Njala. The rebels burnt down the house of the current paramount chief. We were terrified; the rebels said that they had missed their way, and they went back. That same year, in September, the rebels came again to Njala town. While we were at Njala, we thought that they would provide security for us, but we realised that they didn’t want to defend us. A woman, whose son was a soldier, came from Tongo. That woman told me that as long as the soldiers were around, we were safe. The following day, I went to my village. In my village, I was told that the rebels had gone to Njala. On September 8, the rebels killed over twenty people at Njala. Four days after that incident, nobody went to Njala in order to see what had happened. It was then that I told my children to go and see what had happened. When the rebels went to Njala and the soldiers saw them, they shouted at them. They did not burn down my house, but they burnt down several houses. Since I was worried, I went to Njala and learnt that the soldiers were occupying my house. I told the soldiers that I was there so that I could take my belongings to Bo. In February 1995, the rebels attacked again. During that attacked, the rebels completely burnt my compound and my two children who were in one of the houses that the rebels burnt down, were burnt to death. We did not hear anything about the children until after two days. When the other brothers got there, they found out that the compound was completely destroyed and two of their brothers were dead. The soldiers shouted at the boys, but they took the corpses of their brothers and to the trench where they were buried. Since then, I have been a worried man. My eldest son was the first to be burnt to death. That is the world in which I live now. This is all I have to tell the commission.
Comm. Bishop Humper: we are sorry for what happened to you during the war. At your age, you should now be sitting down and expecting your children to help you. You are considered as one of the victims of the war. The commission would like to know if you are an old soldier.
Michael Conteh: I was an officer in the army up to 1969.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did I hear you say that while you were there, the rebels attacked those villages around the town?
Michael Conteh: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You asked your eldest son to go and find out what was happening; what did he come back to tell you?
Michael Conteh: When they returned, they told me that they had burnt down houses in Njala.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did I hear you say that your two children were burnt to death? My question is whether the soldiers help the two boys to bury their brothers?
Michael Conteh: They were shouting at them to hurry up and get out of the town.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How did these children survive the war?
Michael Conteh: They were with me; we lived in a village, seven miles to Njala.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Would you say that the rebels and soldiers were in connivance?
Comm. Bishop Humper: I would think so because a man told me a story. One Sergeant Komeh told me that as long as soldiers were in Njala, the rebels would get there.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Did you have Civil Defence Forces in Njala or any of the villages?
Michael Conteh: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: During the crisis, were you in Njala?
Michael Conteh: No; I was in my village.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You also told us that you were worried about the soldiers. Can you tell us what exactly they were doing?
Michael Conteh: As I stated in my testimony, I am an ex-army officer; I know what soldiers should do to defend the people. They were taking things like goats and other properties away; the soldiers were engaged in looting rather than in the defence of the people.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that you got information most of the time and you sent your sons to find out. Where are these sons, are they still alive?
Michael Conteh: They are alive.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are they old enough to give statement to the commission?
Michael Conteh: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can we have their names?
Michael Conteh: Joseph McCarthy and Thomas McCarthy; the latter is at Bo Teachers’ college.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mr. Conteh, what do you do to support yourself?
Michael Conteh: Well, for a long time, I was not doing anything.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you willing to reconcile for the sake of peace?
Michael Conteh: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Would you know any of these rebels?
Michael Conteh: I don’t know them.
Leader of Evidence: At what rank did you retire from the army?
Michael Conteh: In 1969.
Leader of Evidence: At what age did you retire?
Michael Conteh: I was born in 1940.
Leader of Evidence: Can you tell the commission why you retired so early?
Michael Conteh: At one time the soldiers stood firm against the officers in the army and they arrested me and put me in jail for seven months. One day, they wrote a letter to me, notifying me that I had been retired.
Leader of Evidence: Looking back on your days in the army, what do you think has changed in the army?
Michael Conteh: There is a difference! One of the differences is that when the soldiers got there, they promised that they would defend us, but they did not.
Leader of Evidence: As an officer in the army, what were the causes of coups in the army?
Michael Conteh: The other ranks did not like that government.
Leader of Evidence: Does this imply that during the time you were in the army, some senior Officers were corrupt?
Michael Conteh: That is what is happening and that was why we fought.
Leader of Evidence: Could you like to tell the commission what was responsible for this?
Michael Conteh: I said I can’t tell what they were doing. I used to take orders from the senior officers.
Leader of Evidence: What kind of reform would you like to see in the army so that things will change?
Michael Conteh: What I know is that, at any given point in time, the soldiers will respect the government in power.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What changes do you want to see in the military? Since you HAVE said that your own days in the military were not the same as it is now, should the commission ask you to make a submission; will you be prepared to do so?
Michael Conteh: I will go there and say what I know.
Comm. Bishop Humper: How many cows, or pigs, or goats did they take from you?
Michael Conteh: They took nine goats from me. However, there were other goats in that village; over two hundred.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much Mr. Conteh.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Over to you Commissioner Kamara.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Right! Thank you Mr. Conteh. You have interested us in your evidence particularly after the leader of Evidence has questioned you. I hope you will permit me to just ask you a few other questions. You said that you were a Lieutenant in 1996 when you retired; when were you promoted to that rank?
Michael Conteh: If you were commissioned, you would be made a second lieutenant and, after a year, you would be automatically promoted to the rank of lieutenant. I was commissioned in 1966. I was a cadet, trained in Britain.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Alright, thank you. So you were a commissioned officer in 1967; the year of the election?
Michael Conteh: That is correct.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You were, therefore, part of the administration of the NRC.
Michael Conteh: It was not every officer that was made minister in the NRC government; people were appointed to form that government.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Mr. Conteh, you know the circumstances or, let me start by saying this. You know that you lost Black Staff House in late 1967 and early 1968…it got burnt; you can remember that now.
Michael Conteh: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Do you know the circumstances? Can you tell us?
Michael Conteh: We were on duty when we heard that Black Staff House was on fire.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Alright let me ask you the other way round. Who was occupying Black Staff House at the time?
Michael Conteh: Major Kai Samba.
Comm. Kamara: What were the stories going around at that time?
Michael Conteh: I went there to put out the fire when we were told that the house was on fire.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Yes, and what did you discover?
Michael Conteh: I saw the fire only.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Alright, thank you.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mr. Conteh, thank you for giving us an insight into the military during your days. From the questions we have put to you in these areas, we know that you have a lot of information to give us, and we are happy to know that you are ready to cooperate with us in this direction; and the Commission will follow up on the invitation extended to you by the chairman, for you to appear at the thematic hearings in Freetown. Our senior staff will talk to you about this, and we are hopeful that you will continue to cooperate with this Commission. Mr. Conteh, we have asked you a number of questions, and I thank you for your help; your contribution and for the clarity in which you have answered our questions. It is now your turn. If you have any questions; if you have any recommendations, you may now make them before this Commission.
Michael Conteh: I have no question, but I have recommendations to make. May there be peace in this country. As you work towards it, may we have peace and reconciliation in this country. Here am I now, I have no where to live, and I am not the only victim. I know that the government cannot replace the children we have lost. However, if we have a place to stay until death, that will be great. There are also a good number of widows and half orphans and orphans; government should consider them. That is all I have to say.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mr. Conteh, once again, thank you for those valuable recommendations which you have made to this commission. We, as a Commission, have a duty to this nation. At the end of our assignment, we have to forward our report to government. This report will include a number of recommendations, and this is why we are conducting this kind of exercise so that people can tell us their testimonies and also give us ideas as to how to build a better Sierra Leone. We have noted your concerns along side those of many others. When we come to write our report, we will incorporate some of these useful recommendations. Mr. Conteh, on behalf of all of us here, we thank you very much. You may now stand down.
Michael Conteh: I thank you also.
3rd Witness: Mary S. Lebbie
The witness swore on the Bible. The oath was administered by Commissioner Satang Jow.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mary, thank you for coming to the Commission this morning to share your experiences with us; to tell us what happened to you during the armed conflict. It takes courage to accept such an invitation. We thank you for your cooperation. We want you to feel very comfortable in our midst; we are not a court of law. We are here to consolidate the peace process and to bring reconciliation and healing to this country. So, in this context, we want you to narrate your story very carefully and clearly. You may now begin.
MARY S. LEBBIE’S TESTIMONY
At the beginning of the war, I left Njala and went to my relatives. I was with my relatives for sometime when, one morning, I saw people. They told me that the rebels had attacked Gumahun, our village, the previous day and had burnt down our house. That was the first set of rebels that entered into Njala Komborya. I hosted the people who came from our village, and we were there for sometime. A week later, they returned to Njala. After a while, my husband went to Njala and, when he returned, he confirmed that they had burnt down our house. After sometime, people came with news that the rebels had attacked Njala, burnt so many houses and killed a number of people. They people who came with the news from Njala stayed with us. My husband ran into the bush. No too long after that, another set of people came and reported that Njala had been totally destroyed. That set also joined us. We were all at Saan when the rebels got there one day. We all ran in different directions into the bush. We were in the bush when they burnt down the entire village. After the village had been burnt down and the rebels had retreated, people came out of the bush; the went spy on the village. Each household had somebody who went to spy on the village. They returned to tell us that Saan was no more. The following morning, people started pursuing the rebels with the intention to catch them. In the process, one of my brothers, Momoh, was grabbed by a rebel; we were not there because it was not possible for a woman to be there. Our brother and the rebel had a fight and, when Momoh was over powered by the rebel, made bold to cry out for help. People went to his rescue and grabbed the rebel. The rebel was brought to the village and people urged him to see what they had done; they had burnt down the village. They said that they were going to accompany the rebel; they went and came back. The men in the village who had captured the rebel told us that the number of rebels who came to destroy the village was large, but that the other rebels had retreated. They went to escort the rebel. We were in the bush when another set of rebels came. They completely burnt down the village. We went hiding in the bush until we got to Nengbema; my sister lived there with her husband, and we went with them into a bush camp. It rained for the rest of that night, and we wanted to proceed to Bo. My sister’s husband went to us and advised us not to go. He told us that they had been to the stream in a bid to walk on foot, and that the rebels were there and they were throwing people into the stream. By then people were coming from Tonge, Mongere, Njala Komborya, Ngelehun Baja, Ngalu Bagbeh and there was a huge crowd of people; they were throwing people into the stream through out that night. We went back and took another route through Manguama and got to this town. We have been in Bo since then, but we go in search of food; we walk to Saan to harvest some cassava. During one of such trips, the rebels came again met us in the bush. The zone to which they went was not part of our terrain. Those who lived in that area came to us and told us that the suckling mothers who were there and were engaged in some traditional Bondo rite activities had had their heads hit on the rock, their heads smashed and they had been thrown into the stream. We ran away again and stayed in Bo permanently until the Kamajors ordered that they were going to…. [didn’t complete the sentence]
When we were here in Bo, we went out to look for food at one time, and the rebels met us in the bush. The people in the nearby village told us that the rebels had thrown children into a river. When I got to Njala, I learnt that they had burnt down all the houses. The only house which we had after the rebels had burnt down the others, and which we had hoped to occupy, was looted. I did not go back to Saan because if I went there, the rebels would be my host; my brother was killed.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mary, we have carefully listened to your testimony. The Commissioners and Leader of Evidence would ask you questions, and you would be given the opportunity to ask questions and make recommendations after all.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Mary, I want to join my colleague commissioners in thanking you for cooperating with us. You are one of the people who are helping this nation. I just have three questions for clarifications. What did you survive on while you were in the bush?
Mary Lebbie: We had cassava in the bush, and sometimes we would go to our swamps to collect rice.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Do you have an idea of how many people the rebels pushed in the river?
Mary Lebbie: As far as I know, in my own town, my sister, the father-in-law of my sister and the children were thrown into the river. There were other people, who were thrown into the river, but I cannot tell the exact number.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You said that they caught the rebels and the people escorted them?
Mary Lebbie: They only said that they were going to escort him; I don’t know whether they did; I did not see them.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Have you children?
Mary Lebbie: Yes
Comm. Prof. Kamara: How many?
Mary Lebbie: Six children.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You had to be moving with them because occasionally you were not with your husband; is that right?
Mary Lebbie: They were with their father at the time when I was running here and there. I had had a quarrel with my husband so I went to my people. The children were at Baoma because they were attending school.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Those people that captured your brother, were they CDF, rebels or soldiers?
Mary Lebbie: I don’t know; all I know is that they were in military fatigue.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You had men and officers of the army in your village?
Mary Lebbie: No.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: According to what you said in your statement, this incident took place between 1993 and 1995; what happened to you in 1995?
Mary Lebbie: All I can say is that in 1995 they burnt all the places that belonged to us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Where have you been living?
Mary Lebbie: In Bo.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Have you now been reunited with your husband?
Mary Lebbie: Yes; a very long time ago.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Are the children also reunited?
Mary Lebbie: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that some of your relatives were thrown into the river; did you witness the incident or were you told?
Mary Lebbie: I was in the bush when a sister of one of the victims came weeping and she told us that her sister had been thrown into the river.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you able to perform a fitting burial rite for those who died?
Mary Lebbie: No. After a while, when the water level reduced, we went looking for the corpses. Wherever we found one or two corpses, we buried them there.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do the villagers still use this river for domestic use?
Mary Lebbie: Some of the bodies were eaten by the fish in the river.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you very much Mary. We have asked you a lot of questions. It is now your turn to ask questions or make recommendations if you have any.
Mary Lebbie: I have no questions, but I have recommendations to make. All I can say is that most of us who are victims are very old. I crave your indulgence to ask that the government helps us.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: I want to thank you very much. However, I want to inform you that the commission cannot give assistance to individuals. What I will assure you of now is that your recommendations will be included in the report.
4th Witness: Bobor Jabatie
The witness swore on the Bible. The oath was administered by Commissioner Kamara.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Mr Bobor Jabatie, you are welcome to this session of the hearings. If you were here this morning, you would have observed that everybody who has given a statement here was quite relaxed. And we want to assume the same attitude in giving a very complete and truthful statement about what you experienced during the war.
BOBOR JABATIE’S TESTIMONY
I was with my father, together with other relatives including my brothers, in the house one morning, when the rebels came and surrounded the house. My father was a Kamajor, but when the rebels asked him, he said that he was not. They arrested all of us and took us away to Kpetema. When we arrived at Kpetema, the five gallon container in which we put palm oil was lit up and they asked him to sit down; he sat under the burning container as they dropped the it on him. He was punished for some while. There was the carcass of a vehicle in Kpetema village. The laid him on the ground and were pushing that carcass over him. They did that until he died. When he died, they asked to take his corpse for burial; then I was very sad and discouraged. We did not give him a fitting burial. They took away from that point unto the hills. When they took us there, they gave us husk rice to pound. After that, they took us by the Sewa. When we got there, I escaped and went to my village. This was what the rebels did to me.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you very much Mr. Jabatie.
Bobor Jabatie: I also thank the Commission.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: We are happy that you have given us a very up to the point statement about what you and your family experienced. The incident you narrated took place in 1996. Do you want to tell us that after that, nothing else happened to you or your family which would warrant your narrating it here?
Bobor Jabatie: By the time the statement takers went to take statement, a lot of things had happened to me, but I did not have the opportunity to narrate it all because I was in a hurry.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: And you can’t think of anything that you might have experienced during the war; that pertain to the war that you tell this Commission.
Bobor Jabatie: By the time they killed my father, my brothers and sisters; I am the eldest son; they were released and they returned to Kpetema where the built a hut in the bush camp. When I returned to Kpetema, I fended for all of them; I was the bread winner.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you, but let us go back to this incident in 1996. You said that you were taken from Benduma to Kpetema; the entire family. When you arrived there, how long did it take before your dad was finally killed; before they pushed this vehicle over him?
Bobor Jabatie: When they took us to Kpetema, they did a lot of bad things to us. It was on that same day that they killed my father.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: During that time, what were they doing to you; the children?
Bobor Jabatie: I was, by then, worried at heart. Actually, they did not know that he was my father so they did not do anything to us at that time. My father died on the day we were captured.
Comm. Prof Kamara: They didn’t do anything to you; what do you mean?
Bobor Jabatie: They did nothing to me, except that they took us up the hill to pound husk rice.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you. I hope you would allow other Commissioners to ask you a few questions.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: After they killed your father, how long did you stay with the rebels?
Bobor Jabatie: The rebels moved around with us. After the death of my father, I was with the rebels for approximately one week.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you describe the rebels to us; what were they like?
Bobor Jabatie: Those people, when they attacked and arrested us, together with our father, they had military fatigues and carried guns. When the captured my father, they told him ‘’the rebels have captured you this day’’.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did they, on any occasion, tell you why they were doing such things to you and your family?
Bobor Jabatie: When they captured my father that night, they accused him of being of a Kamajor. My father was not a Kamajor, he was a Reverend.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: In your testimony, Mr. Jabatie, you also said that there were many captured people at the base where you were; who were these captured people?
Bobor Jabatie: The people who were our neighbours in the other villages.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were there young children among them?
Bobor Jabatie: I would not recall because I was under tremendous stress when I was captured.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mr. Jabatie, you have also told us that you joined the Kamajor in 1997; where were you based as a Kamajor?
Bobor Jabatie: When the rebels killed my father and we left our village and its surroundings and came to Bo, we stayed here unto 1996 when we returned to our village; Benduma. When we returned, that was when they told us to join the Kamajor so that we could defend our land.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us where the information came from that you should join the Kamajor?
Bobor Jabatie: The message came from the chiefs in the area.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: O.K my last question to you; who was the leader of you Kamajor group?
Bobor Jabatie: Sheku Abu.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you Mr. Jabatie.
Bobor Jabatie: I also thank the Commission.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Mr. Jabatie, we want to thank you for coming today. It is painful to witness the death of your father and be unable to take him out of the hands of people. I want you to clarify a statement for me; it is here, but we want to get it from you. Why did you join the Kamajor?
Bobor Jabatie: I joined the Kamajors after the death of my father; my brothers, sisters and other relatives were still alive and we did not want a recurrence of what had happened to my father. We could prevent the rebels from wrecking further havocs. I joined the Kamajor in order to protect our territory and people.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Mr. Jabatie, will you agree with me that, according to you, you joined the Kamajors because the soldiers failed to protect your people?
Bobor Jabatie: Where we were, soldiers did not go there to protect us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Listen! I said that you joined the Kamajor to do what the Sierra Leone Army could not do; that is to protect your people.
Bobor Jabatie: That is correct.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Will I be right to say also that it had something to do with the death of your father? Did the death of your father influence you, in any way, to join the Kamajor?
Bobor Jabatie: When a man dies, he is dead and gone; I had other relatives and other people to protect. So I joined the Kamajor in order to protect my territory, my people and the country as a whole.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Mr. Jabatie, is your mother dead?
Bobor Jabatie: No.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did she die a natural death?
Bobor Jabatie: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you Mr. Jabatie. I will now ask the Leader of Evidence whether he has any questions for you.
Leader of Evidence: Yes Commissioner. Mr. Jabatie, I just have one or two questions for you. Where were you based as a Kamajor?
Bobor Jabatie: I was at Benduma.
Leader of Evidence: For how long?
Bobor Jabatie: I was there from 1997 unto the end of war.
Leader of Evidence: Did you go for any operations outside Benduma?
