12:00 – prosecution witness Isaac Mongor continues his account

9:30 (10:00 with the video/audio delay): Court is in session.

Because it has been a few weeks since the witness was in the witness stand, judge Doherty asks that he be re-sworn on the Bible.

Prosecutor Nick Koumjian continues the direct examination of prosecution witness Isaac Mongor:

Pros: Two and half weeks ago, we were talking about the invasion of Freetown in January 1999. You indicated that when Gullit’s forces entered Freetown, ECOMOG concentrated its forces in Freetown.

Wit: Yes.

Pros: What effect did that have on the battle for the city?

Wit: Our men who had entered could not stand the ECOMOG forces, so they started retreating because they had pressure. They were communicating with the headquarters and said they were under pressure. They received instructions from Sam Bockarie that if they were under pressure, they should set the Nigerian embassy on fire, including other places.

Pros: You indicated that while Gullit’s forces were engaged with ECOMOG in the city, there was also fighting in the Hastings area.

Wit: Yes. Rambo and other people were fighting around Hastings.

Pros: I was asking about your knowledge of the geography of the Freetown peninsula. What importance did it have strategically that Rambo was fighting in Hastings, to the battle and retreat of Gullit from Freetown?

Wit: It was important because it was a forested, hilly area. When Rambo engaged ECOMOG troops around Hastings, the men who were retreating from Freetown were able to use the forest to come toward the Waterloo area, where our men occupied.

Pros: Were Gullit’s forces able to withdraw intact from Freetown?

Defense objects: question is leading.

Pros: Were Gullit’s forces able to withdraw or unable to withdraw from Freetown when ECOMOG attacked?

Wit: They were able to come from the town to the Waterloo area.

Pros: As an RUF commander during Jan 1999, what was the relationship between RUF and AFRC forces during that month?

Wit: The relationship was cordial. We had understanding. We were together as one. We had no problems amongst ourselves.

Pros: I want to ask about the period after the invasion and retreat. Where were you assigned?

Wit: After that time I had told you that I was in the Kenema District, at a place called Joru.

Pros: Were you then reassigned to another area?

Wit: Yes, I took an assignment in Makeni.

Pros: Were there other commanders in Makeni?

Wit: Yes, we were many. We had Brig. Manny, who was one of our big men from the AFRC side. We had Col. T (?) – AFRC. Issa Sesay, Rambo, and Superman were there. Superman was based in Lunsar, but he used to come to Makeni.

Pros: After Jan 1999 and before Lomé, was the RUF engaged in any operations outside of Sierra Leone?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: Please tell us about it.

Wit: That operation was in Liberia. That was where the RUF went on an operation to fight.

Pros: Who was the RUF fighting against in Liberia in that operation?

Wit: They had one man called Mosquito Spray. They were fighting to kick Mr. Taylor out of power. So those were the people the RUF went to fight against.

Pros: Were you part of that operation yourself?

Wit: No, I did not go.

Pros: Do you know under whose orders the RUF went into Liberia to fight against Mosquito Spray?

Wit: The order came from Liberia, according to Mosquito. He said Mr. Taylor asked him to send men to fight Mosquito Spray in the Lofa area.

Pros: Were you part of any peace talks or any delegation to Lomé in 1999?

Wit: I was one of the people who was selected to go, but at that time I had a problem with my commander, Mosquito. So I didn’t make it to go. Because of this problem, I didn’t go.

Pros: Do you know where Foday Sankoh was when the peace accord was signed?

Wit: Sankoh was in Lomé when the accord was signed.

Pros: Do you know where he went after the signing, in 1999?

Wit: Yes, after the signing, he moved from Lomé and came to Liberia. That was the time they sent for Johnny Paul also to go there. He also went to Liberia. From there they came to Sierra Leone.

Pros: When Sankoh came to Sierra Leone, did you see him?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: Did you talk to him at all about his time in Liberia just before coming to Sierra Leone?

Wit: When he was in Liberia, he communicated with me in Makeni that they had signed the accord and he was preparing to come.

Pros: By what means did you communicate?

Wit: We had field radios – Yesue radios. I received a call from him on those.

Pros: Did Sankoh say whether he and Johnny Paul Koroma met anyone else in Liberia?

