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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Taylor fuels crises in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, says UN official
THOUGH living in exile in Nigeria, former Liberian President Charles Taylor is still recruiting fighters to further destabilise neighbouring countries such as Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea.
Making the allegation on Monday, a top prosecutor for Sierra-Leone 's war crimes court, David Crane said in an interview that Taylor was still hiring his former militia fighters to cause mayhem in the two countries.
"Charles Taylor is not only a war criminal but is meddling in other countries' affairs, using Nimba County (in Liberia) as a recruiting base of some of the ex-combatants in his militia," said Crane. He has issued a 17-count indictment against Taylor for the former ruler's alleged role in funding and directing rebels in Sierra Leone's 10-year conflict.
"In the interest of peace, Taylor has to be handed over and we see some of the stakeholders in the peace process realising that he continues to be an obstacle to peace in the sub-region," said Crane. He said the UN-backed Sierra Leone war crimes court is seeking custody of Taylor for trial.
It is widely believed that Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea helped insurgents drive Taylor from power.
Nigeria agreed to take in Taylor as rebels shelled the Liberian capital, Monrovia, on the condition that he refrains from meddling in the affairs of Liberia or any other country.
Crane, a veteran United States (U.S.) Defence Department lawyer, did not say how he obtained information about Taylor's alleged recruitment activities or how Taylor might have contacted his former militia allies.
Taylor is not allowed to speak to reporters under an agreement with Nigeria, but a spokesman for the former president denied Crane's charges.
"All these accusations have always been there before, that Taylor is the eye of the storm in West Africa... It's not true," said Vaani Paasawe, a top Taylor aide. Crane is just trying to create a case for arraigning Taylor in Sierra Leone," he said from Nigeria.
A spokesman for President Olusegun Obasanjo was unavailable for comment.
The Sierra Leone court is handling cases stemming from a 1991-2002 battle for control of Sierra Leone and its diamond fields, a conflict that saw rebels hacking off the limbs, lips and ears of civilian victims.
Taylor is accused of directing Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front rebels and trafficking in guns and diamonds while in office.
Nigeria, which helped broker the peace deal that ended Liberia's civil war and sent the first troops to calm the country, has said it will only surrender Taylor to a stable, democratic government in Liberia. However, Crane suggested that Nigeria could be open to discussions with the Sierra Leone tribunal.
"We are encouraged by Nigeria's openness to talk and to consider all possibilities," said Crane. "As a regional leader, Nigeria wants to ensure peace in the sub-region and that has to be respected."
Taylor launched Liberia into crisis with his 1989-1996 insurrection before winning elections in 1997. Rebels, including many fighters from the earlier civil war, rose up against Taylor in 1999.
Tens of thousands of UN peacekeepers are providing security in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire - three countries whose conflicts have long been intertwined - and West Africa is enjoying its first semblance of peace since Taylor's insurrection spread instability through the region.`
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