Bobor Jabatie: While we were at Benduma, they would arrange us into groups and sent for operations when we learnt that there were rebels somewhere. As a result, we went to a number of places including Yamandu, Gerehun, etc.
Leader of Evidence: So could you give the Commission a fair idea, apart from these two places, of the places where you had fighting with the rebels?
Bobor Jabatie: Yamandu, Gerehun and even Bo.
Leader of Evidence: In the course of those operations, how many rebels did you people capture?
Bobor Jabatie: I did not capture any rebels. When we went to battle, we were in groups; in our group, we did not capture any rebel. We chased them away. I personally neither killed nor caught any rebel.
Leader of Evidence: So what happened to the rebels you people engaged with? Did they run away or what?
Bobor Jabatie: When we went to battle, for instance at Yamandu, and actually found out that they were rebels – we had people who went on reconnaissance moves – we surrounded the town and launched an attack. They rebels would then run away.
Leader of Evidence: So do I understand you, Mr. Jabatie, as saying that there was very limited fighting between you and the rebels in the areas you operated as a Kamajor?
Bobor Jabatie: If you were in your village and somebody came with a gun threatening to fight and kill you, if you had the means, you would do all you could to defend yourself.
Leader of Evidence: So do I understand you as saying, Mr. Jabatie, that there was actually some fighting?
Bobor Jabatie: I was trained to fight in order to defend my country.
Leader of Evidence: I am not arguing against that at all; I just wanted to understand what happened in the course of the conflict; that’s the work of the Commission.
Bobor Jabatie: Like I said earlier on, if you were a man and somebody threatened to kill you, you would definitely fight back. In the course of that, whatever happened counts not.
Leader of Evidence: So my next question would be, how many rebel prisoners did your group capture?
Bobor Jabatie: I had said earlier that, in our group, we did not capture rebels.
Leader of Evidence: They died?
Bobor Jabatie: Like I said earlier, if an evil person sets your house on fire while you are still within, should you come out and find that person, you either leave the person there or the person leaves you in the fire.
Leader of Evidence: Mr. Jabatie the Commission is not evaluating whether what you did was wrong or right that is not the intention of the Commission. The question is only to understand what happened; and if there was fighting, how deep was the fighting; how ferocious, because these are the things that the Commission must bear in mind in making recommendations that it does not happen again. So what I understand you to be saying is that whether you were a Kamajor or a rebel, nobody took hostages; before the man thinks he can kill you, you kill him first. Is that correct?
Bobor Jabatie: No.
Leader of Evidence: Then tell us what happened.
Bobor Jabatie: When we went to battle and met the rebels in town, after the exchange of firing, their brothers as well as our brothers were killed in the process. After the battle, we saw corpses.
Leader of Evidence: How long were you trained as a Kamajor?
Bobor Jabatie: Kamajor is a society; you have to be initiated.
Leader of Evidence: So, once you were initiated, you were sent to the war front?
Bobor Jabatie: It is society once you get initiated into it, you got the urge to go to battle.
Leader of Evidence: How long does an initiation process take?
Bobor Jabatie: Except one was not resident in the village where the initiation took place, but if one was resident there, it took only one night. After that, the following morning, if there was a battle somewhere around the territory, you were sent to fight.
Leader of Evidence: So do I understand you, Mr. Jabatie, to be saying that if you were, for instance, nominated by a chief, you would go for initiation for one night and the other day you were sent to the battle front?
Bobor Jabatie: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: And were you not taught how to use guns; how to defend yourself; how to understand the terrain in which you were; were you not taught any of those things – about how to deal with civilians who were not fighters?
Bobor Jabatie: When we were initiated, we had only single barrel guns, those were what we took to the battle front. When we got to the battle front and got guns from the enemy, upon return to the village we gave guns to our brothers who had witnessed the shooting of a gun by a soldier. One was taught to fire a gun in one day.
Leader of Evidence: Which is to say that the only thing you got taught then was how to fire a gun.
Bobor Jabatie: Yes; we started with single barrel guns.
Leader of Evidence: In all the years you were a member of the Kamajor, were there instances where some of your colleagues died; you lost some of your colleagues?
Bobor Jabatie: At one time we went to fight at Gerehun, a man called Foday died; that’s what I can recall. The only way by which we realised that we had lost colleagues was when we returned to our village after battle.
Leader of Evidence: I understand that, and I can agree with that. My question is that the number of years you spent, either in your group or people you knew as Kamajors; were there occasions that some people died in the war as a result of fighting?
Bobor Jabatie: What I saw is what I can report. In our own group, only Foday died. However, I heard of deaths from other groups, but I never saw them.
Leader of Evidence: And they were dying at the war front?
Bobor Jabatie: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: And What about injuries : battle front injuries : were there those that sustained battle front injuries like bullets piercing their arms or shrapnel, RPG, bullet wounds – either in your group or those that you heard of?
Bobor Jabatie: In our own town, it never happened. However, within the chiefdom, a lot of people sustained injuries. Even at Benduma, Foday, whom I spoke about just now, there was a man called Daiffi Musa who stood behind Foday when we went to battle. When Foday was shot, the bullet went through Foday and injured Daiffi; he got injured and he is still alive.
Leader of Evidence: As part of your one day initiation, were you taught anything like first aid, in case you had any injuries at the front?
Bobor Jabatie: They taught us; the leaf directed us.
Leader of Evidence: I need to understand that last part – the leaf would direct; could you explain what you mean by that?
Bobor Jabatie: As Kamajors, we had concoctions which we applied to the injuries of our colleagues at the front until we were able to take them to a medical practitioner.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you Mr. Jabatie. The man that was your commander; what was his rank?
Bobor Jabatie: We had two commanders; one who would take you to the battle front – Patrol Commander; and the one who inspected you when you returned from the battle front.
Leader of Evidence: The one that sent you to the battle front; what was his rank?
Bobor Jabatie: I cannot say what his rank was; we only referred to him as Commander – we do not know English; a Kamajor does not know English.
Leader of Evidence: You don’t know his rank?
Bobor Jabatie: Like the Police would refer to Corporal or a Sergeant? We did not have those ranks. There was a Commander who was in town – Town Commander; when you were going to war, after the alignment of fighters, there was somebody who led the troop to battle – Patrol Commander; that was somebody who had more charms than any other fighter that was taking part in that particular battle – he led us to the battle front. We, Kamajors, did not have many titles.
Leader of Evidence: The one that would send you to fight; he also fought with you?
Bobor Jabatie: Yes. He was the one that even emboldened us.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know whether he was a trained soldier; was he a member of the Sierra Leone Army?
Bobor Jabatie: He had no formal military training, he was a hunter.
Leader of Evidence: So he had no prior military experience?
Bobor Jabatie: He knew nothing about the military.
Leader of Evidence: So you only passed through the same one day initiation and you became a fighter?
Bobor Jabatie: He was a hunter.
Leader of Evidence: He hunted animals?
Bobor Jabatie: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you Mr. Jabatie.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you. Mr. Jabatie, you have given us so much of your time. You have told us your experiences and you have answered the questions that we have asked you. Now, I am sure, you will have something in your mind that you will one to clarify yourself. So we give you the opportunity to ask us any questions you have in mind or, if you haven’t, then you can, perhaps make suggestions on the type of recommendations you would like us to make to the government.
Bobor Jabatie: I am asking that although we suffered so much during the war; in fighting for our country, we have not been considered. Since the death for my father, I have still not been able to perform a fitting burial rite. I have younger brothers who are going to school, and I need help. Please consider us; not me alone, but all those who suffered during the course of this war. Assist us so that we can support our younger ones and perform fitting burials for those whom we lost during the war. That is all I have to tell the Commission.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Mr. Jabatie, we want to thank you, and we have noted what you have just asked us to do. Indeed, there are too many things left undone, and it is going to take a very long time for those things to be taken care of. So many people have died without any proper burial and something has to be done to carry out the ceremonies that would put their souls at rest and also satisfy the sensibilities of people. We take note of what you have asked us and we shall do everything possible to get the support of people like you; the community, to do everything that should be done to appease the dead. In addition to that, the Commission, at the end of its work, will produce a report which will carry all the recommendations that will embody all that you and other people have given and have proposed. For now, we only want to tell you that you have added a little, but important piece of block, to the structure we are trying to construct. So we thank you very much for that.
Bobor Jabatie – I thank the Commission as well.
Comm. Prof. Kamara – You can step down.
5th Witness: Dauda M’bayoh
The witness swore on the Bible. The oath was administered by Commissioner Jow.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Dauda, you have now taken the oath, and we will like to welcome you. We thank you for accepting our invitation to appear for public hearings. We will like you to feel at ease, relax and narrate your experiences during the war. You may now start.
DAUDA MBAYOH’S TESTIMONY
I am the town chief of Dambala. One evening, as I was relaxing at home, ten soldiers came and said that I should be their host. In deed I put them up and, the following morning, breakfast was prepared for them and they partook of it. After they had had breakfast, they asked for some oranges. The oranges were picked and peeled for them. After that, I was on the piazza when one of the rebels used the back door entrance into the house to make his exit. I stepped out in the open to urinate and, while I was urinating, the other soldiers left and went up a hill where their colleagues who provided defence for us in the village were. Not too long after their departure unto the hills, I heard the sound of a truck from the direction of Mandu; it was a truck load of people. I could, however, not identify the people who were in the truck. Not too long after the truck had stopped than we heard gun sound in the air. I had a house on the precinct of the village and when one of the rebels went running after me, I went into that house. My wife and my three children were in the house. When I entered the house, I told them to get up so that we could run into the bush. I went into hiding with two of the children and the other child and my wife were left in the house. The rebels surrounded the house and set fire to it. My wife and child were shouting in the house. The other children and I scurried into hiding in the bush. While we were in the bush, the rebels set fire to the entire village. We were in the bush until the following day. I had two machines which I bought in Freetown and six boxes of my clothes in the house; they took those out and burnt them. I then stealthily returned to the village to see whether the rebels were still around so that I could see them and know exactly who they were. I did not see anybody. I saw the remains of my wife and my child and then I went back into the bush. This was what I witnessed.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you for your testimony. We have listened very carefully to your testimony and we are sorry for the loss of your wife and child. We will like to spend some more time with you for further clarifications and questions. So I now hand you over to the commissioners for questions.
Bishop Humper: Pa Dauda M’bayoh, we are very sorry for what happened to you. I am sure you must have said that out of your generosity you had to suffer in the hands of other people. I want to clarify a few points. You said that ten soldiers entered and you provided accommodation and food for them. The following morning, they left and they went into the hill. After they left that was when you saw a vehicle coming and then you heard firing. My question is did you consider those who came to be different from the soldiers who had slept in your house?
Dauda M’bayoh: They were in the same uniform. Even the ones who came in the truck were in military fatigue; it is difficult to distinguish them.
Comm. Bishop Humper: If you were to call them by name – now that you have said they had the similar outfits, what name would you call them by?
Dauda M’bayoh: I would call them rebels.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Pa Dauda M’bayoh, we are asking these questions; they are not deliberate questions. We want to know those category of people who went there; whether they were soldiers or otherwise. You said that they were in similar fatigue, but from what you are now saying, it seems to you that they were rebels.
Dauda M’bayoh: I can draw a line of distinction between them because they had similar outfits.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Finally, Pa Dauda M’bayoh, did you tell any one that those who went to you were ‘’sobels’’?
Dauda M’bayoh: Yes I said so.
Comm. Bishop Humper: All right, thank you Pa Dauda M’bayoh.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Professor Kamara.
Prof: Kamara: Mr. M’bayoh, we are very much in sympathy with you. To lose your wife and child is not a good thing and it is not an easy thing to narrate. We know you are only doing this because of the interest you have in the country; knowing that by making this presentation you will help the commission to get at the true story and to come up with the right recommendations. So we will ask you to continue to allow us ask you questions to probe this unpleasant experience. Did you say that the ten soldiers that slept in your house and whom you had just fed, left you to go up a hill where there were soldiers?
Dauda M’bayoh: They went there right away.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So you had these soldiers; what were they doing; were they to protect the village?
Dauda M’bayoh: At first they came to Dambala every day in order to protect the town.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right, then these ten soldiers arrived; why did they not join the others? Why did they come to you to accommodate them?
Dauda M’bayoh: They came at night.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Yes they came at night, but they were soldiers and when they get to any place, they will join the other soldiers.
Dauda M’bayoh: When they returned late from their trips, it was usual for us to put them up.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So, they attacked that morning and you fled.
Dauda M’bayoh: Yes, that is correct.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: When you came there the following morning to investigate, were they still based on the hill?
Dauda M’bayoh: I did not concentrate on the hill.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: A few days after, you must have found out the situation in Dambala town itself; can you tell us whether – after a week, two weeks or whatever – these soldiers continued to stay on that hill or whether they left the town and returned to wherever they came from?
Dauda M’bayoh: After they had burnt down the village, they brought another set of soldiers to protect us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Fresh soldiers! What happened to those who were on the hills; they left the town?
Dauda M’bayoh: They were very alike; one could not distinguish between and among them. They were still in the town, together with the fresh set of soldiers.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Nothing happened - Because this was in 1994 - after that; were there further attacks on the town?
Dauda M’bayoh: I had left Dambala and I went very far away from Dambala after that bitter experience.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So you did not even enquire about what was happening in Dambala?
Dauda M’bayoh: I did not; I was afraid.
Prof: Where did you go?
Dauda M’bayoh: I went into the bush and built a hut there.
Comm. Jow: Through out the war; until 2002 when the war was declared over?
Dauda M’bayoh: I was still there.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right, thank you.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mr. M’bayoh, thank you for your answers. Can I just put a few more questions to you? When these soldiers went to your village, you fed them and you accommodated them. How long did they stay before the incident?
Dauda M’bayoh: They spent only a night and the following day the village was burnt down.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you have time sit down and chat with them?
Dauda M’bayoh: Yes, it is customary that if one had guests, one would entertain them and chat with them. We had a nice chat that night and they did nothing bad to me.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you recall any of the things that they said to you?
Dauda M’bayoh: All that they were saying was that they were there to protect us.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you know any of their names?
Dauda M’bayoh: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you very much. Leader of Evidence!
Leader of Evidence: I have just one question for the witness. Could you tell us the name of your wife and the child who died?
Dauda M’bayoh: My wife was Fatu M’bayoh and my son was Joe M’bayoh.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you very much.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you Leader of Evidence. Mr. M’bayoh, do you have any questions to ask the commission or do you have any recommendations to make?
Dauda M’bayoh: All I have to say is that I am old man now and cannot even fend for myself. My wife who used to fend for me is no more. I am asking for assistance.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mr. M’bayoh. once again, thank you very much for your corporation and your contribution to the work of the commission. We have noted your recommendations and, alongside other recommendations, we will incorporate them in our final report which we will start writing after the hearings are over. It will be the responsibility of government to implement these recommendations. And once they are implemented, Victims like you will benefit. However, at the end of it all, we hope to see a peaceful and prosperous Sierra Leone where violations we have heard of this morning will never happen again. We thank you very much Mr. M’bayoh. You may now stand down.
6th Witness: Sallay Goba
The witness swore on the Koran. Commissioner Jow administered the oath.
Jow: Mammy Sallay we thank for coming before the commission this morning to share your experiences with us. We welcome you heartily. We ask you to relax and narrate your experiences as clearly as you can. You may now start.
SALLAY GOBA’S TESTIMONY
My family and I were at Mattru on the rail when the soldiers went there. They told us that they had been there to protect us. We were making merry during the Christmas season when we heard gunshot from the direction of Tikonko. We left the town that night and went into the bush. I did not take anything along with me. I left my colleagues in the bush and returned close to the village; I was spying on the village. We later realised that those who came in the guise of protecting us had set fire to our village. We were frightened and we went back into the bush. We were there, horrified, when we heard continuous gun shots. We were in the bush for two weeks. When we learnt later that they invaders were to “comb the bushes”, we left the bush and came to Bo town. When we were in Bo things were extremely hard, so my child and I went to fetch wood and for vegetables that we took to Bo for sale. One day, I asked my child to rest while I went to the bush alone. I had got the vegetables, placed them on the veranda desk and I was bathing in a stream in preparation to return to Bo. I never knew that they had been mutilated people on the other side of the road. When I finished having my bath, I was waiting to dry up when a group of people accosted me and asked whether I had knowledge of the presence of the enemies. One of them held my cloth and asked me to direct show him the road that lead to Wongibor. I told him that I did not know the route that led to that village. The rebel asked whether I would have lived in that town without having knowledge of the route that leads to Wongibor; he threatened to kill me. He held me by the arm and took me towards the village. He then decided against killing me and said that he was going to give me a letter that I would take to Bo. By then, my entire body had grown numb; I was unconscious. He said that he was only waiting for the man who carried the machetes. When we arrived at a point where there was a stump of wood, he asked me to stop. When the man who carried the machetes arrived at that scene, he asked me to place my arm on the stump of wood. I pleaded with him not to amputate my arm, but he rather repeated the command that I should place my arm on the stump more robustly. I first placed my left arm which he continued to hit until the bones were almost completely broken. He then asked me to place the other arm; my right arm, on the stump. I pleaded with him that I was a woman so he should not amputate both arms. I even told him that I preferred death to double amputation. He told me that if he wanted to kill me, he would have done so long ago, and he repeated that he was going to give me a letter that I would take to Bo. He ended up amputating both arms. After the amputations, I was asked to get up and go to Bo with the message that the rebels were around; that they had gone to Towama and would get to Bo later. There was a fellow called Mba ba Ngorma; he was the one that actually perpetuated the act. I arrived in Bo with one arm chopped off and the other dangling; I carried the amputated arm in the dangling arm. When I arrived at New London, the police took off my waist cloth and wrapped my arm in it. They took me to the hospital where they completely amputated my left arm. I was at the hospital for a while undergoing medical treatment. When I was discharged from the hospital, they took us to the camp. In the camp, MSF provided food and medical facilities for us. We were at the camp for some time and they asked us to return to our houses; we did. About that time, the white workers who had been putting plans in place to assist us with, at least, artificial arms and limbs left the country without executing the plan. I current plight is deplorable; no shelter, no food. My daughter has abandoned her husband in order to stay with me in the single room where I live; she does literally everything for me. We have school going kids, yet we cannot afford to pay their fees; that’s a big lump of distress that we carry in our hearts. We are neither engaged in trade nor do we have the means of starting it. I am therefore asking the government to ensure that we are provided with shelter and food. We had struck peace with the perpetrators, but they are catered for while we are left to suffer. That is the end of my testimony.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mama Sallay, thank you very much for that testimony. We have heard what has happened to you and we are very sorry. We sympathize with you in your present plight. We have no reason to doubt your testimony because the testimony speaks for itself, but we will like to ask you a few questions just to clarify a few areas and, if need be, to give us more details. So I will invite my colleague commissioners to ask you questions. Chairman, Commissioner Bishop Humper!
Comm. Bishop Humper: Mama Sallay, we want to give thanks to God for your life. I do not have much to ask you. The one important one that I want you to let us know is what were the combatants who went ‘’combing the bush’’ searching for?
Sallay Goba: It was when the soldiers went ‘’combing the bush’’ that we left the bush and came to Bo.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Our understanding is that they going into the bush in search of rebels.