Wit: Yes, he said they met with Mr. Taylor and Mr. Taylor spoke to both of them – for the two of them to join hands and work hand-in-hand, and for Johnny Paul to forget all about the things that happened in the past when Sankoh was not around. They should come together as one since the peace was now signed. They should work according to the dictates of the accord.

Pros: You indicated you met with Sankoh when he returned to Sierra Leone. Where was that?

Wit: I was in Makeni.

Pros: Do you know how Foday Sankoh traveled to Makeni?

Wit: He traveled by road, together with UN peacekeepers.

Pros: Do you remember when this was that you saw him upon his return to Sierra Leone?

Wit: I cannot give you a specific date. When the peace accord was signed, it did not take long. 1-2 weeks until Sankoh went to Makeni.

Pros: What did Sankoh do when he reached Makeni?

Wit: When he reached Makeni, he called on all the commanders resident there and spoke to them. He told them that the war had ended and that there was going to be no more fighting, and that no soldier should take upon himself to go to people’s villages again to take food and items from them.

Pros: Earlier you said that Sankoh went to Makeni with other individuals. Were other individuals from outside the RUF and AFRC there?

Wit: I don’t think other people were there. First he talked to the soldiers, then the civilians. He spoke to the soldiers at night. The next morning it was announced that all the civilians should assemble at Makeni field. He apologized to them, explained all the things that happened during the course of the war. He said they should forgive him for all that had happened, esp. Jan 6. He was asking forgiveness for himself and all of his fighters. He said there was no more war because they had signed the peace.

Pros: Earlier you said Sankoh came with UN peacekeepers. Were they present at either of the two meetings – the one with the commanders and the civilians?

Wit: They were there when he addressed his soldiers and at the field where he addressed the civilians. It was on that day that he handed over the former president, Joseph Momoh, to the peacekeepers.

Pros: Do you know where Sankoh went after your meeting with him in Makeni?

Wit: From Makeni, Sankoh traveled to Port Loko to also talk to the civilians in the Port Loko area. He also went to Lunsar and spoke to people there. He went from Lunsar to Port Loko, then to Freetown.

Pros: Did Sankoh appear in the media in Freetown – either in newspapers or radio?

Wit: I did not read the newspapers. During all the meetings, he had his adjutants that were writing about all he said.

Pros: Did you ever hear Foday Sankoh speak on the commercial radio?

Wit: Yes, I heard Sankoh speak on the BBC.

Pros: You mentioned that you were in Makeni in 1999. Were you ever assigned anywhere else in 1999 or 2000.

Wit: Yes, when Sankoh came to Makeni, he said I should go with him to Freetown. So Freetown was my next assignment.

Pros: Are you familiar with Foday Sankoh’s signature?

Wit: Yes, I know it.

Pros: (show the witness and the court a two-page document, a statement of Foday Sankoh): Do you recognize the signature on the bottom of this page?

[brief interruption in audio]

Pros: When Sankoh returned to Sierra Leone, what was the command structure of the RUF – of the top leadership?

Wit: When he came, we had Johnny Paul who was the head of state and he was our commander. We had Sam Bockarie who controlled the fighters in the field. We had Issa Sesay who was next to Sam Bockarie. And we had Morris Kallon, who was next to Issa Sesay?

Judge Doherty: What period are you referring to?

Pros: Are speaking of the end of July 1999?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: You mentioned Sam Bockarie as controlling the fighters in the field. Did that position change during 1999?

Wit: Yes, in 1999 it changed with the arrival of Foday Sankoh.

Pros: What happened with Bockarie in 1999?

Wit: Sam Bockarie and Foday Sankoh had a problem. They had an argument over the communications set. Sankoh commanded people to go and arrest Sam Bockarie and to bring him over. Bockarie packed all the things with him and together with some fighters crossed into Liberia, to Mr. Taylor.

Pros: Who replaced Bockarie?

Wit: Issa Sesay.

Pros: Did these changes in the command structure affect in any way the RUF’s relationship with Charles Taylor in Liberia in 1999?

Wit: I can say no, it did not affect it, because communication still existed between Sankoh and Taylor, and they still lived as brothers.

Pros: Do you know whether Issa Sesay ever communicated with Taylor after taking over from Bockarie?

Wit: The communication that existed was between Issa Sesay and Foday Sankoh. And then Foday Sankoh and Charles Taylor. And then later there was a time that Issa Sesay communicated directly with Taylor, but that actually happened later.