Sallay Goba: I think they went looking for the rebels – I am not sure – but they asked us to leave the bush.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you say that the name of the rebel was did this evil act to you was ‘’Mba ba Ngorma’’: ‘’Do not blame’’?
Sallay Goba: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Mama Sallay Goba, we thank you very much for coming. We are all praying to God that our children or our Children’s children do not go through the trauma that we have all gone through. In that connection, we appreciate what you are doing now and what you will continue to do by answering our questions. This story of what happened to you started by – you said, and I hope I am correct, that one day one of your children or child in the house when out to fetch wood. Is that correct?
Sallay Goba: I was the one that went to look for vegetables.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Yes, but before that you said your child went to fetch wood and you went to fetch vegetable.
Sallay Goba: I told my child to rest while I went to the village in search of vegetables; I wanted to help her.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right, my interest is what happened to that child?
Sallay Goba: I left her in town here. After they had amputated my arms, when I returned to town, I told the people that I saw to tell my relatives that the rebels had killed me. My daughter and I lived at Kissy town, at my brother’s. When she got the news of my amputation, she abandoned the dish she was preparing for me and went to the hospital where I had been taken.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Yes, but what happened to the family members? Are they still alive; are they with you?
Sallay Goba: My brother on whom I relied is dead.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Now, the soldiers asked you to leave the bush; do you know what they did when, perhaps, the news went out that rebels were committing these atrocities?
Sallay Goba: You mean in our village? The whole village was burnt down.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: What did the soldiers do?
Sallay Goba: We did not see any soldiers.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: But even before the rebels attacked – as you said – the soldiers scared you away.
Sallay Goba: When they came and told us that they had come to protect us, it was not too long when we heard that gun shot that threw us into disarray. When we returned to spy on the village, they were setting the houses in the village ablaze.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So, was it then the soldiers that burnt the village?
Sallay Goba: I don’t know whether it was the soldiers that set fire to the houses. All I know is that the soldiers said they had come to protect us; they might have fled from the attackers, I am not sure.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: And this man, who gave his name as Mba ba Ngorma, how was he dressed; was he in uniform like a soldier?
Sallay Goba: He was in combat.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you Commissioner Kamara for those questions. I have a few more questions for you Mama Sallay. In your testimony, you mentioned your son and your daughter; we will like to know whether you have any other children.
Sallay Goba: I have five grand children.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are they all living with you, currently?
Sallay Goba: They are all going to school. They do not live with me because I don’t have the upper hand to take care of them; they are living with my brothers and sisters.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mama Sallay, you told us that when you left the hospital you went to a camp. Can you tell us were the camp is; is it in Bo or outside Bo?
Sallay Goba: We were at the camp that was in the compound of the water supply company on Tikonko road.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How long did you stay in the camp, Mama Sallay?
Sallay Goba: We spent nearly a year there.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What organization was taking care of you in the camp?
Sallay Goba: We were taken care of by MSF.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you Mama Sallay, final question. You have told us that you are destitute; how are you being supported - who supports you right now?
Sallay Goba: I am destitute and I depend on God. I have nothing doing. I have not got the means of even beginning petty trade.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Are you a member of the amputee association in Bo?
Sallay Goba: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do they provide any help?
Sallay Goba: We go around begging, but we have had no help from the association.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you very much. Leader of Evidence, do you have any questions?
Leader of Evidence: No questions Ma.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mama Sallay thank you very much for your corporation with the commission. Not only have you told us your story, but you also gave us time by answering all our questions. Do you have any recommendations or questions?
Sallay Goba: I will like to make a request. I am appealing for assistance; giving my current state.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Mama Sallay, the commission has a mandate and part of that mandate is to respond to the needs of victims. You are, indeed, a victim and one of the reasons we have asked you to come here is to ear from you and to ask you to make recommendations. Some amputees like you have also appeared before the commission narrated similar stories and made recommendations to the commission. So at the end of our assignment, we will make a report and submit it to government and we hope to make very valuable recommendations which, when implemented, will definitely improve the conditions of people like you as well as ensuring a better life for those who will come after us. So Mama Sallay, once again, I will like to thank you and I will ask you to stand down.
7th Witness: Andrew Cooper
The witness swore on the Bible. The oath was administered by commissioner Jow.
ANDREW COOPER’S TESTIMONY
On April 24th 1995 I was travelling to Freetown to buy drinks. I was representing my grandfather a distributor of drinks. We saw a pick up van going towards Masiaka. After one hour we were told to use the road as it was safe. By the time we got to Masiaka we came under heavy firing. The bullet hit me on my foot and seriously damaged it. The other passenger came down and ran away. I managed to come down from the vehicle and lay at the side of the road. Most of the people I saw were soldiers and I knew. One of the soldiers was asking the other why he fired at me and he said he was trying to fire at the tyre and the bullet hit me. Whilst all this was going on, the others were off loading the vehicle. They told me to tell all those wising to travel not to use that road. They complained that while they were there suffering there colleagues were in town enjoying and that they too wanted to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the NPRC. When they were off loading the loads out of my vehicle they saw my bag containing 21Million Leones. They started arguing as to who should take the money bag and the one who shot at me said he should have the bag. They decided to burn down my vehicle but one of them said “we have shut this boy let us don’t burn down his vehicle”. Then one said if we don’t burn down this vehicle they will say the act was done by soldiers but if we burn down the vehicle people will say it was done by rebels. As we approached the bridge when they heard the sound of a vehicle they commanded everybody to go in to the bush. By the time the van got close they launched an RPG at it. They went into the vehicle and took everything out. There was a container at the side of the vehicle which contained fuel. They sprinkled it on the passengers in the vehicle and lit them up. Two people survived. One was a pregnant woman and the other a suckling mother. There was another vehicle travelling in the same direction. By the time the vehicle was going down the hill we saw it burning. They then opened firing again and went to the vehicle. I was still lying down at the side of the road with the pregnant woman and the suckling mother and her child till the following day. On the following day at about 11:00am we saw vehicles escorted by the military. I cried out for them to come to my aid and they said I was either a rebel or bait used by the rebels. They passed on and left me still lying there. They had wanted to kill me but one driver asked why they should kill me after burning my vehicle. He packed his vehicle in the middle of the road and helped me into the vehicle. They wanted to help the two women but we were not going the same direction. When the soldiers saw me they were surprised as they were expecting me to be dead. At the Bo government hospital, a Dr. Bangura finally amputated my leg. The following day some local journalist of FM 104 and some other reporters for BBC came to see me and I narrated everything to them. The brigade commander also came to see me at the hospital and asked me this question “Did you say you were ambushed by soldiers”. I said yes. I know three of them. The Commander then said even the rebels wear military combat why do you then say that your attackers were soldiers. I said I recognised my attackers and If taken to the scene were the incident took place I will be in the position to identify them. He threatened me saying I was a wounded lion. I was in the hospital until I was discharged.
In February 1998, the juntas and rebels came and drove everybody out of Bo. I could not escape because of my condition. They asked me for money. They were still dragging me even when I told them I had nothing. After that they looted everything I had on me.
One Lt. Johnson came and rescued me, he gave me back my eight battery cassette player tape. He said he did not want to see any soldier around my dwellings and they all left.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did I hear you say that a military truck passed you?
Andrew Cooper: Yes. By the time we got to camp Charlie at 9:00am they said they were going to check if the road was safe.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Do you know the soldiers by name?
Andrew Cooper: No.
Comm. Bishop Humper: If you see them can you identify them?
Andrew Cooper: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you say that when they brought you to the Bo government Hospital Col. Tom Carew came to see you?
Andrew Cooper: Yes
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did he see you?
Andrew Cooper: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What did he say to you?
Andrew Cooper: He asked me “Did you say that soldiers ambushed you”? And I said ‘Yes’.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Are you implying that Dr. Bangura amputated you in order to save you?
Andrew Cooper: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You have mentioned Col. Tom Carew in 1995. On this incident in 1998, was he still in Bo?
Andrew Cooper: He was not there at that time. There was one Boisy Palmer he was the Commander and one Mr. Sesay who was the Resident Minister.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Do you know where Col. Carew is now?
Andrew Cooper: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Who conducted the BBC interview here in Bo?
Andrew Cooper: The current reporter for BBC in Guinea.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What exactly did you tell him?
Andrew Cooper: I told him everything I have just said here.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: According to your statement Col. Carew asked you to withdraw your statement. Did you withdraw your statement?
Andrew Cooper: No.
Leader of Evidence: After the soldiers approached the second vehicle where did they go to?
Andrew Cooper: They went back into the bush.
Leader of Evidence: When the brigade commander came to the hospital you offered to make identification. Did he allow you?
Andrew Cooper: No.
Leader of Evidence: Were there any witnesses when the Col. came around?
Andrew Cooper: No. I was placed in a cubicle in the hospital.
Leader of Evidence: Did he tell you what measures will be taken against the soldiers?
Andrew Cooper: No. He only removed them from that position.
Jow: Andrew, we have asked you a lot of questions, do you have any questions to ask us or any recommendations to make
Andrew Cooper: I have no questions.
I was telling the Regional Coordinator that we the amputees were afraid to come to the hearings for security purpose. What security measures have been put in place for amputees who show up at the hearings?
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: The government of this country is supporting the TRC. Therefore the commission depends on the government to provide any kind of security for anybody. Apart from security all round the country. Any witness who comes before the commission to give evidence has maximum security. You can be rest assured that within the mandate given to us we are enjoying the cooperation of the army and police. I want you to tell your brothers and sister to come to the commission without any fear.
8th Witness: Samuel Senessie.
The witness swore on the Koran. Commissioner Prfessor Kamara administered the oath.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Mr. Senessie, you are here, as you know, to tell the commission and everybody present about what you went through in 1996. We are asking you to have no fear about what the consequences of your testimony will be. Please feel relaxed, comfortable and just tell us your story in the way you would like to tell it as long as it is complete and truthful. You may now begin.
SAMUEL SENESSIE’S TESTIMONY
We were at Benduma one morning when people attacked us. I jumped through the window into the coffee plantations. All of us – my mother, sisters and I – went into the coffee plantations. My elder brother, Braima Senessie, was at Fawoma while we were at Gboyama. While we were at Gboyama, Braima came and requested that his wife and child go with him ti Fawoma. The wife refused to go with him and rather suggested that he could go with the child if he chose. He gave his child a country cloth and they left. On their way to Fawoma, they fell into a rebel ambush at Benduma. That was where they killed Braima – they slit his stomach. The rebels took the child away. We could not bury Braima. When the threat lessened, we went into the bush camp at Fawoma. We were there, but a swampland separated us fro grandfather. Our grandfather was and others were at one end and we were at the other end of the swamp. One night, we heard three gunshots. Little did we know that they had killed our grandfather and his wife – his wife was about three months’ pregnant. They disembowelled her belly and took the child out. We were unable to bury them. We left the farm hut where we were and went to into the bush. We lived in the bush until we found our way to Bo. WHILE IN Bo, we fetched fire wood that we sold in order to buy food. That was what we were doing until the war subsided and we returned to our village.
In addition to killing my brother and grand parents, they also destroyed the roof of our house that was used for garri processing. Tjis is the end of my testimony.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you very much, Senessie. You have been cooperating and you continue to cooperate with us – we commend you. For the loses that you suffered, we sympathise with you very much. We know that the story you have told us is complete, but we need to ask you a few questions in order to clarify some aspects of it. I would like to start by asking the other members of the commission to ask you any questions that they may have.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Senessie, I have only one question for you. Is is still true that your brother’s son that was taken away has not been seen?
Samuel Senessie: We still do not know his whereabouts.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Samuel, how did you know that those that attacked you were rebels?
Samuel Senessie: I know because rebels attacked us and we ran away.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us who gave you the information? You were not there.
Samuel Senessie: If people were shouting that rebels had attacked and they were running helter-skelter, would you have stood there to ask questions?
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What was the status of your brother in the village – did he belong to a fighting group?
Samuel Senessie: He was the head of our household. By the time they killed him, the Kamajor initiations had not started. We were all civilians.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Currently, where is your brother’s wife?
Samuel Senessie: She is still at home; she has not left the house.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Would she like to come and testify before the commission?
Samuel Senessie: They all asked me to come and testify on their behalf.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you. Senessie, I am a little confused here. These towns – Benduma and Bendema – are they different places or the same place spelt wrongly during the statement taking?
Samuel Senessie: I am resident in Benduma.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Now, you are talking about 1996. During that period – they used to send soldiers to locations in order to protect the people in the area. Did they send soldiers to protect your area?
Samuel Senessie: In Benduma, there were no soldiers.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Were soldiers ever sent there at any time during the war?
Samuel Senessie: Excepting that the soldiers passed through the town in a vehicle, they never settled there to protect us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Did Benduma contribute to the CDF in the district?
Samuel Senessie: Yes, they did, but later. After the rebels had entrapped us and killed many of our relatives, one of our brothers that was a Kamajor priest went to the chiefdom. We were asked to return to the village; he defended us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: What year was that – can you remember?
Samuel Senessie: We spent a year in Bo, and we returned to our village the following year.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: That was after the incident you are describing to us had taken place.
Samuel Senessie: Yes, that incident took place before the introduction of the Kamajor society in our town.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Were you in Benduma throughout the war?
Samuel Senessie: When they killed my brother and grand parents, my mother, other relatives and I went into the bush and we were there until we arrived in Bo.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: And you stayed in Bo until the end of the war.
Samuel Senessie: Yes
Comm. Prof. Kamara: When did you go back to the village?
Samuel Senessie: I cannot remember the date. However, this is the fifth year since I returned to the village.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Was it when you returned that you found out that your home had been destroyed?
Samuel Senessie: That was when I found out because that was when I went there.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Where are you staying now, or have you rebuilt your home?
Samuel Senessie: I have built a house that is roofed with thatch and that is where I live.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right - thank you.
Leader of Evidence: I just have one question for the witness. Mr. Senessie, I just want to know the names of your grand father and his wife who you said they killed.
Samuel Senessie: My grand father was Kpana and his wife was Yema Kpana.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you very much.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right, Mr. Senessie, you have given us all this narrative and we have asked you al these questions – do you have any question to ask us?
Samuel Senessie: Yes, I have something to say. Our parents gave birth to two sons only, and my elder brother had been killed; my grand parents were also killed. We could not perform a fitting burial ceremony for them. I am asking the government to help us to undertake the funeral ceremonies.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right, if that is all that you have, we thank you very much for your cooperation. We have noted your concern and what you would want to be done for you. However, if you were here during the testimony of the previous witness – I will like to repeat what I told him. There are a lot of things that have been left undone because of the confusion, destruction and perpetrations that took place during the conflict. We hope that before we are through, an attempt would be made to at least do those things that are necessary. I would, however, like to say that in the case of funeral ceremonies, it may not be possible to have every individual ceremony attended to. In the chiefdoms, districts or at the national level, something would be done to appease the dead and set the souls of the departed at peace. Therefore, we hope that, in time, something would be done that would set your mind at rest. We then want to thank you very much for what you have done this day and hope that you would, in time, discover the benefit it would bring to you and the nation. Thank you very much. You may now step down.
LAST DAY OF HEARINGS HELD AT THE BO TOWN HALL ON SATURDAY, MAY 5TH, 2003
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
Bishop Humper - Presiding
Professor Kamara - Recording
Hajaratu Satang Jow
LEADER OF EVIDENCE:
Ozonnia Ojielo
TRANSCRIBER:
Emmanuel Koivaya Amara
SECRETARIES:
Donella Williams
Malorie Barinda Pratt
1ST Witness: James Gibrilla
The witness swore on the Bible. Commissioner Bishop Humper administered the oath.
Comm. Bishop Humper: James, we welcome you to this session here today. The commission has received well over seven thousand statements from all over the country and I will say that there was a substantial contribution from Bo district. To our greatest surprise, many would have loved to come to the public hearings, but we had to select a representative session and you now happen to be fortunate ones to come and help us and also the nation. You are before your family; you are before your people, so you must feel relaxed to say whatever you want to say before us this morning. Tell us nothing short of what you are supposed to tell us. We now invite you to give your testimony.
JAMES GIBRILLA’S TESTIMONY
At one time we were in the village when we heard that the rebels were coming towards Baoya in Njala Komborya from Borkor. We went to town at once in order to collect our belongings; little did we know that the rebels had come to the village and were in an ambush. When I got into the house and wanted to take out my belongings, I was arrested. They accused me of being a soldier. I was paraded in the village; the flogged me and meted out other types of punishment as we went round the village. I told them that I was not a soldier and they asked me to prove that I was not a soldier. I told them that the chief in that village knew me. I assured them that if the chief came and said that I had been out of that village for even two consecutive years, then their allegation that I was a soldier would be confirmed. The invited the chief whose testimony corroborated my argument; they set me free. In spite of the fact that they had flogged me, I was glad that they released me. I attempted to leave the village at once. We did not realise that the rebels were not sincere to us. On 20th September that year, they came in large numbers from Borkor and attacked Baoya in the evening. The arrested my brother, James Nabieu. The rebels accused him of dodging them in the past, and they vowed that they would not release him; they tied him. By then, I was also in their custody, but they had not done any harm to me. That night, James was beaten to death. The reason that the rebels put forward was that James had escaped twice when he was captured and asked to transport goods. They added that that was to serve as a lesson for those of us who were in their custody; that if any one escaped and he was caught, he would suffer death. They put dried palm fronds on him and burnt him as though he were a goat. After that, we collected a few items and set out to settle in Bo. My mother went towards Mongere. When she arrived at a river near Mongere, she was so terrified that in spite of the swelling, she jumped into the river. She was rescued by some men who later arrived at the scene. After she was rescued, she slept in that village. I went through Blama towards Nengbema. After the incident, my mother fell sick and died in less than one month from the time of the incident. While I was trying to escape, I was captured by the rebels again around Blama. Gabriel Gibrilla, my brother, was also abducted. I was with the rebels for eleven days at Konjo-Ngiyehun; I escaped from them. My brother could not escape and unto this day, none of us know anything about his whereabouts. His wives and children are staying with me. However, I find it difficult to take care of the children’s education. My other brother, Karimu, together with whom I lived at Baoya, was killed at Kauwandor; they beheaded him and placed his head on a drum. The rebel who abducted me and with whom I lived at Konjo-Ngiyehun was called Sergeant Yorpoi. That was what happened to me in the course of the war.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We have heard this awesome experience of yours – James. I will want to ask my colleague commissioners if they have a few things for you to clarify for them. But before that, I want to ask this question so that I will set the context in which to ask questions for clarifications. In your testimony, you persistently referred to ‘’they’’; who are ‘’they’’? At some point you mentioned a name, but we want to know who ‘’they’’ refer to.
James Gibrilla: I was referring to the rebels.
Comm. Bishop Humper: All right, my colleagues will now engage you.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you, Mr. Gibrilla, for coming to give us everything that you went through during the war. As the chairman said, we need to go back to you so that you can clarify some of the information you have given to us. How many times were you abducted? Because each time they caught you, you seemed to have had the ability to escape.
James Gibrilla: I was abducted twice.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Twice! Was the first one when you were at Baoya?
James Gibrilla: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: And then when was the second abduction?
James Gibrilla: I was moving towards Blama with the intention of coming to Bo when I was abducted again.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Now, you also mentioned the killing of your brother; how many of your brothers were killed?
James Gibrilla: They killed two of my brothers and they abducted one; I don’t know whether he is still alive.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right, thank you. In what year did you escape for the last time? Was it the same year – 1994?
James Gibrilla: It was between 1995 and 1995.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: And since then, you have lived in Bo?
James Gibrilla: I was here unto 1996 and, when I heard that they were no longer around, I retuned to the village; Baoya.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Between 1996 to the end of the war – when you returned – did you receive any protection in Boaya?
James Gibrilla: Yes.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Who were the people; what form of protection did you receive?
James Gibrilla: At that time, the Kamajors protected us.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: When you returned in 1996 and had this protection, was Baoya attacked again?
James Gibrilla: When they heard that the Kamajors were around they were scared and they never attacked the village again.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: All right, thank you.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you for your testimony. I will also ask a few questions for clarification purposes. In your testimony, you did say that your village was attacked by the rebels. Apart from abducting young people like you, what else did the rebels do to the town?
James Gibrilla: When they attacked on 20th September, they burnt sixteen houses; if was a fairly large village – a hamlet.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What about the second attack; was there similar looting and destruction of property?
James Gibrilla: They were setting fire to rice bands; it was during that confusion that I escaped.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: James, in your testimony, you also said that you were accused of being An SLA soldier; did you have any connections with the SLA or any other group in the village?
James Gibrilla: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that when they abducted you, they took you away; for how long did you stay with them?
James Gibrilla: I was with them for eleven days.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: How many people were in the group; people who were abducted?
James Gibrilla: Three of us were abducted from Baoya.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Apart from household chores and carrying loads for the rebels, what else did you do for them?
James Gibrilla: We pounded husk rice and leaves like cassava leaves for them; we did not cook – they cooked their food; the women.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did they train you in warfare?
James Gibrilla: No; they did not even allow us to get close to the guns.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you see them commit any other violations when you were with them?
James Gibrilla: Excepting the use of obscenities, I di not take note of any other violations.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: But for those eleven days you were with the rebels all time; were you not?
James Gibrilla: Yes, but if they saw husk rice or any other items that they wanted, they would send us to bring them to the base. In fact, it was during one of such times that I escaped.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What did you see them do during those eleven days; what were their activities around you?
James Gibrilla: Well, I saw their colleagues come from Bandahor and I also saw them communicate; they had communication sets and I always heard them say that they had messages. However, they always kept a distance and did not allow us to get close to them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Did you hear them call themselves by name or nickname?
James Gibrilla: I heard names like Sergeant, Born Trouble, and Poison.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you tell us something more about the sergeant you – Yorpoi – you mentioned in your testimony?
James Gibrilla: He gave me a hundred and twenty cups of rice to a village by the Sewa River; I did not know the village so I escaped.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Finally, Gibrilla, you mentioned three brothers in your testimony; am I right?
James Gibrilla: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: One was killed; am I right?
James Gibrilla: One of them also escaped and met me in Bo.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You said that one was abducted and he has not appeared since then
James Gibrilla: Yes.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Do you have any idea where he is?
James Gibrilla: No.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you made any effort to trace him?
James Gibrilla: I have investigated from sorcerers; they have told me that he is still alive, but I don not know his whereabouts.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: One of your brothers was tortured and released; where is he currently?
James Gibrilla: I mentioned it in my testimony that the cut off his head; we buried him.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you Gibrilla for your answers.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We will continue to clarify some more points that you mentioned. Your testimony is not long, but it is very important to the commission. Where was your mother when she tried to run away.
James Gibrilla: She was at Baoya and she was trying to escape and come to Bo so that she could move to Mandu; she fell in the river near Golahun.
Comm. Bishop Humper: You said that you spent eleven days with the rebels; is that right?
James Gibrilla: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What was the composition of you who were captured; were there women, boys or girls?
James Gibrilla: We were there with some women. They used to keep us – men – in the mosque; the locked us in.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What did they do to those women?
James Gibrilla: They were also locked up in the church; they let everybody out in the morning.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you see boys among them?
James Gibrilla: Yes there were boys among them who abducted in Makeni; they were Temne boys.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Did you experience anything happening to the girls or the women in the camp?
James Gibrilla: I did not see them do anything to them.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Now we come to the year. You said that this incident happened in 1994.
James Gibrilla: That was when the first attacked us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: And you said that the SLA was frustrating the RUF.
James Gibrilla: I spoke about the Kamajors.
Comm. Bishop Humper: They were Kamajors and not RUF?
James Gibrilla: The Kamajors were providing protection for us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: James, let us get the story straight. This is what I am saying. Did you say that the SLA soldiers accused you of being a rebel?
James Gibrilla: It was the rebels that accused me of being a soldier.
Comm. Bishop Humper: The soldiers or rebels; who were your captors?
James Gibrilla: The rebels captured me and told me that they were actually rebels.
Comm. Bishop Humper: So by this you are saying that the RUF did not want to see the soldiers; they were enemies?
James Gibrilla: That was what they were saying to us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Was there any other time, after 1994, that you discovered that something else had developed among them – in terms of relationship.
James Gibrilla: I did not witness anything like that.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you James. I will now call on the leader of evidence if he has any questions for clarification.
Leader Of Evidence: Thank you chair person. James I have just a few questions for you. Your two brothers who died; could you give me their names?
James Gibrilla: James Nabieu and Karimu Alpha.
Leader Of Evidence: What about your mother’s name?
James Gibrilla: Mamidi Gibrilla.
Leader Of Evidence: Finally, this sergeant Yorpoi; do you know where he is now?
James Gibrilla: No; since I escaped from him, I have not seen him.
Leader Of Evidence: Among those rebels who arrested and tortured you, have you seen any one of them in the recent past?
James Gibrilla: No, I have not.
Leader Of Evidence: Thank you very much James. That is all, Commissioner.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you for all the clarifications you have made. Our process is to get the witness to clarify his testimony so that we will get a clear picture of what you are saying. Now it is your turn to ask questions, make recommendations or get us to clarify issues that relate to our work.
James Gibrilla: I have the children of my brother who was abducted and the children of the one who was killed. They children are going to school and I find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to sponsor their education. I am asking for assistance in this area.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Is that all?
James Gibrilla: That is all.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you, James. Part of our work is to look into some of the issues that you have raised. Our mandate does not cover dealing with individual cases. If I got you right, the issues you raised constitute two recommendations; one is educational facility for children and the second is medical services. The commission will take these and other related issues into consideration. Even while the commission is still carrying on with its work, I will like to share with the audience this vital information. It is the objective of the government to establish community health centres in every part of the country. It is my understanding that in most of the villages there is what we call cost recovery systems. I am saying this because I want you to know that such facilities exist. But please do not go to that medical centre and say the chairman of the commission has sent me here. I am saying what we should all do together in order to help this country, and I hope that we will all work together to make a better Sierra Leone. Once more, I thank you very much. You may now step down.
2ND Witness: Paramount Chief Alfred Lamboi Foray
The witness swore on the Bible. Commissioner Bishop Humper administered the oath.
Comm. Bishop Humper: P. C Lamboi Foray we want to welcome you in a special way to this session. It will go into the records of the commission that you are the first Paramount Chief to testify at the commission’s public hearings. You are opening the gate for all other Paramount Chiefs to come before this commission when deemed necessary. This commission will not complete its work without paying special attention to Paramount Chiefs - in a way. We will want to have a reasonable portion of the information that we need to come from Paramount Chiefs. We want you to know that you are a symbolic representation of all the Paramount Chiefs; you are representing them as they listen to you this morning. We ask that you be cool and relaxed as you give your testimony. P.C we will now like to listen to your testimony.
PARAMOUNT CHIEF ALFRED LAMBOI FORAY’S TESTIMONY
Chairman of the commission, I wish to testify the truth. Since the commission has begun its work, I have not heard that a paramount chief has testified at the commission’s hearings, but I manifested my desire to testify. Now I will start my testimony. By the end of 1994 and early 1995 {not sure of the exact date}, I was in my house one morning when my local militia men came to my house and told me that the rebels had attacked one of the villages – Nagbema - in my chiefdom. I had deployed my local militia, before the advent of the Kamajor movement, to keep watch in the chiefdom and inform me about any rebel threat or attack. They told me that the rebels had gone to Nagbema, captured eight {8} goats and that the rebels were preparing the goats for food by the time they left the village. In addition to that, the militia reported that the rebels had captured and tied people as they prepared their food. The rebels had further stated that they would head for Gbaima when they would have finished eating. Indeed, it happened exactly as the militia reported; they attacked Gbaima. However, before the rebels arrived at Gbaima, I had left the village and gone to the highway when I heard the news of their potential attack. I was lucky to have seen the project manager of SALCOST, Pically - he was going to Taiama; he arrived at the scene where I was by 6:30 a.m. I stopped him, went close to the vehicle and told him that I had been informed about the potential attack of the rebels on Gbaima and their plan to proceed to the quarry. I then asked him to make a u-turn so that he could take me to Bo in order that I make a report. He did as I told him, and we arrived at the Brigade Headquarters in Bo by 8.a.m. I reported to the Brigade Commander, K.E.S Boya, that the rebels were due to enter into Gbaima by 10 a.m and I requested that he gave me soldiers so that they deploy at a strategic point on the route that the rebels would use; I had been reliably informed on the route that they intended to use. Pically and I made the report. K.E.S Boya told us to wait. While we were waiting, I went to the District Officer, the Commissioner for Police and the Secretary of State, Williams, and made reports. After all, I went back to the Brigade Headquarters. Mr. Commissioner, I must tell you that this war was ‘’a chameleon war’’. The soldiers were not sincere. The Brigade Commander did not assign soldiers to respond to our report until after 10.30 a.m; by then the rebels had attacked Gbaima and caused a lot of havoc; my belongings were scattered all over the place. By the time the soldiers got to Gbaima, the rebels had left. The soldiers were seated on my veranda. I realised that they had killed my personal bodyguard, Francis Musa, and five other people. When we were going to Gbaima, from Bo, the soldiers that I was travelling with and who were to forestall the rebels’ attack on Gbaima, disembarked from the vehicle seven miles to Gbaima. They asked their driver to move ahead; the rebels killed the driver and burnt down the vehicle. When I asked what their disembarking was supposed to mean, especially noting the fact that the rebels might have attacked the village, their response was that I had no business asking them: ‘’Chief, you have no hands in our work. As long as you have made the report, leave us to do things our own way - this is a rebel war and this is what we have decided to do’’. I could not get to Gbaima that day. Three days later, I resolved, in spite of the security threats, to go to Gbaima and see what had happened. Gbaima is the chiefdom headquarters and, besides that, I had left my wife and children there when I went to make the report in Bo. My wife and children had gone into the bush and they were in Senehun. I went there and collected my wife and children in the vehicle that was given to me by SALCOST. I then went to Gbaima where I found out the deaths that I have mentioned. I then decided to go back to Bo, get some shroud in order to bury the dead. It was on that day that they attacked SALCOST and Molendeh - I had passed through that village in the morning and there was no security upheaval. By the time I was going to Bo that same day, I realised that the village had been attacked. A man came from the bush - unto the street - when he heard the sound of the vehicle, stopped the vehicle and pointed at Molendeh. That man advised me to return to Gbaima lest I am killed. The driver made a quick u-turn and we returned to Gbaima. I told the soldiers who had been sent to protect us that the rebels had attacked Molendeh and they were heading for the quarry and that they should get ready presently so that we could go there and stop the rebels. Talking to them was like pouring water on duck back. They had cooked the rice that they had taken from my store and the goats that they slaughtered and were eating; they did not listen to me. I did not attempt to scold them; I went towards Taiama so that I could warn any vehicle that was moving towards Bo to get back to Taiama junction where we would all converge. We passed the night in Taiama and, by 4 p.m the following day – Saturday – I saw Carew, the current Chief of Defence Staff; I think he was a Major. He brought all the vehicles that were in Taiama to Bo - in a military convoy. They burnt all my houses and properties in my hometown; I do not have a house there now. My daughter had sent sixty five thousand dollars {$65,000} so that I could buy a house for her; they took everything including five hundred thousand Leon {Le 500,000} which was my personal money. They carted a lot of other things away. As though that was not enough, they killed my son who was a soldier; he was a lieutenant. These are the documents of my late son {presented the documents to the Commission}. I have been to the ministry repeatedly; the paper inside that file was the only thing that they gave to me. They have money to the tune of seventy five thousand, but nobody has been willing to talk to me about it. When they came to Bo, everybody fled, but since I could not, I was in my house when they went there; two of them. They enquired who I was, and I told them that I was a watchman. They said ‘’your bloody fool, watchman; you get dollar’’ and I said that I did not understand what they were saying. When they insulted me, I thanked them because I wanted to prove to them that I did not understand what they were saying. They damaged two of the doors on the house at the back of my compound; I was seated on the veranda desk. They went into the house, brought out two pairs of jeans and they asked me to take into my room, but I told them that I was a watchman. They would ask me to open a door and when I did and they entered, I would say ‘’watchman sir’’ and they would say ‘’fuck off’’. They took a radio from one of the rooms, but when they realised that it was not good, they threw it at me and abused me. As they were going, they fired a shot and I thought that they had shot at the house because the sound was too heavy. I went out and maintained an expression of despondence on my face; I made sure that they saw me. They insulted me and promised that they would not harm; they returned to me and bade me farewell. I made bold to tell them that I had gone for two days without food and that I was hungry; they took out a five hundred leone note and threw it at me. That was what happened to me during the war. I had a hundred and fifty cows and they killed of them; I had forty-five goats and seventy sheep in Gbaima town; the soldiers ate all. They took away all my personal effects. They turned my chiefdom up side down; they killed many people there. Three chiefs ran into the bush and, unto this day, we do not know their whereabouts. There is not a village where they did not burn a house. That is our trouble in Gboo chiefdom.
Comm. Bishop Humper: paramount Chief Lamboi Foray, we share your grief, loss and suffering. As chairman of the commission and you being the first Paramount Chief to testify before this commission, I will start by asking a question for clarification and then ask my colleagues to do the same; I may come to you later. Chief, we want you to clarify the expression - that critical and crucial – ‘’this war was a chameleon war’’. What does it mean? I am asking you this question because my understanding of a chameleon is that it changes colour with the environment it finds itself. Now, chief, what are you trying to tell us; please educate us.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: When I said that this war was a chameleon war, there were soldiers who were supposed to be protecting this nation, yet they were rebels. They would kill any soldier who prosecuted the war honestly and sincerely in the interest of the nation. My son is an example. I am, myself, an old soldier; I went to Burma. The war we fought was different from the war that we have just experienced. They told us that we should report every security issue to them; I was at the brigade headquarters for over five hours before they could release soldiers to go with. That was why I said ‘’this was a chameleon war’’.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you chief; I will now have my colleagues to engage you for the moment.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you very much, chief. You are the first to have come out very frankly and definitely to give us an opinion on the relationship between the military and the people they were meant to protect. When you used the expression ‘’not honest’’, I was going to ask you to give an example of dishonesty among soldiers. However, you have now explained by using what I consider a stronger word; that they were chameleonic – they were changeable. In one case, they were soldiers and in another case, they were rebels and no wonder that people in this country were saying ‘’sobels’’. So chief you have a very strong conviction that those soldiers that went after your report to protect Gbaima were the people who were destroying the place.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: They changed completely. In fact, they were the ones that were looting our property and bringing them to Bo. They even built stores; Williams, the Secretary of State, had a separate store where his own shares of looted items were kept.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: For how long did they stay in Gbaima?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: They were there for some time; I left them there. When my daughter heard that they had attacked and, in fact, killed me, she spoke to the police and they went to tell me that my daughter wanted to talk to me. My daughter sent a ticket for me to go abroad; I did not return to this country until June 1st. I met soldiers in the town; a different set of soldiers. They were there for about two years.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So when you went back, you were again forced to leave – is that correct? The time you went through Taiama to go to Freetown.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: When I returned, they had burnt down my house and I did not have a place to sleep in Gbaima, so I only visit the town from Bo.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: So it was not because the military had returned to Gbaima?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: I had left Gbaima since I came to report the potential rebel attack on the town; the soldiers that were sent to the town were worse than rebels because they looted our property. I only went there to see how things were going.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Chief, are you saying that when the rebels left Gbaima, the rebels took their place.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: what I want to tell the commission is that on the day the rebels attacked and destroyed Gbaima and took away a lot of women whom they used as sex slaves in the bush, that was the same day that I came to ask for soldiers to defend Gbaima.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Yes, but after that, the soldiers went and occupied Gbaima and also destroyed, looted and caused a lot of damage; then they left. Did the rebels come back after that?
Comm. Prof. Kamara: The rebels went there intermittently; if they were moving towards Bo, from Freetown, they would stop at Gbaima and cause a few havocs and the same thing happened if they were moving towards Freetown or Makeni, from Bo. Gbaima is on the main road.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Tell us what happened at Taiama. You got to Taiama and found Carew, Major Carew at that time. Was he the one who helped you to get a transport to go to Freetown?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Carew was resident in Koribondo. He led a convoy of vehicles that went to Freetown. When he went on that day, he arrived at Taiama junction by 4 p.m and brought the vehicles at Taiama junction in a convoy to Bo.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Now again, I want you to clarify the statement you made about your son. Your son, you said, was killed; who killed him?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The soldiers killed him in Pujehun.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: You are saying that they killed him because he was not treacherous; he was trying to be a sincere soldier?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Exactly.
Comm. Prof. Kamara: Thank you very much.
Jow: Paramount chief, I join the other commissioners in welcoming you here, and I thank you for coming to speak on behalf of your chiefdom and, in fact, the whole nation. I will just ask a few questions. In your opinion, chief, who did more damage during the war? Was it the rebels or the soldiers?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: They caused equal percentage of harm.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You did mention in your testimony that when you were coming you saw a number of corpses among which was your personal guard, Foday Musa. Who was responsible for killing those people?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The soldiers were not there; the wee killed by the rebels that attacked the town; nine of them – three females and six males. They were buried by the soldiers in a mass grave; three to a grave.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: You have told us also that your son was a plateau commander in Pujehun; did he die in Pujehun?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: They killed him in Pujehun.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: We know that you were not present, but do you know how he was killed?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: He was in a vehicle together with his men and they went on inspection; the soldiers they met killed all four of them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Can you clarify this further? Were they killed by other soldiers or by rebels?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Soldiers killed them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Were you able to recover his body for fitting burial?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: They brought his corpse to the mortuary in Bo and they sent to call me in Gbaima. I came to Bo and requested that Brigadier Gottor, the Force Commander, give me his corpse so that I could bury him. Brigadier Gottor refuse to give me the corpse; he said that my son was a hero and therefore they buried him at the war grave.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Have you visited the site since his burial?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: I was there when they buried him.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: The other thing I will like to know, chief, is the state of recovery in your chiefdom. There was a lot of destruction, a lot of looting; what has been the state of recovery in your chiefdom? Have people been able to reconstruct their houses and get on with life?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The war has ended and we have been asked to return to our villages. Those whose houses were burnt have constructed huts. Nothing has been done; there is hunger and other problems, no money and no NGO have been there to help us. Before the war every important personality that passed through Gbaima would enter into the town on sight seeing, if I invite you to Gbaima now – I invited the president - you will realise the height of the destruction that they caused to it.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Paramount Chief, do you believe in reconciliation?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: What about the people in your chiefdom, are the ready to reconcile – have they started doing it? Are people ready to forgive?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The government is like an umbrella; it covers all of us. We do not know that caused the destruction in our chiefdom, but if we see them, we will embrace them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you very much, chief.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Paramount chief, we want to continue to thank you for your resilience, courage and your acute perception of events and accurate recording of same. As I said earlier, you are the first paramount chief to come to this commission and you are going to be the first paramount chief to open the doorway for other to follow suit. Chief I want to ask this question for information. Have you been attending the sessions since we started on Tuesday?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: well, not all.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Paramount chief, do you know anybody by the name of Sheku Macauley, from Gbaima?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes, I was here when he testified at one of your sessions.