Pros: In the year 2000, do you recall any event regarding UN peacekeepers and the RUF?

Wit: Yes. We were in Freetown when we heard that the peacekeepers have a problem with the RUF, and that the RUF had arrested peacekeepers in Makeni and Kailahun.

Pros: Did anyone come from outside the country to meet with Sankoh or with you?

Wit: Yes, the Nigerian foreign minister came, and there was also a delegation from Libya came. Another delegation came from Liberia. They all came to Freetown to talk to Sankoh.

Pros: Who were the members of the Liberia delegation?

Wit: I saw a woman, but I don’t know her name. I also saw a man called Joe Tuah, who was the artillery commander for the NPFL. I saw the Liberian ambassador resident in Sierra Leone. It was the three of them that went to see Sankoh. I even spoke to Joe Tuah.

Pros: Did you know Joe Tuah before 2000?

Wit: Yes, well – from Liberia.

Pros: What did you tell him when you spoke with him?

Wit: I told him about the plans that some groups had to go and fight against Taylor’s government in Liberia – about the areas they were planning to assemble, to move. At the time, I was one of the men they wanted to recruit, for us all to go together and fight. I was unable to go. When the delegation arrived, I explained to them where the force was assembling to fight against Taylor in Liberia.

Pros: Who tried to recruit you to fight against Taylor?

Wit: Gen. Bropleh, who was also an ex-soldier from Liberia who had run away to Sierra Leone. They formed a force called STF that was fighting alongside the government before the government was overthrown by the AFRC.

Pros: After you told Tuah about this, what did he say to you?

Wit: He thanked me for the information I had given to him and he assured me that once he went back, they would try to work very hard on that.

Pros: What does STF stand for?

Wit: Special Task Force.

Pros: You said you were assigned by Sankoh to come be with him in Freetown in 1999. Did you remain in that position in the year 2000?

Wit: Which position?

Pros: What was your position in Freetown when Sankoh asked you to come to Freetown with him?

Wit: When I came there, I was staying with him in his house. When he moved anywhere, he asked me to go with him.

Pros: Did you remain living with Sankoh in 2000?

Wit: No, I used to go and come back. I was staying at Lumley. In the morning I came to his door. He sent a vehicle for me to come and see him every morning.

Pros: During that period, were you aware of Sankoh communicating with others outside of the country?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: What did Foday Sankoh use to communicate with?

Wit: Sankoh had a satellite that he normally used. He also had a field radio – a Yesue radio in his house.

Pros: Do you know where Sankoh got the satellite telephone from?

Wit: He brought it with him after they signed the peace and came back through Liberia.

Pros: Were you ever present when Sankoh was talking to someone on that satellite phone?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: Who was he speaking to when you were present?

Wit: He spoke to Taylor. That was his brother – which is what he used to call him.

Pros: Were you arrested at some point in 2000?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: What happened?

Wit: They arrested me the time when the RUF had started arresting the peacekeepers in Makeni. That was the time the Deputy Force Commander, Gen. Garba, came to Foday Sankoh’s house and said he wanted to travel beyond the rebel line. And Sankoh should give some of his men to go with, to do some investigations regarding the arrest of the peacekeepers. I was one of the people selected by Sankoh, together with Lawrence Wohmandia. We went together with the deputy force commander to Lunsar. We investigated the issues leading to the arrest of the peacekeepers. When we returned to Freetown, I was arrested.

Pros: When?

Wit: May 7.

Pros: The deputy force commander for which force?

Wit: For the peacekeepers.

Pros: Where were you when you were arrested?

Wit: In my house.

Pros: Who arrested you?

Wit: They were soldiers. The ones we referred to as the West Side Boys.

Pros: Who were the West Side Boys?

Wit: These were people loyal to Johnny Paul Koroma.

Pros: At some point did the West Side Boys become antagonistic towards the RUF?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: When did that happen?

Wit: It was the time that the peace accord was signed. The soldiers thought that nothing was covered in that peace accord that concerned them.

Judge Doherty: Just to be clear, this was not a legal arrest by UN forces or the government?

Pros: Detention by the West Side Boys.

Defense counsel Terry Munyard: That hasn’t been established.

Judge Sebutinde (reads transcript): He said it was soldiers referred to as the West Side Boys.

Defense: I’ve been confused by it, and am content to see where it goes from here.