Comm. Bishop Humper: And did you listen to him carefully?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: I was very perturbed when I listened to his testimony that day; I did not expect to have said all what he said given the fact that he is a section chief.
Comm. Bishop Humper: I am asking this question for information. Were you here when he was testifying?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: And you heard what he said?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: That is all we want to know at this moment. The next point is that you came here to the brigade when the rebels attacked you; what year was that?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Between 1994 and 1995.
Comm. Bishop Humper: It means that those who were here as secretary of state and provincial secretary have their names in the records, is that so?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much. That was what I wanted you to clarify for us. Chief, when do you think that SLA and rebels became comrades in arm?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: 1994.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much. Chief, by mentioning Major Carew’s name, are you, by that reference, inferring that, in fact, Major Carew would know the soldiers that were stationed this area at that time, or he would have knowledge of some of them and would know them by name.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The names I have mentioned are the ones of those that were in high offices and with whom I used to meet.
Comm. Bishop Humper: All right, let me ask you another question for clarification. The Major Carew you are talking about – is he still around?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: He is the Chief of Defence Staff.
Comm. Bishop Humper: All right, thank you very much, chief. He should know the soldiers that were deployed in in this area. Do you think that he has knowledge of those people?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: K.E.S Boya, Carew – Carew was in Koribondo and he used to come to Bo in order to help K.E.S Boya. Those two names that I have mentioned would know the soldiers that were deployed here.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much, chief.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: And Williams, former secretary of state.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Would you like us to bring them together so that you could come together?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Do you know some of your colleague Paramount Chiefs that have similar experiences? Have you heard of them or have they told you some of their stories?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: If it is the desire of each and everyone to sincerely have peace in this country, I do not believe that there is a chief – excepting those that died – that did not suffer in one way or the other.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much, chief. What we want to know is whether there are one or two of your colleague Paramount Chiefs that had shared their ordeals with you, or with who you have shared your ordeal.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: I shared my ordeal with our late Honourable Paramount Chief J.K. Boima.
Comm. Bishop Humper: O.K., he is dead, but did you tell any other person, even if in passing?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: No, I discussed it with no other chief.
Comm. Bishop Humper: All right, thank you very much. Leader of Evidence!
Leader of Evidence: I wish to clarify your testimony if you do not mind. You told the commission that those soldiers that went to Gbaima ate all your animals and the food you had. Did they pay for them?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: No, I was not there and they grabbed everything.
Leader of Evidence: Did you have the opportunity of complaining to somebody in higher authority, like when Major Carew gave you a ride?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: When the rebels were at Mongere, I asked SALCOST for a vehicle in which I packed all the things that I cherished. The soldiers stopped the vehicle at the brigade headquarters and asked the driver to return with the items to Gbaima. This happened at a time when I was in town to make a report to the Provincial Secretary. When the soldiers went to Gbaima, they looted all my property.
Leader of Evidence: Let me understand this, chief. You took a vehicle, went to Gbaima, got your most important properties and brought them to the brigade headquarters.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes, that was before the attack on Gbaima.
Leader of Evidence: Yes - before the rebels attacked. Right there at brigade headquarters they sent the vehicle back. Who was driving the vehicle?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: SALCOST gave me a driver.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you. So the soldiers sent the vehicle back to Gbaima.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Back to Gbaima!
Leader of Evidence: When, at that point, it was obvious that there would be nobody to protect that property?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes. They met the window open and they threw the properties into my house. At the end, they were afraid of a lieutenant whose name I cannot recall. The lieutenant hd driven with me so that I could shw him the direction from which the rebels went into the town. That was what they did for me.
Leader of Evidence: If I heard you right, sir, you are saying that this was before K.E.S Boya and Captain Kamara.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Captain Kamara was the ringleader; he sent the vehicle back.
Leader of Evidence: So, a senior officer of the Sierra Leone Army, when you brought your property, directed that your property be returned to your villge, which was unprotected.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: In fact, he accused me of having knowledge about the war. That was even more reason why he ordered the return of my property.
Leader of Evidence: If I understand you well, a senior officer of the army was accusing you, a paramount chief, of being a rebel.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: He said that I had knowledge about the war.
Leader of Evidence: Because you brought your property for safe keeping in Bo?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes, because I brought my property for safe keeping in Bo.
Leader of Evidence: Do ypu know where this Captain Kamara is now?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: He was part of that group – a group had left.
Leader of Evidence: Do you also know where K.E.S Boya is now?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: K.E.S Boya is in Freetown.
Leader of Evidence: Is he still in the army?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes, in fact, he holds a bigger position in the army.
Leader of Evidence: He is currently a big man in the army.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes – if he were here, I would tell him to his face.
Leader of Evidence: Do you also know where Mr. Williams is now?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: I do not know, but I learnt that he is alive and that he also holds a big office in the army.
Leader of Evidence: Mr. Williams is still in the army.
P.C; Yes
Leader of Evidence: So, some of the most important people that you identified - Major Carew, K.E.S Boya and Williams – are still in the military.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes
Leader of Evidence: When it became clear to you that the soldiers, according to your testimony, were responsible fr the looting and destructions in your community – Gbaima, did you have access to an alternative protection mechanism?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: What they did was to make me a witness so that I could testify against the soldiers that were attacking Molendeh and the quarry. They, however, told neither the Provincial Secretary nor the Honourable Member of Parliament – the Paramount Chief. I went and informed them about it lest they went with me and killed me.
Leader of Evidence: Can I understand this right, sir – who asked you to go and give evidence about what happened?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: K.E.S Boya.
Leader of Evidence: He asked you to go to Freetown, to Army headquarters, and give evidence about what happened.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes, he did. That was after I had reported to the soldiers in Gbaima that the quarry and the village were attacked.
Leader of Evidence: Sorry, chief, if I am being a little bit persistent, I just want to understand. You complained formally to K.E.S Boya.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes
Leader of Evidence: Did he set up a disciplinary enquiry or an investigation?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: They referred all of us to Freetown.
Leader of Evidence: Meanwhile, K.E.S Boya was the brigade commander in BO, but he referred you to Freetown.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes
Leader of Evidence: Did he tell you who to report to when you got to Freetown?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: We went to the Chief Provo - the colonel of army police.
Leader of Evidence: But, according to your testimony, you were already afraid that if you could not deal with it in Bo, may be on the way to Freetown they will kill you.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Any way, they were officially right that I should to Freetown and give evidence. We appeared before the colonel of army police and he told me that I should report the following day, but I went there, he said that the man had already admitted. There was therefore no need for me to give evidence; he said that I should return to Bo.
Leader of Evidence: I need to understand this very well Sir. The matter was taken up formally with Freetown, and they sent you an invitation through the SDO so that you could go and give evidence. You went to Freetown, appeared before a colonel, and he said that you should come back the following day. Then when you came back the following day, whom did you meet again?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The same colonel told me that the man who had been accused, arrested and brought from Bo had admitted everything about the attack on he village and he quarry. He also admitted that he ate some of my livestock. The colonel then said that I should return to Bo.
Leader of Evidence: Can you recall this colonel’s name?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: No, I cannot, but if I see him, I will recognise him.
Leader of Evidence: This colonel told you that the man who was responsible for stealing in you house and destroying your community had admitted.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Including the fact that they failed to prevent the rebels from attacking Molendeh and the quarry.
Leader of Evidence: So there was no reason for you to give evidence any more; you should return home?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: That was what I was told.
Leader of Evidence: Did this colonel tell you that they had recovered some of the property the man stole from you?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Property?
Leader of Evidence: Yes
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: [LOL] The man was in Freetown; K.E.S Boya who was here did not tell me anything about that, and you are asking about my property. All my country clothes that my father had left as legacy for me together with what I had made in thirty years when I worked at the Ministry of Works as a Senior Superintendent in the east.
Leader of Evidence: Did this colonel tell you that they had meted out punishment to this man who had confessed to be responsible for the destructions and looting?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: No Sir. He only told me that the man had admitted.
Leader of Evidence: So to your knowledge, up to this time, the man had not been punished?
P.C; I don’t know whether they punished him or not.
Leader of Evidence: Was there an apology from the army to you - either in Freetown or in Bo?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: No apology.
Leader of Evidence: All the simply said was that you should go home, that the man had admitted.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Since the soldiers were at Gbaima for two years and they kept on looting and wrecking other havocs, how did the people of Gbaima protect themselves?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: That is what I was telling you about. After the looting and all, I had no place to stay so my daughter sent a ticket for me to travel abroad. When I came from America on June 1st, and the road to the provinces was blocked, I stayed in Freetown until sometime in December when government told us that we should stay in the district headquarter towns if our villages were still unsecured. Since then, I have been in Bo.
Leader of Evidence: I know that you left for abroad and then stayed on in Freetown and, finally, in Bo, but what about the people who were staying at Gbaima? To your knowledge, they were at the mercy of the soldiers and the rebels.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The lieutenant that I met at Gbaima; Lieutenant Turay, treated me hospitably when I went back to Gbaima. This lieutenant was in charge of security at Gbaima; but I don’t know what happened in my absence. However, when I returned to Gbaima, I realized that more houses had been burnt down.
Leader of Evidence: Now, let me ask you this chief; it is actually an opinion. In your opinion, why did the army behave the way they did; why did they steal your property, why did they destroy your town?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Well, they wanted to enrich themselves overnight; they did not have the requisite training as soldiers.
Leader of Evidence: So what you are saying is that part of the problems in the military during the war was that there was corruption…
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Definitely!
Leader of Evidence: And secondly, they had very little training.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Exactly!
Leader of Evidence: Were there other problems that you can identify that affected the performance of the military during the war?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Another problem was that there was no head; even a non commissioned officer cannot listen to his senior officer. That was my observation.
Leader of Evidence: So there was no discipline in the army?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: No discipline!
Leader of Evidence: Do you think that these problems are still continuing?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: As an ex-service man, I am keenly observing, but I have not noticed that lately.
Leader of Evidence: What kind of reform would you like to see in the Sierra Leonean Armed Forces? What needs to change?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Firstly, all the senior officers who are currently in the army should go on retirement and let there be soldiers that are trained by the British government. If the old hands in the army continue to stay on, the army will still remain corrupt.
Leader of Evidence: Do you think that this issue of corruption is as a result of poor pay or may there be other reasons for the corruption in the army?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The soldiers are well paid now; during our days in the army, we were paid a shilling per day. Soldiers now receive a handsome salary, but I observe that people want to be enriched overnight.
Leader of Evidence: This issue you see in the army, do you also see it in the rest of society as a government issue – like anybody who occupies an important position in government?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: That is the worse; those who hold high as well as other offices are corrupt. This is found even in the civil service.
Leader of Evidence: So would you like to give the commission some suggestions about what needs to change?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: My suggestion is that people should be recruited and trained so that all those senior officers and officials will be retired.
Leader of Evidence: Can I ask one last question on Koribondo; would have any idea what happened in Koribondo – who was responsible for the destruction? There was an SLA detachment in Koribondo.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Well, that is not my chiefdom, I cannot tell.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you very much Paramount Chief. That is all, Commissioner.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Paramount Chief, in the Sierra Leonean context and, as far as we are concerned, you are one of the greatest men in the country. We have asked you questions, now it is your turn to ask questions that relate to our work or to make recommendations.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: The Commissioners and staff of the commission have asked me many questions on the issue of the soldiers, Kamajors and all. What I want to understand is this: why is that the government continues to give support to the rebels who had perpetuated so much harm and we that have suffered are left uncared for?
Comm. Bishop Humper: Paramount chief that is a very important question. We try as much as possible to put people in different categories, at least for the sake of convenience. You are not the only one that is very much apprehensive and aggrieved that perpetrators are being pampered while the victims go on suffering. This is the thinking of the commission. At the Lome peace agreement, we said that we wanted peace and that is what we are still pursuing; to ensure that there is peace in the country. The international community that support this country put a mechanism in place to ensure that the most immediate issue – the need for the perpetrators to be disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated – be addressed. In other words, take the guns from these people and get them in an environment that will prevent a recurrence of the war. That is why the international community and government paid and continue to pay attention to those whop did wrong – the perpetrators. This commission was established to pay specific attention to victims like you. Article 29 of the Lome Peace Agreement stipulates that there should be a war victim’s fund. That fund is supposed to be established by the government with the help of the international community, and this commission is mandated to pursue the establishment of that fund. That is why we ask people who give testimonies to make recommendations so that those recommendations will be incorporated in the report that we shall have to present to government. I do hope that this explains the reason why government is doing that – to maintain peace and tranquillity so that we will prepare ourselves to concentrate on the victims of the war. The government and the international community will not forget about the horrors that the victims have gone through during the war. We are committed to making such recommendations as to address the needs of the victims in this country.
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: I thank you. We are the leaders of our people and they sometimes ask us these questions, which can be difficult to answer. However, I appreciate that you have taken your time to explain and it is good that they are also listening to the session. My message to the government is that there is no part in this country where the soldiers and the rebels did not wreck havoc; the abducted wives and other women whom they sexually abused with impunity; they looted people’s properties and prevented the owners of such properties from protesting. My message to the government is generally on behalf of the country and particularly on behalf of Bo district. There is no village where they did not enter; for instance, they destroyed every section, town and village in Bumpeh excepting Taninahun; there was a time when the soldiers turned this town into a ghost town – they were looting houses and forcing people to carry the looted items.
Comm. Bishop Humper: What is your recommendation to government in this regard?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: In consideration of the truth that the commission stands for and the integrity it has, I am asking you to tell the government to ensure that every victim be compensated somehow so that there will be absolute peace in this country.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Is that all?
Paramount Chief Lamboi Foray: Yes
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much, chief. We will take all of these into consideration when we put our report together for the government and the international community. However, I will say, here and now, that our mandate does not include compensation to individuals, but I believe that the government and the international community have something in store for victims although we cannot say now what it is. Perhaps, some day, not too long, some one from overseas will come and ask that he/she visits your place in order to see the height of the destruction that was done to it and to help. We want to thank you at this moment and to give you the assignment of reaching out to your colleague Paramount Chiefs and tell them that the commission will like to hear from them as well. We thank you very much. Thank you.
3rd Witness: Bana Smith
The witness swore on the Koran. Commissioner Bishop Humper administered the oath.
Comm. Bishop Humper: On behalf of the commission and the audience here present, I will want to welcome, Brother Smith. I will say this to you, those who have testified to this commission and those who will testify that your names will go down into the history of our country as being men and women who have played pivotal roles in the achievement and sustainability of peace in our country. Your honest testimonies will be crucial to the commission’s work of precisely determining what went wrong in this country, and what all of us – survivors – will do to prevent the recurrence of such sufferings in this country. So to us, today, you are a VIP. We encourage you to remain calm in the process; you are assured of all the protection that you need and the commission will graciously ask you to give your testimony.
BANA SMITH’S TESTIMONY
I wish to give a faithful testimony of what we went through in the course of the war. Firstly, I must say that I am Bana Smith. I was born at Yanihun village, Wonde Chiefdom in Bo district. I will begin my testimony with the activities of the soldiers. Most of what we suffered was in the hands of the soldiers of the 14th Battalion in Koribondo. When the war broke out in this country, Major Mansaray was the first Battalion commander that was sent there. When he went there, he paid a courtesy call to the Paramount Chiefs and told them that he would like to deploy soldiers in areas within the chiefdoms. The Paramount chiefs gave their approval for the deployment of soldiers in the chiefdoms. We gave the soldiers a treatment that befits strangers; we gave them food and many more. When Mr. Freeman went to that part of the country, he and Major Mansaray worked together amicably. They pursued the Burkinabe rebels beyond Pujehun district. After that, Major Samura replaced Major Mansaray as Brigade commander in Koribondo. When Major Samura took over the command of the battalion in Koribondo, we realized that no matter what we did for the soldiers, they would never be happy if there was no war. I witnessed the period during which they trained our brothers, sons and other relatives in Koribondo to enter into the army. Whenever they completed training a set of our relatives in order to prosecute the war, they would disappear after about a month. Little did we know that they were going into the bush and were becoming rebels with the aim of returning to loot our towns and villages. After the rebels looted Ngagwehun Ngiiyela, we decided to pick up the guns that were owned by our grandfathers. The soldiers from Koribondo went to Ngagwehun Ngiiyela and took those guns from us. About two days after that incident, over fifty inhabitants of Ngagwehun Ngiiyela were killed. We all fled from that part of the country. We did not understand the intricacies of the conflict and we returned to our villages almost immediately. When we returned, Major Samura and a Lieutenant taxed us to take care of their needs. We later learnt that they had stored the looted items in a building of DEC school at Bathurst. Whenever the Sierra Leone Army soldiers attempted to transport the looted items to Koribondo, they were ambushed by ULIMO. In the some way, whenever ULIMO attempted to transport the looted items, they were ambushed by the SLA soldiers. There was an attack that left some of the ULIMO and SLA fighters running into the woods; some were not conversant with the terrain. One of them found himself in our village. Since we knew that rebels wore combat fatigue and, most of them, did not carry guns, the local hunters in our village dealt with him; they left him in the bush. After that incident, the local hunters took some representative items to the Brigade in Koribondo.
When we arrived with the items, Lieutenant Kamara commended us. However, the eye carries not a load, but it can determine its weight. When the items were taken to the MP office, they examined them closely. The soldiers at the MP office did not know that we understood Krio; they were saying, in Krio, that the items were similar to those of one of their colleagues. Two days after we returned to our village, the soldiers attacked the village; they looted houses and killed many people. It was during the command of Major Samura that residents in parts of Pujehun and Bo districts were displaced. Afterwards, it dawn on us that we had been actually displaced.
While we were here, we got a lot of information as regards the atrocities that were being committed against our people back in the villages; some were amputated. One did not see any rebel; all one saw were people who wore the same outfits as soldiers of the SLA – the ‘rebel’ in the bush wore military fatigue. During the 1996 general elections, some of us were in Koribondo where we voted. By the grace of God, the SLPP won the elections. Not too long after the elections, we saw groups of men referred - Kamajors - come to Koribondo. They chased the rebels away from Merlin unto Bonthe. I was resident at a junction called Bathurst; that was where the Kamajors stopped chasing the rebels.
Major Allieu was in command at Koribondo then. He dispatched his men to go and determine what was happening at the junction. After their encounter with the Kamajors, rebels never attacked Merlin or its surrounding villages again. The rebels were only present in our chiefdom – Wonde chiefdom – and areas in Small Bo chiefdom. All the Paramount chiefs in Bo district came together under the leadership of late Paramount chief Lagbenor of Njala Komborya in order to embark on initiations into the Kamajor society. The initiation drive was taken in a bid to ensure that people return to their towns and villages. Four chiefdoms from the Kpaa Mende land joined five of our chiefdoms on this other side to undertake the initiation drive. Nine chiefdoms sent representatives and we were initiated by Kamoh Sheriff at Bobor Kombor in Bo. After our initiation into the Kamajor society during the raining season in 1996, we wanted to go to our chiefdom but we had no clearance from our chief. It reached a time when we were fed up. We went to the Paramount chief and told him that in spite of the risk involved, we were ready to return home. If my memory serves me right, Kamajors from our chiefdom were the first to liberate their chiefdom without the aid of an initiator. When we got the permission of the paramount chief, we split into two groups; one went through Koribondo and the other went through Blama. We met Major Kamara in Koribondo and briefed him on our resolve to liberate our chiefdom from the rebels. If my memory serves me right, it took us only three days to throw the rebels out of Wonde chiefdom. We repelled them to as far as Lamblama and Nyawa. Not too long after we had repelled the rebels, rebel soldiers attacked us. Those who attacked us at Wonde kambowa cannot forget about what we did to them in a hurry. Those who came out safe returned to their colleagues with news that a stronger force was needed to throw us – Kamajors – out of Wonde. They got troops from Tongo, Kenema and Daru, among other places, to attack us. At the time of the attack, we had come to see our relatives in the camps in Bo. The soldiers of the 14th Battalion in Koribondo then told their colleagues that there was a Kamajor initiation on course at Telu Bongor so they should launch their attack there instead. All of them went and attacked Telu; Telu was inhabited by only the Kamajors. What happened during the encounter is in records. Afterwards, we realised that the entire Bo district or even the entire Southern province was relative safe. We were taken to battlefronts in Kenema and Kailahun district. We returned home when we completed our assignments. The soldiers took over the reigns of government on the day we were commemorating the death of Paramount chief Moijueh of Fouta Kpejeh. We were all confused and did not know what to do. Before the soldiers took over the reigns of government, we were not friends. We were confined to our villages; if one went to Koribondo and one was identified as a Kamajor, one was instantly killed. At that time, Major Keita was in command of the Brigade in Koribondo. We, Kamajors, resolved to reverse the coup. Now and again, Major Keita sent his soldiers to attack villages around Koribondo; the soldiers looted and killed during such attacks. There was a time when they soldiers in Koribondo asked the rebels who were in Bo to join them.
Major Keita took rebels to Koribondo. The rebel commander in Koribondo was Corporal Amara. While Corporal Amara was in Koribondo, we had no respite in Njama Bongor, Tikonko, Merlin Bagbor, Wonde and Sowa chiefdoms. A combined force of rebels and soldiers were always afoot to attack us. During the nine months of junta rule, Major Keita gave us no breathing space in that area; they wrecked a lot of havoc in our area. They completely looted and burnt down Yanihun, Gaula, Bathurst and other villages in that area using their attacks of Kamajors as subterfuge. We thank God that we were not killed on that day. However, they looted all our properties and took them to Koribondo. At that time, we returned to our initiators who initiated us into the Kamajor society and gave a report on the situation. We told them that we had neither arms nor ammunitions. We resolved that we would reverse the coup against the democratically elected SLPP government; a government we, as well as the soldiers, voted for. We left our chiefdoms. In fact, there was news in Koribondo that I, Bana, had gone into hiding. We moved to Bonthe district where we were sure of getting some supply of ammunitions. In the course of our stay in Bonthe district, Major Keita sent three hundred and fifty soldiers to be based at Bandajuma sowa; our people had no respite and they were sleeping in the bush. When we came back, we arrived at Fobu on a Sunday. The following day, Monday, we rested while we prepared for a battle against the soldiers at Bandajuma sowa. On Tuesday, we burnt their Anti Aircraft (AA) gun and drove them out of Bandajuma. Since then, no soldier or rebel went towards Pujehun - for about a week, no soldier went towards that direction for the simple reason that we had burnt three AA gun. Owing to the treatment meted out to us by Major, our resolved was strengthened and, a week later, we attacked Koribondo. By God’s grace, we drove the rebels and soldiers out of Koribondo. These are some of what the rebels and soldiers did to us in Wonde and other chiefdoms. Wonde chiefdom has been safe since then. We lost our Paramount Chief, but we thank God that we were able perform the burial rites fittingly. The government then appointed our brother, Mualemu Mustapha Sannoh, regent chief. However, we had some of our brothers, the Daboh’s, who were opposed to Mualemu Mustapha Sannoh’s appointment. Their opposition to the appointment of Mualemu Mustapha Sannoh supposed a challenge to the authority of the government. Everyone knew what Wonde chiefdom used to be. There was a split over the appointment of Mualemu Mustapha Sannoh as regent chief. The Daboh’s were opposed to it while we were in support of it. Those who were appointed were presented to the Resident Minister, South – Foday Sesay – and it was in the local radio news. We resolved that as long as the Daboh’s would not accept Mualemu Mustapha Sannoh as regent chief, we would be opposed to anyone who had their support for the position. After that, the Daboh’s came to the SDO, Vandi, and invited Kosseh Hindowa who was the coordinator of the Kamajors in Bo district. In that meeting, the Daboh’s argued that the position of regent chief in Wonde chiefdom – considering the preponderance of the Kamajors – could best be handled by a Kamajor. That was a ploy to have Kosseh Hindowa as regent chief. The intention of the Daboh’s was to have Kosseh Hindowa so that he could silent the Kamajors in the chiefdom on the issue of paramount chieftaincy. When they presented the matter to Kosseh Hindowa, he said that he would first consult with chiefdom supervisor and the Battalion commander, Joe Timinde. I was then the chiefdom supervisor of the Kamajors. Kosseh Hindowa sent for us – Joe Timinde and me. When we got to his office, Kosseh Hindowa told us that the Daboh’s had asked him to take the position of regent chief in Wonde chiefdom. When I asked whether that was why he summoned us, Kosseh Hindowa answered affirmatively. I then asked him a simple traditional question, “when a paramount chief dies, who takes decision on the issue of a regent chief – the people of the chiefdom or government?”. He agreed that it is the government’s responsibility to appoint a regent chief. I then told him that we had a regent chief, Mualemu Mustapha Sannoh. I told Kosseh Hindowa that the Daboh’s were our brothers, but if they had rejected our brother, Mualemu Mustapha Sannoh, who had been appointed by government to fill the position of regent chief, their like will forever be our dislike. In addition, I told Kosseh that he was an administrator and therefore he was my boss. In that regard, I would give him the respect due him in Bo, but if he accepted the position of regent chief and went to Wonde, nobody would respond to his call. I advised Kosseh to tell the Daboh’s to talk to another person to fill that position. The Daboh’s were not the government. If they were not ready to go by the decision government had taken, we were also determined to go against any of their decisions on the chieftaincy issue. Dickson Kosia, the deputy battalion commander at Koribondo, was there as witness. Little did I know that Kosseh Hindowa had told Kosia and Joe Timinde the same thing and that their responses were similar to mine. They reminded Kosseh Hindowa of what they had earlier told him. Pa Kosseh then gave me five thousand Leones as fare. He then said that if he were to go to Wonde, we would be his host, but if we were against him going there, then he would keep off since he did not know what obtained in our chiefdom. He said that he was going to tell the SDO and the PS that he could not go to that chiefdom. I returned to the village. He, Kosseh, latter called the Daboh’s and told them what had transpired between us. The response of the Daboh’s was that they had advised Pa Kosseh against us and that the solution to the problem was to humiliate or liquidate me. He did exactly what they told him.
While they were going to present Kosseh Hindowa as regent chief, they passed through Blama and Gboyama before they went there, I had taken some Kamajors and we were undergoing training at Matato, Mongere chiefdom. One day, before Kosseh Hindowa was taken to Wonde chiefdom to be presented to the people, our father, Chief Sam Hinga Norman, took a message to us at the training base; he did not know that people from Wonde chiefdom were present. He told us that a Kamajor had been appointed regent chief. My heart jumped into my mouth; it occurred to me that he was talking about Wonde chiefdom. Indeed, he was referring to Wonde chief. In addition, he said that he had learnt that some Kamajors were opposed to Kosseh Hindowa. He stated that he knew what he would do to any Kamajor that opposed Kosseh Hindowa. At first, I took it lightly, but it was serious and I wanted to rise up and ask a few questions. One of my colleagues advised me against asking questions - at that training base, no investigations or action was taken if any trainee was killed. I listened to my colleague’s advice. I then allowed Chief Norman to say what he wanted to say. He threatened to deal with anyone who was opposed to Kosseh’s appointment. A week later, Kamajors were mobilised to accompany the team that went to install the regent chief; they carried many arms and ammunitions in the vehicle. When they went to Wonde chiefdom, they maltreated most of our people. Mr. Magona who was in Pujehun headed the troop that went there; Mr. Magona was sent there by Kosseh Hindowa. They were there for a week. Some Kamajors who went on the trip from the training base complained that they would never go to Wonde – not even if Pa Norman gave them a million leones each. They reported that Wonde chiefdom was full of evil and that they nearly lost their lives. They complained that their host did not feed them. After the training, I returned to my village. Many complaints were falsely made against Alhaji Momoh and me to Kosseh. There was a trade fare centre at Bathurst where people gathered every Sunday. People told Kosseh Hindowa that he should stop me from undertaking initiation ceremonies if he wanted to control the trade fare. He then passed a law that no initiation should take place in that area – both male and female initiations. My grandfather owned the land where the trade fare took place at Bathurst. After some time, when we did not apologise, somebody advised Kosseh to reopen the trade fare. I told you earlier that what we, the people of Wonde, wanted was rejected by the Daboh’s; there likes were therefore our dislikes. We stood our ground that if they wanted to open a trade fare centre, they should do that on their own piece of land, not on ours. Supporters of the Daboh’s came to Bo and reported what I said to Pa Kosseh. Pa Kosseh thought of himself as the president of Sierra Leone because he sent troops to arrest us without consulting with either the SDO or PS or the Police Commissioner. He sent the troops to Joe Timinde who was battalion commander in Koribondo with the instruction that I should either be killed or brought to him alive. When the Kamajors arrived in Koribondo, they briefed Joe Timinde, but Joe Timinde knew what was going on in Wonde. He spoke outright about his disapproval of the step Pa Kosseh took. He made clear the fact that asking me to come to Bo was no problem for him, but that rebels had not attacked Wonde and therefore there was no need for such a large troop. The troop Pa Kosseh sent was led by Huggard Bockarie – (a.k.a Daddy Bock). The Islamic leader that was among the troop was Kamoh Lahai Massaquoi. They all went to Joe Timinde who told them that I was like a son to him and a respectful junior colleague. He then decided to send seven Kamajors to represent him and to report on what would happen. The report that was given to Kosseh – false report – was that I was in an ambush. Joe Timinde released his boys to join the troops that came from Bo. They did not even meet me in the village; I was neither at Bathurst nor at Yanihun. I was resident at Yanihun. The troop of Kamajors that were sent by Kosseh attacked Yanihun in the same way that rebels launched their attacks on towns and villages. They looted many things from Yanihun. Supporters of the Daboh’s that were resident at Yanihun told the Kamajors that I usually went into hiding at Lagor Njama and advised them to ambush the road that leads to Lagor. Huggard Bockarie deployed the boys round the town. RSM Dauda told them that he did not want them to go where I was; one of Joe Timinde’s boys made that suggestion. They gave in to the suggestion. Dauda and his other six colleagues from Koribondo went to me at Ngaola. As they approached, I saw them carrying RPG, AK58, LMG and other weapons. When they arrived, I came out from where I was and they told me that they had come to summon me before Joe Timinde who was at Yanihun. When I asked why they were carrying such weapons, they replied that if a warrior had information there laid a trap ahead of him, he knew what to do –they were acting on the nature of the information they had received. I asked whether they fell in an ambush and they said no. They said that, in fact, that was the first proof that they had lied against me. I agreed to go with them. They told me that Joe Timinde had asked that I take the town chiefs and speakers of Yanihun and Ngaola with me. I informed all of them and we left. In less than two hundred yards walk from where I was, I heard a gun shot in the direction of Yanihun. I did not raise any alarm because I did not want to scare them away. We went on and later found that a man had shot himself. While we were approaching Yanihun, we were in an ambush without knowing. When I entered Yanihun, I saw Kamajors following me into the village. I was presently placed under gunpoint. When we arrived, I was handed over to Kamoh Lahai Massaquoi. When I greeted Kamoh Lahai, his response was cold. However, I introduced myself – mentioning his brother who initiated me – and he walked up to me and shook my hands. From his countenance, I read that he had calmed down. RSM Dauda then told me to walk to the barray and choose five people who would go with me to Koribondo, since Joe Timinde had just returned to Koribondo. As I was walking to the barray, Huggard told RSM Dauda that my boys had been in an ambush and was a gunshot that killed one of his boys. He alleged that I had killed his boy. According to what I learnt, they had gone to one of my elder brother’s - Alusine Bawoh – during their looting spree. They wanted to enter into his house, but the wife was there – she was a Kamajor woman. She told them that it was over her dead body that they would enter into that house. They did not know that she was a Kamajor woman and a Kamajor stepped forward and slapped her. I am sorry the woman is not around due to lack of transportation. The woman, in turn, slapped the Kamajor. The boy who died was called Ogena. He cocked the gun to shoot the woman, but his boss advised him against that. He did not replace the safety catch when he hung the gun on his neck. According to testimonies of witnesses that witnessed the incident, the gun slipped from his neck and fired when he bowed down to get firewood in order to light marijuana. That was how he killed himself. According to the testimonies, there were three of them – the other two shouted that Ogena’s gun had killed him. Fortunately, an intelligent officer recorded it. When we arrived in Koribondo, they explained everything to Joe Timinde. He reminded them of what he said before they left and told them that he could not settle a matter that involved death. He therefore advised that they take the matter to Kosseh that sent them. All of us, including the corpse, travelled in the same vehicle to Bo. When we arrived at Sembehun 17, the Kamajors started to stab me on the bases of the orders that they had received from Kosseh. Seven of us travelled with them from Yanihun. They beat, wounded and nearly killed all of us. They continued to manhandle us until we arrived at Shelmingo. When we arrived at Shelmingo, we did not know that they were communicating with Kosseh on the radio. By the time we arrived at the Kamajor office – 88 Mahei Boima road – there were many members of the Daboh family who were not Kamajors. Upon arrival at the CDF office, we were treated like none entities. They took us to the back of the office where we saw Kosseh, Sidique Daboh and many other Daboh’s. The first utterance that Sidique Daboh made was ‘’why did you bring Bana alive’’. Kosseh Hindowa ordered that they beat us to death. On that day, we preferred death to life. We arrived at the office by 4.30 pm and we were tortured unto 6 pm. They shot at us, but in vain – we had the blessing of God. One of the boys who was among the Kamajors that went to arrest us called Mr. Fefegula aside – Mr. Fefegula still remains a father to me – and told him that all the allegations made against me were false. Pa Fefegula – he was a strong man – came and pushed aside all those that were beating us. He took us into a cell. We were in the cell when Kosseh Hindowa ordered that I should be tied with an ‘’FM’’. If rebels had knowledge of the ‘’FM’’ that we had they would have killed everybody in this country. Kosseh Hindowa ordered that five ‘’FM’S’’ be brought for me. Had it not being the grace of God, I would have died on that day. The ‘’FM’’ was fixed on me four times – it cut each time they drew it. The fifth time, Pa Fefegula hit the boy and said that if he could not tie me, he would be tied instead. They tied me for twenty-five minutes. The Daboh’s pointed guns at us and threatened that they would kill all of us and take our corpses back to Wonde. Meanwhile, Pa Fefegula had called O.C Kamara of the Criminal Investigations Department and told him that if he did not come to the CDF Office at 88 Mahei Boima road, there would be another war. The O.C immediately came with the vehicle. He asked Pa Fefegula to summon us to him when he arrived. While we were coming out of the cell, I was on the left of Pa Fefegula – on his right were Kamajors who had sticks in their hands to hit me on the head - there were eight of us. Two people later died because of the torture. When we went on board the police vehicle, a Kamajor called Sojegbowangoe hit my right eye – I thought that I had lost my sight. They would have inflicted more physical injuries on us if the driver were not smart. Pa Foday, one of the detainees, was rushed to the hospital, while we were taken to a police cell. For about three days, the police were afraid that CDF would attack them. In addition to their fears, there was an intelligence report from Gboyama that Kamajors had mobilised to come to Bo in a bid to free me. Fortunately, our fathers back home advised our brothers against launching an attack on Bo. I was in the cell for eight days. I gave a statement on the second day. O.C Kamara understood what was happening in Wonde. My brother in this auditorium also made a statement. O.C Kamara asked the police that was taking statements from us to close the files and prepare to go with him to Koribondo. When O.C Kamara returned from Koribondo, he walked up to me, shook my hands and said that I was a straightforward man. He then said that henceforth we would stay out of the cell until dusk – we slept in the cells for security reasons. After they had taken statements from us, O.C Kamara invited Kosseh Hindowa and two section Chiefs and we were taken out of the cells to where they were – Pa Kosseh Hindowa was busy telling lies. Even the two section chiefs made allegations against us. The PS, Kallon and O.C Kamara had carried out investigations and were able to detect that we were innocent. They released us when the Commissioner returned to Bo.
We also made a report against Kosseh Hindowa and his men. I obtained a doctor’s report and later went to inform my brothers in Freetown. This matter was brought to the knowledge of the I. G. who instructed that I give a statement at the CID in Freetown.
I came back when I heard of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We later went to see the president and we were able to prove that they had told a lie concerning the fact that Pa Kosseh’s appointment came from the president. Unto this day, I am determined to contest Pa Kosseh in court. This is my testimony.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much, Bana Smith. My address is with reference to your statement. Perhaps my colleagues may want to ask you few questions, but let me put things in perspective. I want to begin from the end. Bana Smith, did I hear you say that you sued Kosseh Hindowa to court?
Bana Smith: I reported the matter to the police.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Is the matter still pending?
Bana Smith: At the time of the incidents, there was still war in the country. Even the police in Bo were afraid.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Do I therefore assume that you have come to the commission to seek redress?
Bana Smith: Well, yes. Everything good or bad must end.
Comm. Bishop Humper: If that is the case, we as a Commission and the audience, will like to know the sequence in which you have narrated your experience – we want to be as brief as we can. Did I hear you say that the Burkinabes were those that launched the initial invasion into Sierra Leone?
Bana Smith: They did not come to Bo.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Well, I am not talking specifically about Bo, I mean the Sierra Leone.
Bana Smith: The Burkinabes came to Bandajuma Sowa.
Comm. Bishop Humper: O.K.! Did I hear you say that the SLA and ULIMO had an encounter because of looted items?
Bana Smith: The ULIMO and SLA were in Koribondo. The looted items were stored in a school at Bathurst. The civilians in Koribondo could not have seen their properties without commenting, so they went to collect the looted items at night. The SLA ambushed ULIMO when they learnt that the latter were going to collect the looted items, vice versa.
Comm. Bishop Humper: It appears to me that there was a change in the pattern of prosecuting the war.
Bana Smith: What do you mean?