Pros: You said the West Side Boys were unhappy with the peace accord. You’re referring to Lomé?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: What did they want from the peace accord?

Wit: They wanted to be reinstated into the army, but that was not included in the peace accord.

Pros: Do you remember the names of the individuals who detained you?

Wit: Yes, 5-5, called Santigie Kanu, and Gullit, who is Tamba Brima. Those are the people who arrested me in my house.

Pros: Where did they take you?

Wit: To the military headquarters at Cockerill.

Pros: What time of day was it that you were taken from your house?

Wit: It was the same time when we had left Lunsar together with the Deputy Force Commander. It was that same evening I was arrested and taken to Cockerill.

Pros: What happened when you were taken to the military headquarters.

Wit: I was tortured. They placed me into a cell, where I met other brothers like Akim Tureh, Soriba Mansaray, Sesay, Mike Lamin and other people. There were many. Most of them were securities to Foday Sankoh.

Pros: Who was Akim Tureh?

Wit: Akim Tureh was a soldier in the Sierra Leone army, but once the coup took place and there were the AFRC men, he was later with Foday Sankoh as head of security.

Pros: Who was Soriba Monsaray?

Wit: A soldier, also security to Foday Sankoh?

Pros: What do you mean by soldier?

Wit: A former Sierra Leone soldier.

Pros: You mentioned a name Sesay. Who was that?

Wit: A former SLA soldier.

Pros: What was his first name?

Wit: Idrie. Idrie Sesay.

Pros: What happened to you then?

Wit: We were all taken to Pademba Road.

Pros: What is Pademba Road?

Wit: To the maximum prison in Freetown.

Pros: Who was in control of that prison at that time?

Wit: The prison department had their head, who was there. By the time we went there we met one man called Mr. Gobeh, he was in charge of the prison yard.

Pros: Was the prison controlled by a particular force or government?

Wit: It was the SLPP government in charge of the prison.

Pros: What is the SLPP?

Wit: The Sierra Leone People’s Party.

Pros: When you were taken to the prison, what happened?

Wit: I was in the prison for the night. The next morning, May 8, they brought Foday Sankoh. I think it was in the evening they brought Sankoh. They brought other RUF members. We were many in there. We were there until we were charged to court. I did 5 years, 3 months, 21 days. Later the judge found out that I was just attending the court. But my name was not on the list that was in front of the judge.

Pros: You said you were arrested on May 7. Were you ever told of any charges against you?

Wit: When I was arrested and taken to Pademba Road, I was not charged until we went to court. When the group went to court, the charges that were read to us were murder, intent to shoot. Those the things we were charged with.

Pros: The murder that was charged – when did that occur?

Wit: They said it happened May 8, when the shootout happened around Foday Sankoh’s house?

Judge Sebutinde: What year?

Wit: 2000.

Pros: When were you released from prison?

Wit: I was not left in the prison. They took me out of the prison. The judge realized my name was not on the list. After I had spent 5 years, 3 mos, they also sent me to the police station. I was in a cell there for 21 days. After that, they brought a paper saying that the president signed a paper that I should be released. I was released in 2005, the first of August.

Pros: After your release in August 2005, did you ever see Issa Sesay again?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: When?

Wit: I saw Issa Sesay in the Special Court detention center.

Pros: Why were you at the Special Court detention center?

Wit: I went to visit Sesay, Kallon and Augustine Gbao.

Pros: Did anyone send you, or was it your own idea to go?

Wit: Nobody sent me.

Pros: What did you talk about with Sesay?

Wit: I went to visit them, for them to know I had been released. When they saw me, they were happy. Sesay started explaining to me what had been happening when we were arrested already. He told me that he was in communication with Mr. Taylor – that he sent people to Mr. Taylor at the time the disarmament was going on and elections were coming closer, so that campaigns were on. He sent people to Mr. Taylor, for him to send some money so that they could carry on with the campaign. He told me the people he sent were arrested and put in a cell. After some time, they were released and they came back. He too, they wanted him to go to Monrovia. But he said he refused to go. Even before the campaign could start, he together with Gibril Massaquoi and Morris Kallon – all of them went to Monrovia. He said the Pa, Mr. Taylor, called them to a meeting for them to allow Sam Bockarie to return.

Pros: Did Sesay say what year this meeting happened?

Wit: He told me it was the year 2002, before the elections. That’s when they went for that meeting, for Sam Bockarie to be allowed to return.