Comm. Bishop Humper: You said that SLA was fighting against RUF - then the Kamajors had not come in. Was that so?
Bana Smith: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: When they took a different turn – according to your statement – the Kamajors emerged. Am I right?
Bana Smith: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: That continued unto 1997, o.k.?
Bana Smith: Yes, then they came together.
Comm. Bishop Humper: That is what I want to understand.
Bana Smith: It was after the military had overthrown the government that they came together.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Now, we move on - how many ruling houses do you have in Wonde?
Bana Smith: We have the Kaweh’s and the Manyeh’s - there are two ruling houses.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Will you agree with me that apart from the rebel war and all its attendant atrocities, one of the key issues you have expressed is chieftaincy?
Bana Smith: Yes, that was why Kosseh Hindowa was hostile to us.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Let us go systematically. You have gone through all of those wars, those horrors – that is your story. I am only trying to see whether we understand your story, and we are confirming that story. As you narrated your story, your heart bled when you recounted all the atrocities committed against you and your people. However, you suffered not because of the war, but because of the battle for chieftaincy – am I right?
Bana Smith: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much. Now, in this whole process you are saying that the government made a pronouncement about who should be regent chief and later you mentioned Chief Hinga Norman whom you said brought another news to you.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: The culminating point is that the man who was your district administrator then considered himself a regent chief – was that the problem?
Bana Smith: Yes.
Comm. Bishop Humper: We have the entire story. Commissioner, do you have any questions to ask?
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Bana Smith, we thank you for your very detailed testimony, but I will take you back to the beginning when you joined the Kamajor. You told us that you were a CDF section commander. We are interested in the various factions that took part in the civil strife. Can you clarify two things for me? Can you explain to us the structure of the CDF in Bo district? What were the names of the chief commanders?
Bana Smith: I will begin to answer your questions by telling you that I was made section commander when I joined the Kamajor. When B. M. Conteh, my brother, who was the section coordinator, died, I took over as section coordinator. I was later promoted to the position of supervisor for Wonde Chiefdom. I represented Wonde chiefdom at our battalion headquarters.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Sorry, can I cut you short? I am talking about the organisation of the Kamajors, not the chiefdom. How did you organise yourselves in Bo district?
Bana Smith: We had the administrator, Kosseh Hindowa – he was the overall boss for Bo district. Below the administrator were the battalion commanders – our own battalion commander was Joe Timinde. Below the battalion commanders were deputy battalion commanders. We had company commanders below the rank of deputy commander. Below the company commanders were supervisors, followed by section commanders, patrol commanders and chiefdom Kamajors who were in charge of all the Kamajors in the chiefdom. We had squad commanders. That was how we were organised.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you, Bana smith for that information. While you were defending the motherland and fighting against the various other factions - did you commit atrocities against the civilian population?
Bana Smith: I thank you for that question. In our own case in Wonde chiefdom, we went to fight faithfully so that our relatives would return to their villages. I do not think there is any civilian in Wonde chiefdom who can speak evil about Kamajors. I cannot speak on behalf other chiefdoms, but we were responsible for the return of our relatives to Wonde Chiefdom. We did not harm them.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: If I got your statement right, Bana, you talked about defensive and offensive operations. According to this, you defended your villages, but you also carried out offensives against other villages.
Bana Smith: Yes! When soldiers and or rebels attacked us in our villages, we retaliated if we had arms.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: And during those offensive attacks, atrocities were committed against the rebels – am I right?
Bana Smith: If a rebel attacked and killed my brother, I would kill him if I could.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Finally, Bana, because of all the problems you encountered in the chieftaincy, particularly with your boss – did you leave the Kamajor at any time?
Bana Smith: The position of supervisor was taken away from me by Kosseh when he was made regent chief by the Daboh’s.
Comm. Hajaratu Satang Jow: Thank you very much.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much, Bana Smith, for your cooperation. I would not want to spend much more time rather than to ask the leader of evidence whether he has questions for you.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you chairperson, Bana Smith, I have a few questions for you so that we can put all the experiences in context for the benefit of the commission. At the beginning of your testimony you said that when there were rebel activities, the soldiers then came in from Koribondo to Wonde chiefdom, right.
Bana Smith: Yes!
Leader of Evidence: And you people were providing them food and other supplies.
Bana Smith: Yes!
Leader of Evidence: Was it voluntary provision?
Bana Smith: It was voluntary because we wanted them to defend us so that we would not be displaced.
Leader of Evidence: So, all through the period they were there, was the community willingly giving them food?
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: The ULIMO soldiers, what were they doing in your neighbourhood?
Bana Smith: I saw the ULIMO through Mr. Freeman, who came to chase the Burkinabes out of Pujehun district.
Leader of Evidence: So the ULIMO’s were fighting on the side of the government.
Bana Smith: Yes, that was during the time of Mr. Freeman.
Leader of Evidence: Something is not clear to me; I will ask you to clarify it. You said that at some point your brothers were accused of being rebels and there were operations to flush them out of the community – is that correct?
Bana Smith: When the soldiers ousted the government, they killed any Kamajor that they saw in Koribondo.
Leader of Evidence: O. k, I see what you mean – I will come to that very shortly. When the elected civilian government was overthrown, we had the people’s army – was it the people’s army that was in charge in Koribondo?
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know the commander of the people’s army?
Bana Smith: Their commander was Major Keita.
Leader of Evidence: Then the Kamajor movement came to fight against them?
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: So, what I hear you say is that you had a number of operations in Koribondo to flush out the people’s army.
Bana Smith: We in Wonde Chiefdom did not attempt to attack Koribondo after the coup, until when we were attacked by the junta.
Leader of Evidence: I need to understand you very clearly. The people’s army were targeting Kamajors – you say they were killing Kamajors in Koribondo.
Bana Smith: Yes!
Leader of Evidence: And so there was heavy fighting over a period before you people finally succeeded.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: So, who was then doing the attacking – you said they were killing Kamajors already so you people went to fight them to be able to take over Koribondo from the people’s army.
Bana Smith: Sometimes I heard that rebels had attacked Ngiema, Kpetewoma Lugbu, etc, and the Kamajors fought back – sometimes close of Koribondo. Whenever Koribondo was attacked, we clearly heard gun sounds.
Leader of Evidence: Anytime, the people’s army attacked Kamajors, you would retaliate in Koribondo.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: The people’s army occupied Koribondo for the length of time the AFRC was in power.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: So, if I understand you well, they were based in Koribondo and in order for you to liberate Koribondo you had to fight in Koribondo – is that not correct?
Bana Smith: If we did not fight against them in Koribondo it would have been difficult for us because they always went on looting sprees in our houses. We no longer lived in the towns - we were in the bush.
Leader of Evidence: After you had liberated Koribondo, how were you able to identify civilian collaborators in Koribondo?
Bana Smith: When we liberated Koribondo – Joe Timinde who was our battalion commander, was good and cool and we were friendly because we were born in the part of the country. If Joe Timinde was bad, considering the number of Kamajors that were killed in Koribondo, and the number of houses burnt in Njama Bongor chiefdom, they would have wrecked more havoc in the town. Joe Timinde did not allow that to happen. A day after Koribondo was liberated, the civilians began to return to the town. That was what I saw.
Leader of Evidence: What can you say about the witnesses who told the commission that they were targeted for being collaborators of AFRC in Koribondo, and that the Kamajors destroyed Koribondo? More specially, your national commander is said to have ordered the destruction of Koribondo because they collaborated with the AFRC.
Bana Smith: I am in to answer this question; I asked a woman who went to Wonde chiefdom. Apart from Daru where there were government troops, the entire country, especially Bo district, depended on the battalion that was in Koribondo. The battalion in Koribondo was one that created problems in this country. Any soldier that went there committed some sort of atrocity. My dear brother, if you were in Koribondo and you had boys whom you sent to commit atrocities ranging from looting to death – should the oppressed have had the upper hand, would he not throw you out of the town?
Leader of Evidence: So, it was legitimate for the Kamajor movement to destroy towns in order to liberate it from AFRC.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Mr. Smith, my interest is not what was right or wrong. The commission wants to write the true account of what happened. My job is not to say what you did was good or bad – I just want the true account. Did the Kamajors have to destroy the town in order to liberate it.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you very much, Bana Smith. When you joined the movement, how long did your training last?
Bana Smith: We were in this town for one month and fifteen days – after our initiation.
Leader of Evidence: And you were undergoing training during that period?
Bana Smith: Yes, we were undergoing training at the Milton Comprehensive Secondary School field – here in Bo.
Leader of Evidence: What kind of armaments were you trained to use?
Bana Smith: AK47, AK58, G3, FM – I could use those.
Leader of Evidence: So, in the course of all the fighting - how many rebels did you take as hostages?
Bana Smith: When we launched the attack to liberate Wonde chiefdom, we rescued approximately one hundred civilians and captured about twenty–five rebels. We brought all of them here.
Leader of Evidence: And what about in Koribondo?
Bana Smith: We did not meet any rebel in Koribondo; they had all come to this town because we left the road to Bo open.
Leader of Evidence: You were talking about the intensity of the training before you were arrested on the orders of Chief Hindowa – you were in training and you wanted to respond to your national coordinator’s statement, but your colleague warned you. What was the nature of the training? Would you be killed for opposing authority?
Bana Smith: I did not think about that. My brother advised me against talking because that was a strange place.
Leader of Evidence: And because you were afraid that you might be killed.
Bana Smith: Well, I was a stranger there.
Leader of Evidence: Now, you also said that when the Kamajors came to arrest you, they looted property and killed people.
Bana Smith: Many!
Leader of Evidence: What year was that?
Bana Smith: 2001.
Leader of Evidence: Do you have an idea of the month?
Bana Smith: I think it was in January.
Leader of Evidence: Can you give the commission an estimate of the number of people who were killed?
Bana Smith: Only one person – a Kamajor – died.
Leader of Evidence: Just that one, but were properties destroyed?
Bana Smith: Many!
Leader of Evidence: Was it in the nature of the Kamajor movement to attack its own people just because they wanted to arrest somebody?
Bana Smith: That was Pa Kosseh Hindowa’s squad.
Leader of Evidence: So, if I understand you correctly, you had different squads that had loyalties to different kinds of commanders.
Bana Smith: Yes, but Pa Kosseh did that simply because he had been appointed regent chief.
Leader of Evidence: I understand you clearly on that. An implication of what you are saying is that sometimes people could use the movement for personal purposes, not for things connected to fighting the war.
Bana Smith: They did that to satisfy themselves.
Leader of Evidence: Was it a practice – were some commanders doing that?
Bana Smith: I did not witness that in our battalion. Joe Timinde did not encourage that – but I heard about it in other parts of the region.
Leader of Evidence: Your commander did not do that but there were other commanders who were doing that.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: So, was it a fact that women were also members of the Kamajor movement?
Bana Smith: Oh, that our wife! She was the wife of an Islamic teacher. She saw many things, including the coup, in her dreams. She advised us on certain matters and instructed us on the kinds of sacrifices to offer. We therefore shared our powers with her.
Leader of Evidence: So, was she the only woman – to your knowledge – who was a Kamajor?
Bana Smith: No, there was Mama Munda who was an initiator.
Leader of Evidence: But beyond these and as part of the general initiation in the communities, did they have young girls as part of the Kamajor?
Bana Smith: No, no, no.
Leader of Evidence: Now, you mentioned this ‘’FM’’ rope – why is it call ‘’FM’’ and what was the nature of it? You said if it had been tied on you for longer than twenty-five minutes, you possible would have died. What kind of culture rope was that?
Bana Smith: If it were tied on you for about fifteen minute, you would shit. If it were tied on you for one hour, your arms would paralyse.
Leader of Evidence: You should further explain this to the commission because the rope was an ordinary rope. If you tied somebody with a rope, the pressure created the problem. What was it that was different about that rope you called ‘’FM’’ that would make you die in less than an hour?
Bana Smith: It was made of a piece of nylon rope that was tied to both ends of a piece of stick. If they held your arm between the rope and the stick, the rope tightened as the stick was turned either clockwise or anti-clockwise. If the stick was turned up to ten times, you were finished.
Leader of Evidence: Before O.C Kamara came and took you away, you said you were in a guardroom - whose guardroom was that?
Bana Smith: The CDF guardroom – 88 Mahei Boima Road.
Leader of Evidence: That was Pa Hindowa’s office.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: But Pa Hindowa was a district administrator, he was not a combatant, was he?
Bana Smith: Not at all – he was an administrator.
Leader of Evidence: How comes an individual had a guardroom?
Bana Smith: There was a guardroom at the CDF office – it is there even now. They locked up those they arrest in the guardroom.
Leader of Evidence: To your knowledge, when was the last time somebody was locked up in that room?
Bana Smith: I do not know about others – I know about when I was locked up in there. I am not resident in this town.
Leader of Evidence: Would that mean that most district administrators of the Kamajor movement had guardrooms in their offices?
Bana Smith: I saw one in Bo – I cannot tell what obtained in the other districts.
Leader of Evidence: And that was even when you had the army under the control of the government - before and after the AFRC coup.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: And even when you had the police, for instance there was O. C Kamara - you had the police force that was in control - yet there were those other cells controlled by the movement.
Bana Smith: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: You talked about two of your fellow detainees in that guardroom who died. How long after you were taken out of Chief Hindowa’s cell that it happened – did it happen immediately?
Bana Smith: They did not die immediately. However, I am convinced that they died because of the torture by the Kamajors. They died in less than two months after our release.
Leader of Evidence: The boys who tortured you – have you seen them recently?
Bana Smith: They were all Kosseh’s boys. Huggard Bockarie who led the troop is in this town.
Leader of Evidence: What is it like each time you see them? Do you feel threatened or what happens?
Bana Smith: They became afraid of us after the moves that we made to seek redress.
Leader of Evidence: If you see Chief Hindowa now, what would you tell him?
Bana Smith: What do you mean?
Leader of Evidence: For example, if the commission arranges a meeting between you and him, what would you tell him?
Bana Smith: I will tell him about all the wrong that he did to me.
Leader of Evidence: I know that. After that, what are you going to tell him?
Bana Smith: Except the government decides, but I will not easily forget what Kosseh did to me.
Leader of Evidence: Thank you very much Bana Smith. That is all, commissioner.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much, Leader of Evidence. Bana Smith, we are grateful for your cooperation. If we have a desire to go any further, we will only ask this one question as a follow up on what the Leader of Evidence asked. You have mentioned a few people here, and I am sure that you may not easily forget about what the have done to you. However, our primary purpose here is to continue to enquire from you whether you would like us to find a way of bringing you together. It is our desire to contact all the key personalities that you have mentioned – this is very vital to us.
Bana Smith: I am through with that. Most people here - in this hall – must have seen, heard or known about what happened to me. However, all good or bad things must come to an end. That is why I will not go against anything the government says.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much Bana. I will hold on that one statement and I will ask my staff to follow up on the issue. We have asked you so many questions. We now give you this opportunity to ask us any question that pertains to our work or to recommend anything that we could include in our report. You are now free to do so.
Bana Smith: My question is this, when the military ousted the democratically elected government and wrecked so much havoc – they are in fact responsible for most of the destructions in the country – what does government intend to do?
Comm. Bishop Humper: That is a very important question, Bana. It borders around the government’s operation. We do not know what government intends to do about them, but we know that you, as a citizen, have an idea of what to do to help this country move forward – it just that information that we want from you in the form of a recommendation. As an independent body, we have the mandate to carry out our investigations and make our recommendations at the end of the day.
Bana Smith: My other question is, if a democratically elected government was ousted and somebody made every move to reverse such coup, would that person be considered an enemy of the state?
Comm. Bishop Humper: That is another important question. I believe that anyone who does well is not a bad person, but I also believe that our constitution makes provisions for dos and don’ts. That particular question can be addressed from different angles. If you would coin that question into a recommendation, then I will tell you what the commission will do.
Bana Smith: The reason for asking this question is that the national coordinator of the CDF Sierra Leone, Chief Sam Hinga Norman – be he bad or good – tremendously supported the CDF to reverse the coup. My message to the government is that a warrior cannot stop short at violating some rights in his drive to defeat another warrior. However, a friend of the state would not wreck as much havoc as an enemy of the state. Whether Chief Hinga Norman was good or bad, he helped to bring peace to this nation by reversing the coup. That is my message.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Do you have any other recommendation?
Bana Smith: Like the Paramount Chief was saying, government should consider those who were affected during the war.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Please help us. You said, “Dem wan ya”, but we do not work with non-specifics – call them by their names.
Bana Smith: I am referring to us, the civilians, who were victims of the war – all over the country – we should be considered by government. We know that the ex-combatants should be dissuaded from fighting further, but government should consider the civilians afterwards.
Comm. Bishop Humper: Thank you very much, Bana. You have given us vital information and recommendations worth considering. We have an important task of making every individual feel important in this country. We are in pursuit of peace, unity and harmonious co-existence, and you have helped us to know what happened to our people in this country. We will take your recommendations, as well as the others, very seriously. On behalf of the commission, I want to thank you for this moment we have had together. I will now ask you to step down.
OPENING CEREMONY OF PUBLIC HEARINGS HELD IN KAILAHUN ON MONDAY 12 MAY 2003
The ceremony started with Muslim and Christian prayers. The District Coordinator, Mr. Bockarie Boani, introduced the Chairman of the ceremony Mr. Sulaiman Koroma, District Officer, Kailahun. The Chairman of the Commission, Bishop J.C. Humper, made a statement on behalf of the Commission. Statements were also made by the resident Paramount Chief and representatives of the UNHCR, NaCSA, NCDDR.
Presiding Commissioner: Bishop JC Humper
Commissioner Professor: John Kamara
Commissioner: Aminata Jow
Leader Evidence: Ozonnia Ojielo
Chairman Bishop Humper: As I welcome you to this session, I guess the witnesses for the day are already called in. Every witness can speak in his or her own language. The public is asked to respect all witnesses.
1st Witness – Baindu Amara
My name is Baindu Amara. I am a Muslim.
The oath was administered by Chairman Bishop Humper.
Chairman Bishop Humper: We encourage you to be calm. You are not only helping the commission, but you are also helping to establish the truth of what happened. The Commission will give you time to give your testimony.
TESTIMONY:
It was on a Saturday, we were sitting in the veranda when we heard a gun shot. At that time, I had just delivered a baby. When I heard the gun shot, the baby moved off my hand and fell on the floor. My husband picked up the baby and ran into the house. We were there till 2:00 p.m. and the children were crying. The firing ceased. We decided to go into the bush where we stayed for three weeks. We were there when somebody told us that our chief was asking us to return or pay a fine of Le10,000 each. We took our personal effects and came back to town. After three days, on a Sunday, I asked my children to go with me to fetch some water; I had two daughters. We hardly got to the well when we heard another gun shot from the direction of Liberia so we took cover in the nearest house. We were there till 2.00 o’clock. My breast became solid. A woman named Mary was in my house; she had a grown up child and he said I should go under the bed. We went under the bed. There were too many of us in the room.
We started hearing other languages that we did not understand. We were told that they were people from Liberia. They hit hard on the door and fired a shot into the house. The boy who had asked me to lie under the bed was shut on the chest. That same bullet hit me on my hand. Everybody started shouting. We were ordered to get out of the room by a Mende boy. The woman whose son was killed opened the door and we went outside and headed for the bush. I was eating grass as if I was a goat. I went to Pendembu and got admitted at the hospital for 14 days where some bullets were removed from my body. At that time the rebels had captured Bomaru. Everybody was trapped. We were seated when we saw our relatives with their luggages. When my husband arrived he was informed of my situation in the hospital; he cried for me. The baby was brought to me for breast feeding. The dispenser told us that we should try to leave as other people were leaving the area. I was given some medicines. We left and slept in the bush. That was the night the rebels captured Pendembu.
We walked on to Kwiva. On arrival at Kwiva, we were advised to leave again; so we continued and spent 2 days in the bush. We got to Dambara and stayed there for 2 weeks before the rebels arrived. We slept there and left in the morning. We intended to go to Kenema, but because of my pains, we were unable to travel and stayed in the bush instead. Also I was in so much pain that I could not carry my baby. I had little boys and they walked slowly. My husband took my head tie and strapped the children to his back. One Mende boy came and asked us where we came from. We told him. He asked if we had money in the bag. We said we were from Bomaru. He asked whether we had somebody to testify that it was true. Then a rebel from our village saw us and rushed at us and asked why we were coming from that end. By this time the houses were on fire.
He advised us not to go to Kenema and said that in fact he spoke to us only because we hailed from the same village. They had padlocks on their lips. He went to one of them. I did not know what they discussed. He asked us to go back to Bomaru. The rebels were too many in Kwiva and I was worried that they would kill us. We went into the bush again and we all went back to Bomaru. On arrival, my eldest girl was captured. They made her their wife and took every thing from us. I asked them to have mercy on me as I had wounds all over my body. One of them asked the rebels what I was saying. They explained to him. He pointed his gun at us. He then released my daughter but all our belongings were taken from us. I was advised not to sleep there and that I should go back to Bomaru. When we went to Bomaru, we were arrested. We were unable to go to Kenema or Liberia. We ate all our food and nothing was there to eat. We ate bush yams. We were there on to the time the wound healed up.
We were unable to move and the Kamajor came to our rescue. We were there and things were alright at the time when the Kamajors were with us. No body insulted us or took our food. They said nobody should insult a woman. We were sleeping at night when we heard gun shot. Then we asked ourselves, what we wished to do next. Those who were outside said we should not go. The firing was all over the town. We were inside the house shouting. My brother was a Kamajor. He came and called my name and I answered. He said we should come out of the house that the rebels had overpowered them. We left the house and went to Natco house. We crept on to the place, and we saw some dead people.
The soldiers ordered us not to leave the place as they were still protecting us. We told the soldiers that the place was not safe as our relatives were dying. At 2:00 p.m., I realized that my daughter had been killed. Then I said I was going there for them to kill me too; my daughter loved me. She always listened to me. We went and saw them lying on the road; seven of them. She was fired on the ribs. I went and grabbed her dead body. They took her from me. They were all collected and taken to the court barray. I was troubled and I am still discouraged. They were buried in a mass grave. There were about ten or eight of them buried in one grave. We were told to leave the town. I said why should I go; I wanted to die with Adama. I refused to go. So many people left. We sat down everyday and rebels met us at Bomaru. I was unable to tell who killed my daughter. Somebody pointed out the person who killed my daughter. At the time we left Bomaru, we were all sitting with the person, but he did not know me. He was telling the crowd how my daughter was killed. We asked for the names of those that were killed, and my daughter’s name was called. My mother’s name is Yeabu Amara. My father’s name is John, a black smith. Then the boy-confessor said please do not kill me but kindly take me along. The boy begged for mercy. He had expressed his wish to marry Adama but I disagreed. Then the war erupted. He explained how Adama was killed. As I was weeping all his colleagues told him that he was wrong. We all got up and moved. From that time I have never set eyes on that boy. We suffered a lot.
Chairman Bishop Humper: We have heard your story. It is difficult to see you going through this suffering and I would want to invite my colleagues to ask questions.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Baindu I want to thank you very much for coming to share your experiences with us. You will excuse me if I ask you a lot of questions on what you have given us. You said this attack took place in March as the first attack in Sierra Leone. Being in Bomaru I thought you were referring to 23rd March 1991.
Bandu: Yes.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: When you left Bomaru you went as far as Pendembu with bullet wounds on your hands?
Baindu: Yes
Commissioner Professor Kamara: From Pendembu you went to a place called Dambara?
Baindu: Yes
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Were you met by these rebels and did they persuade you to go back?
Bandu: Yes.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You only took 14 days or a period of 14 days. How long did it take you from the time you left Bomaru to Pendembu? Can you recall?
Baindu: It was 14 days; I was a nursing mother at that time.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: This means you were back in Bomaru early in April.
Baindu: After I had had that injury from the bullet, my husband joined me and we went to Dambara.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Did you say the two rebels persuaded you not to go?
Baindu: When we left the town we were told to go to our villages and we went back to Bomaru. When we went to the town, we took three weeks there. We wanted to go, but we had no way to go to Kenema.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Was it in Bomaru that your daughter and other people were killed. Was it the second time?
Baindu: Yes, It was on our return; It was the last attack.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Do you know how many people were killed?
Baindu: Yes.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: How many?
Baindu: I only know of two: my brother, Bockarie KK and Alie. Bomaru is a big place.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You said so many bodies were buried including your daughter, how many people were killed when your daughter was killed?
Baindu: I cannot tell the exact number, but those that were killed with my daughter were seven in number; we came crossed so many bodies on our way.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: How is your hand now?
Baindu: It did not heal immediately and I do feel pain in the injured hand, the left hand and sometimes water oozes from my ear.
Commissioner Mrs. Jow: We are all sorry about what happened to you. According to your story your ordeal lasted for some time. Was it six months, one or two years?
Bandu: That is hard to say; we were traumatized. There are people amongst us who can know
Commissioner Mrs Jow: Apart from the injury you have on your hand did any of your relatives suffer any serious violations?
Baindu: I cannot explain theirs.
Commissioner Mrs Jow: Were they injured?
Baindu: Those I saw were not wounded.
Commissioner Mrs Jow: You also talked about the Kamajors; do you know who was the leader?
Baindu: They said the leader was called Kenyeh. Women didn’t go close to them so I was afraid. I don’t know his name
Commissioner Mrs Jow: Do you have medical records for your treatment at Pendembu?
Baindu: I have lost it because we were in the bush, but the dispenser was called Morie
Bishop Humper: Thank you for your contribution. I heard you said the rebels spoke different languages.
Baindu: Yes.
Chairman Bishop Humper: Can you recall the name of the person who killed your daughter?
Bandu: No, I could not recognize him
Chairman Bishop Humper: Can you recall the name of the boy who helped you out of Pendembu?
Baindu: He was called Lahai
Leader of Evidence: I have two questions in order to help the Commission to understand, before the war started, were there any relationship between the people of Bomaru and Liberia, any intermarriages?
Baindu: Yes, we had a relationship with people from Liberia and even had children for them. We saw people from Liberia as our brothers and there were intermarriages with people from Bomaru.
Leader of Evidence: Were you also aware that there was a war going on in Liberia?
Baindu: At that time, there was no war in Liberia
Leader of Evidence: Before the attack on Bomaru, did you normally see people with guns; people who could have come from Liberia?
Baindu: No, I did not see anybody with guns from Liberia.
Leader of Evidence: Before the war started, was there a garrison of soldiers in Bomaru?
Baindu: At that time there was none, I did not see them.
Leader of Evidence: Were there soldiers in Bomaru before the war started?
Baindu: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Can you tell the commission when you started seeing soldiers in Bomaru?
Baindu: I can’t tell the time. We were sitting one day when we saw the policemen packing their luggages and we saw a truck of soldiers coming down.
Leader of Evidence: When the rebels were in Bomaru, could you tell us the nature of their relationship with the people coming from Liberia?
Baindu: No, I can’t tell. Everyday, we left the town and went into the bush.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know where the soldiers got their food from?
Baindu: Some mornings, they came around and begged from us.
Leader of Evidence: Was there any time your chief demanded food from you to give the rebels?
Baindu: No, I did not give them any food.
Leader of Evidence: To your knowledge, was there any time when the SLA was involved in violations?
Baindu: No, I can’t explain everybody’s suffering
Leader of Evidence: The people whom you said were talking different languages; can you explain what they were wearing?
Baindu: There were certain times when they rubbed blue on their faces.
Leader of Evidence: Where is the child you were carrying?
Baindu: At home
Leader of Evidence: Where is your husband?
Baindu: We are staying together.
Leader of Evidence: Was your house affected or is it still there?
Baindu: All our houses were burnt down. We have built a hut which we now live in.
Chairman Bishop Humper: We have asked you a number of questions; do you have any questions or recommendations to make to the commission?
Baindu: I have a question. Why is it that after going through all these sufferings with all the pains in our heart, you still ask us to narrate it again?
Chairman Bishop Humper: What you are saying is the opening up of wounds. Some of you will not understand what we are doing now, but later you will. Nobody will tell you that you will ever forget about that. Many things have happened in this country. Until we know what has happened to people like you, we will continue to remain in misery in this country. It takes pain and agony and suffering when talking about it afresh. Do you have any other question?
Baindu: I am suffering here, so I am thanking you that you have answered. If I do not ask this question I will never know all what you have explained to me
Chairman Bishop Humper: Thank you very much Baindu, we shall take this into consideration.
2nd Witness – Patrick Lamin
Presiding Commissioner: Bishop JC Humper
Commissioner Professor: John Kamara
Commissioner: Aminata Jow
Leader Evidence: Ozonnia Ojielo
My name is Patrick Lamin. I am a Christian. The witness took the oath using the Bible. The oath was administered by Chairman Bishop Humper.
Chairman Bishop Humper: Patrick I am sure you must have been abreast with our process here. I want you to feel free to give your testimony because we consider it important for our report.
TESTIMONY:
I hail from Bomaru. In February 1991, my father called me to go to Bomaru. During that period, there was war in Liberia. I saw a lot of rebels crossing the Liberia border. Some were speaking Liberian languages. They were staying with us. A group of armed forces arrived from Liberia to Bomaru. During that time, they never knew the town was called Bomaru. When they arrived, they saw the flag around the border. During the period there were no arms in Bomaru, there was only a barracks. They called on the section chief and put the case across with regard to the mission of their visit. The soldiers who arrived, the section chief and the policemen went along with the soldiers to Bomaru. We saw, at one time, a lot of armed men at Bomaru and they came with a purpose. The head of the team was Major Foday and he was with us. On a Saturday, we heard a gun shot. Even at that time we did not know what was going on. We heard the sound of heavy machine guns and we did not hear any other sound for five minutes. We thought there was a ceremony in Bomaru. Not too long we heard sporadic gun shots. I thought it was the armed men who were annoyed.
At one time, some groups of armed men came around and said we had to feed them or we would be put in prison. We used to cook for the armed men on the ground. They put all of us in prison one day for cooking their meal late. When we heard the gun shot, I taught it was the same thing. This time it was serious. We were in the house for sometime along the Helewa Road. We heard the noise of the people and were very happy because we thought the soldiers were going to assist us. When the people went towards the town, we heard gun shots again. The whole town was seized for a while.
When I came out of the house, I was frightened because I had never heard such loud and sporadic gun shots. They said Lt. Kargbo had been killed by the people. I saw him and he had been destroyed by the bullet. They told us that the Commander of the army Major Foday had also just fallen in the ensuing battle. On the same day and at the same time, my uncle arrived and told me that one of our children had been killed. So I moved away with my family. In the morning of the following day, people left Pendembu to go and look at what had happened. Then I came to know that fourteen other people had died. We used to bury people in twos or threes in one grave. I told my mother that I had to return. I was advised not to go as my dad was sick. At one time, they told us that we should not go anywhere. They told us that people were coming from Freetown to join us. I was personally feeling that on that day I was to leave the town. I heard another round of firing on Sunday, 31st March, at 7:00 p.m. Everybody went inside again and we stayed inside for a while. After the death of the two army officers, they sent a large reinforcement was sent by the government to protect the area. Johnny Paul was the leader for the group. There was rapid firing on that day. We were inside the house when we heard that another set of people had come to protect us. I told my family to go away. Our building was at the end of the town. We went into the bush. They used to tell us that when the people came the rebels never crossed a river.
We were at Gulama when they attacked us again. I did not know the area. I was with my family. We were there for some time and some people moved away. My mother told me that we should return to our village. When we crossed the river, we met another group of rebels. There were a lot of SLA rebels. They told us that the foreigners from Liberia would kill us. We slept in the village and the following day, we moved to another village called Yengema. We were there for a month. We asked the people we met there about Bomaru. We moved back to Bomaru; we all left Yengema. When we reached Bomaru, they had destroyed all the houses. Even the authorities in the town were not around. When we reached, we started seeing people from Liberia. There was no food for my people to eat. They used to visit us and ask us to take along their luggage. When we went to our village, it was another tedious work for us. After the war, no one went to Gulama. We heard that another group of soldiers came and drove the rebels. After they had gone, our brothers told us that a lot of people died. All the people went into one house. The armoured car destroyed the house and they arrested a lot of people. Up to date, those who were arrested have still not shown up. During that time, they used to rape people. When you found food the rebels would take it from you. My dad was confused and he started asking me where we should go again. Since the people of Liberia had come, he decided that we should go. At one time they told us that they had killed my younger brother at the war front. During that time, I was very thin with nothing to eat. Later, my father went to Bomaru. I did not go there again. We went to Liberia and were staying there.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Thank you for coming to share your experience with us. We will now ask you questions for clarification.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Bomaru is a very important place for this war. Like all border areas, you have families on both sides of the borders. People visited themselves and there was cordial relationship and inter marriages. Were you surprised on that day, 23 March, 1991 when you heard the first gun shot?
Patrick: Yes
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Why were you surprised?
Patrick: Because for all my life in this country, I had never seen people so disturbed. I was not used to hearing gun shots.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You heard a gun shot then there was a second shooting. At that time you said some Sierra Leonean soldiers had come to protect you. On that point you did not tell us whether the Sierra Leoneans were those who killed the 14 people. Can you tell us whether the soldiers who attacked were Sierra Leonean soldiers or were they soldiers from Liberia?.
Patrick: At the time when we came out, when the shooting was going on we never knew who was shooting. We were told that they were Liberian rebels but that they had gone back, they came and killed all those people.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: So your assumption was wrong that SLA were there to protect you?
Patrick: It was not true.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You said on 31st March there was another shooting. Was it by Liberian rebels or SLA rebels?
Patrick: When I came outside, a man told me that it was Liberian soldiers who had come to protect us.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You said earlier that after the death of Major Koroma another set of soldiers came, headed by Lt. Koroma.
Patrick: It was not on the 31st March, it was after the death of Major Foday
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You said on 31st March it was Liberian soldiers that killed Maj. Koroma.
Patrick: In my statement given before this time, I said it was the time they killed Lt. Koroma and Major Foday and that was the time 14 people were killed.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Lt Koroma was not killed, but he led the army.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Another group arrived, we were asked to go to the barracks and assemble
Patrick: At the time when Lt. Kamara was there, it was on a Sunday that the shooting started again after the ceasefire. When we were told to go outside one Pa Momoh came and told us that the soldiers protecting us had left and that another set of Liberian soldiers had come to drive them away.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You refused to go and decided to go to Bomaru.
Patrick: No, I refused to go to the barray because I suspected that something would happen.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: When you crossed the river, you met some soldiers who said they were SLA’s?
Patrick: When they crossed the river at Bulabong we were resident there and they said another set of soldiers were coming for us. When we crossed the river, it was at that time we met rebels.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Was it the time they told you that they were SLA?
Patrick: Yes, we knew some of them, they were speaking Mende.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Can you remember their names?
Patrick: No, I can’t remember their names.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: You were in charge of where?
Patrick: When we crossed they told us that God had blessed us because we did not meet Liberian rebels.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Did they treat you well?
Patrick: They did nothing to us.
Commissioner Professor Kamara: Who were these people asking and tormenting you for food?
Patrick: It was Liberian rebels mixed with some others.
Commissioner Mrs. Jow: You spoke about the atrocities caused by rebels. Did you say so?
Patrick: Yes.
Commissioner Mrs Jow: I will like to know whether you saw it yourself. You mentioned abduction. Was there any attempt by the rebels to abduct you?
Patrick: My younger brother Vandy was taken away.
Commissioner Mrs. Jow: How long did he stay in the bush?
Patrick: Quite sometime
Commissioner Mrs Jow: Did you fight as a young man?
Patrick: At the time, I was too small and was unable to fight. Those who knew me can attest to that.
Commissioner Mrs. Jow: In your statement, you said 14 people were killed.
Patrick: I said in the first attack, 14 people were killed.
Commissioner Mrs. Jow: Were they killed by gun fire?
Patrick: I explained earlier that some were killed.
Chairman Bishop Humper: You are saying that on that first day, 14 people died in Bomaru, do you know the spot where these people were killed?
Patrick: Yes
Chairman Bishop Humper: Was the armoured car from Liberia or Sierra Leone?.
Patrick: It was owned by the SLA. At the time they came, I was present. We were all inside and nobody was talking.
Chairman Bishop Humper: Perhaps those armoured cars had so many people killed.
Patrick: I was not present when the killing took place. When we returned people told us that that was the house.
Leader of Evidence: Among those killed on 23rd March were two soldiers.
Patrick: What I said is that at that time no soldier had entered Bomaru. At the time the rebels from Liberia left, they were held by the Sierra Leone Army. They were in Bomaru and were killed on 31st March.
Leader of Evidence: You mentioned Paul Koroma;. which one of the Paul Koroma’s?
Patrick: The same Paul Koroma, leader of AFRC.
Leader of Evidence: Do you know how long he stayed in Bomaru?
Patrick: He came in just after the death of Lt. Foday
Leader of Evidence: He was the one that told you that they were going to protect you?
Patrick: Yes
Leader of Evidence: Did you hear at any time that the rebels were fighting with SLA soldiers or fighting with Kamajors?
Patrick: As I understood, they were fighting among themselves
Leader of Evidence: These rebels you were referring to were they the same rebels or were they from another group.
Patrick: They were the same group.
Leader of Evidence: Did you ever go to see the leader?
Patrick: Yes.
Leader of Evidence: Were any Violations of people’s rights caused by this group?
Patrick: They would come and tell us that they had come to protect us, but they turned round and attacked us.
Leader of Evidence: Did you belong to any group?
Patrick: No, since I left in 1992, I only came back in 2000
Patrick: I have some few words to say to the commission
As the war started in Bomaru, all our houses were destroyed. We want the government to help us with medical centre, education, etc. We only have one well in Bomaru . Now that the war is over we want our people to be educated. If we are educated, we will be able to promote ourselves. Should the government provide, skills training centres, our people can learn skills to develop themselves. Now that the war is over, we are not talking about ourselves, but for our younger ones. They want to go to school. Even the road to Bomaru is very bad. The rebels destroyed one bridge. We need the government to help us build that bridge. This is the message I have for the government.
Chairman Bishop Humper: We want to thank you. I have been in Bomaru a couple of times. You have over 200 school children there. Some of your recommendations can be addressed in due course. Government policy is to provide education for girls and children and to provide skills training. This also includes national road network. The commission will take your recommendations very seriously and it will be incorporated in our report. We thank you for coming.