Pros: At this meeting, what did Sesay tell you that Taylor said about Bockarie.

Wit: Issa said, when Taylor called them, he said they should allow Sam Bockarie to come back, to take over the command. Those were the issues discussed with them by Mr. Taylor.

Pros: Did Issa Sesay tell you how he responded to Taylor’s command that Bockarie should come back?

Wit: He responded saying “yes sir”, but that they had to come and consult the other soldiers and other bosses.

Pros: Did Sesay say whether he had come back to Sierra Leone to consult with other commanders about Bockarie’s return?

Wit: Yes, he said when they came back, they held a meeting. Morris Kallon said they should not accept Sam Bockarie to return because if Bockarie returned there would be infighting – because he was a man who was full of grudge. Because Pa Sankoh had sent to arrest him and he’d escaped to Liberia. If he came back, he would still have that in his heart, and he’d want to revenge. He suggested they should not agree that the man should return.

Pros: You mentioned a further delegation about the elections in 2002. What did Issa Sesay tell you?

Wit: During the campaign, he sent a delegation so that the Pa would send some money and materials.

Pros: Who sent the delegation?

Wit: Issa Sesay sent the delegation to Mr. Taylor.

Pros: Did he say any of the names of the persons in the delegation?

Wit: FOC – his name was Francis, a bodyguard to Foday Sankoh.

Pros: Did he tell you anything else about that?

Wit: He said they were arrested, but that later they were released and returned. They did not bring anything. Because he had seen that those he sent had been arrested, he would not go himself. Issa Sesay said he was afraid that Charles Taylor would kill him.

Pros: A couple of weeks ago, I asked the name of the adjutant to Issa Sesay and you were trying to remember. Do you remember now?

Wit: Yes, Major Jabba [ph]

Pros: When did you first see diamond mining going on in Sierra Leone?

Wit: I witnessed it right at the start of the war.

Pros: Where was it?

Wit: At Dia.

Pros: What year?

Wit: It was the year 1991.

Pros: Who was doing the diamond mining in Dia?

Wit: It was the RUF, but we had one man, an advisor to Foday Sankoh called Pa Kallon – he was in charge.

Pros: Who was physically doing the mining?

Wit: Civilians, for the RUF.

Pros: Do you know how the civilians were compensated?

Wit: The civilians were not paid. They were provided with some food to eat, but they were not paid.

Judge Sebutinde: Where is this place?

Pros: What district?

Wit: Kailahun District. From Daru, you can travel to Sandiaru, straight to Kailahun town.

Pros: You spoke of a time when ULIMO was occupying Lofa county. Was the RUF doing any mining at the time?

Wit: We were not doing any mining when ULIMO occupied the border, because we were also being pushed.

Pros: At that time, did the RUF try to move any diamonds out of the country?

Wit: Yes, we had diamonds we were trying to take out of the country to sell in Liberia?

Pros: What year?

Wit: 1994.

Pros: While ULIMO was blocking the border?

Wit: Yes, from 1993, ULIMO blocked the border area. So we had to find a way to move the diamonds to Liberia to get ammunition.

Pros: How did you do that?

Wit: There was one man called Alhaji Kamara, and one Mama Ier, who was Pa Kallon’s wife – Pa Kallon was an advisor to Foday Sankoh. They traveled through Guinea, but when they entered Guinea, they were arrested. They were arrested and taken to Freetown.

Pros: When the ARFC invited the RUF to join them, up until the intervention in February 1998 – was there diamond mining going on?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: Who was doing the mining?

Wit: It was the civilians who did it for us, the fighters.

Pros: Which groups or factions were doing the mining during that time?

Wit: The AFRC and RUF were already one, so I mean we, the AFRC and RUF. They were doing the mining for us.

Pros: Between the coup and the intervention, where was the mining going on?

Wit: The time the coup took place, when we had joined the AFRC, we were mining in Kono, in Koidu Town, and we were also mining in Tongo.

Pros: Do you recall the names of any commanders doing the mining during that time?

Wit: The one that was organized by Johnny Paul – that is for mining to go on for the movement, it was Gullit that he sent to Koidu to be in charge. There were also other men who he sent to the Tongo Field area. Some of the mining in that area were individual minings. There were people who were Honorables, they sent their men to do mining there.

Pros: Was the RUF mining?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: Where, during that period?

Wit: In Tongo Field.

Pros: Did you ever see diamonds during this period that the AFRC and RUF were in Freetown?

Wit: Yes, before the intervention I saw diamonds that came out of the mining that was going on.

Pros: Did you see any individuals with people in Freetown?

Wit: Yes, with Johnny Paul Koroma.

Pros: Where did you see Johnny Paul Koroma with diamonds?

Wit: I saw him with diamonds in his house. They were brought to him by Gullit. He convened a meeting and all the commanders came. He showed the diamonds to the commanders.

Pros: Can you describe what he showed?

Wit: I think I described it last time. It was something like a jar, in which there were diamonds. He showed them to the commanders.

Pros: Who were the mining commanders for the RUF?

Wit: The commander who was there on behalf of the RUF was Kennedy. Kennedy and Alpha were there. They were in charge of the mining.

Pros: You mentioned seeing Johnny Paul Koroma with diamonds. Did you ever see any RUF commanders with diamonds?

Wit: Yes, RUF commanders had diamonds. Mosquito had diamonds.

Pros: When did you see Mosquito with diamonds.

Wit: There was a point I left Freetown and met with Mosquito in Tongo Fields.

Pros: Did Bockarie tell you what he did with the diamonds?

Wit: Yes, he told me that the diamonds were always taken to Monrovia, to Mr. Taylor, in exchange for ammunition. It was the issue of the diamonds that caused the problems between Mosquito and Sankoh. When Sankoh came to Monrovia after Lomé, Sankoh said Taylor showed Sankoh the diamonds that Bockarie had brought to him in exchange for diamonds. So Sankoh was angry, and when he returned, he got angry with the commanders, especially with me. He said he had not received reports about the diamonds, and that they were always taken to Liberia. I said I had never taken diamonds to Liberia. Sankoh said he wasn’t accusing me specifically.

Pros: Did the RUF have any kind of internal discipline system?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: Can you describe it?

Wit: We had MPs who were in charge of discipline. They were there to ensure that any soldier intending to move from one point to another should have a pass. If you didn’t have a pass, you would be arrested and sent to jail. Sometimes they would punish you to go to the field and scrape the grass. Or they would send you to a dungeon. From there they would give you different assignments. They wouldn’t send you where you were originally.

Pros: What kind of detention facilities or jails do you know about?

Wit: We had a dungeon – a hole we dug, covered with zinc. And we would leave some space that we would place a ladder to go down and come up.

Pros: What other offences do you know about that were punished by the military discipline system?

Wit: If you are given orders and you fail to carry them out, you will be disciplined. Sometimes you might even be killed for that.

Pros: Was there any discipline if a soldier stole a diamond?

Wit: Yes. If they found out that a soldier had a diamond that he did not present, and he intended to keep it – you would be arrested and thrown into the dungeon. If it is later proved that it happened that way, you will be killed.

Pros: Regarding RUF strategies: did the RUF to your knowledge ever capture enemy uniforms?

Wit: Yes.

Pros: Whose uniforms?

Wit: I know about the SLA uniforms. Also the ECOMOG soldiers. We used to capture them.

Pros: Did the RUF put the ECOMOG uniforms to use in any way?

Wit: Yes, we used them. Sometimes we impersonated as though we were ECOMOG. There were even some boys among us pretending to be Nigerians to confuse the people.

Pros: What would you do?

Wit: We used them during attacks, when we pretended to be ECOMOG.

Pros: Are you aware of any strategies used by Superman to confuse enemies?

Wit: Yes, he used some at one time in Karbala town. Our men tied white bands. There were some who tied red bands. They were at the rear. Those who had white bands, they raised their hands and pretended to surrender to ECOMOG troops in Karbala. Those wearing red bands were the actual men who were going to attack. This enabled them to capture some ammunition from ECOMOG troops at Karbala. The ECOMOG commander there died. That’s when the ECOMOG commander went on the BBC and said they would not accept rebels surrendering in groups.

Pros: Do you know when this occurred with Superman in Karbala – with this tactic of pretending to surrender?

Wit: I can’t give a specific time.

Pros: Was it before or after the AFRC coup?

Wit: It happened after the coup, and after we had been pushed out of Freetown.

Court is now adjourning for the mid-morning break. The session will resume at 12:00 (12:30 with the half-hour delay in the video and audio feed).