12:00(12:30 woth 30 mins delay in video and audio): Court resumes after mid-morning break.
Judge: Mr. Santora, you may proceed.
Pros: Ms. Witness, i am going to ask you more questions about what you saw when you left Ngaya. First of all, why did you leave Ngaya?
Wit: I left Ngaya, i was at the radio station when a message from Freetown came that the SLA HG station sent a message that ECOMOG had taken over Freetown and they were leaving Freetown. When that message came, all of us scattered about. Everybody went to his house and took what he or she clould take. Because just after they said Freetown had falledn in that hands of ECOMOG, it looked like the whole movement was scattered. Civilians and soldiers were coming from Koidu to Ngaya, that there was looting going on in Ngaya and that was Five and Gullit had passed an order for Operation Pay Yourself. They started looting. All of us scattered about. I went to Small Sefadu together with Lansana and Wako Wako. We passed through Kaima and went to Kabala.
Pros: By what means did you travel to Small Sefadu?
Wit: I was in a vehicle
Pros: How long did it take to drive to Small Sefadu?
Wit: It did not take us up to two hours
Pros: You said there was looting going on in Ngaya based on an instruction by Five Five and Gullit, how did you know of that instruction?
Wit: I said it earlier, civilians, the RUF and AFRC who were in Koidu where Gullit and Five Five were that brought the news to Ngaya.
Pros: At this point when you left Ngaya, were you a radio operator?
Wit: I was not on the radio at that time.
Pros: So where did you go after Small Sefadu?
Wit: I passed through Kaima, Yinfi, Alkalia and i went to Kabala.
Pros: So how long did the trip take?
Wit: It took three days and on the fourth day, we got to Kabala.
Pros: Where did you go after Kabala?
Wit: I went to Makeni
Pros: How did you tarvel to Makeni?
Wit: I used the same vehicle on the main road
Pros: Which roda goes from Kabala to Makeni?
Wit: The highway ton Makeni, you will pass through Binkolo.
Pros: Why did you go to Makeni?
Wit: I went there with the idea to join the people who were the AFRC and RIF from Freetown. I met them there.
Pros: Where was Operation Pay Yourself taking place at that time?
Wit: What i know, as i was going along the road to Makeni, i saw that happenind. There lootings taking place. I did not partake but i saw it happen.
Pros: Describe exactly what you saw when you said they were taking civilian property?
Wit: I saw them taking civilian property and if you take a civilian’s property by force, that was what i meant. Some villages we went to we did not meet civilians because they had run away and they were taking properties.
Pros: What did you see when you got to Makeni?
Wit: I saw people carrying bundles, civilians and the SLA and RUF from Freetown. Everybody in Makeni, there were many people in the twio and people will even sleep in the verandahs, the whole place was upside down. The town was not calm at all.
Pros: Who were the commanders in Makeni when you arrived?
Wit: I met some commanders had already left to go to Kono. I did not walk around the twon. Where we stoped to rest was where i saw, Foday Lansana was with me, some commanders were there even though they did not have positions. Thos with positions like JPK, Issa Sesay, Superman, kallon, i did not meet them there. They had already left for Kono.
Pros: Did you yourself see any commanders and if so, who?
Wit: I have said it here that the commanders whom i met who were there were not commanders as such, they were senior officers. The only commander i saw that had a unit was Foday Lansana.
Pros: How did you know that JPK and others were there and just left for Kono?
Wit: The mean they had pulled out with together in Freetown, some of them were in Makeni. All those who retreated from Freetown through Masiaka came to Makeni before they could go to Kono.
Pros: How long did it take you to get to Makeni when the intervention took place?
Wit: 5 days
Pros: How long were you in Makeni?
Wit: I was there half the night when i got there and i left for Kono
Pros: Who did you go to Kono with?
Wit: Foday Lansana together with his bogyguards
Pros: How did you go to Kono?
Wit: the same vehicle that we used earlier
Pros: Where did you go in Kono?
Wit: Koidu
Pros: Who was in control of Koidu Town?
Wit: The SLA and RUF
Pros: Where exactly i Koidu did you do?
Wit: I was in Dabunddeh st
Pros: How much time in total did you take from the time the intervention started to when you went to Koidu?
Wit: Approximately one week, because i spent six days.
Pros: Do you remember the month and year that the intervention occured?
Wit: Feb. 1998
Pros: When did you arrive in Koidu?
Wit: It was same month and year
Pros: How long did you remain in Koidu?
Wit: I spent three weeks there
Pros: Who else was there with you at Dabundeh St?
Wit: I was there with Foday Lansana and his bopdyguards and Superman was along the same st.
Pros: Can you name any commanders aside from Superman you saw?
Wit: Morris Kallon, Rambo, Foday Lansana, Komba, Bai Bureh, the two Bai Burehs, Banya was there.
Pros: Earlier you had said JPK, Issa and other had gone to Kono, were they present when you were there?
Wit: When i got to Kono, at 5:30 in the morning, when it was day break, i saw the AFRC and the RUF in a convoy, and they took JPK, ISsa Sesay and some other members who were big men went to Buedu where Sam Bockarie was based. So they left on the same day that i got to Kono.
Pros: Who was Rambo?
Wit: Boston Flomo who was the RUF Rambo
Pros: Are you aware of any other Rambo?
Wit: latet, i knew of a Rambo who was with the SLA
Pros: Do you remember his name?
Wit: No
Pros: Who were you refering to as the two Bai Burehs?
Wit: Short Bai Bureh who was Mohamed Kamara and tall Bai Bureh who was Abubakarr Jalloh.
Pros: Who was Komba?
Wit: He was an RUF commander, Komda Gbundehma
Pros: What group were the two Bai Bureh’s with?
Wit: RUF
Pros: Who was Banya?
Wit: He was an SLA
Pros: What caused you to leave Koidu?
Wit: It was because the ECOMOG was advancing on Koidu and the air raids. Because of the raids, we the women went to PC Ground, a village along the Guinea Highway
Pros; At dabundeh st, were you still a radio operator?
Wit: I went to the radio station once in a while. The station was at Superman’s place
Pros: Do you know any other radio operators working at the station?
Wit: yes, Jusu Kanneh was there
Pros: Any others?
Wit: Foday Lansana himself used to go there.
Pros: Where exactly was the PC Ground?
Wiyt: It is when you leave Koidu going to the Guinea border, you pass Kuyor, the next village which is Meyor was where we were.
Pros: Who actually went to this location in Mayor?
Wit: Superman’s family, myself, Foday Lansana, Morris kallon and his family and bodyguards and some other soldiers, because when we scattered from Koidu, not everybody went to the same place.
Pros: Did the forces remain in control of Koidu?
Wit: ECOMOG took over Koidu.
Pros: What do you mean when you say PC Ground?
Wit: I can say we referred to it that way because it was a peace camp, and there was a combat camp at the place where there were no civilians.
Pros: Can you describe the other locations where people went?
Wit: Gandohun, Yormandu and Tombodu
Pros: Any other locations?
Wit: Yes, to Tefaya but they came from Yormandu
Pros: can you describe who went where?
Wit: Banya and Isaac were at Gandohun area. Rambo was the commander there. Komba was in charge of Yormandu and Short Bai Bureh was in Teffeya and in Tombodu it was Savage and Rocky who were there.
Pros: How long were you yourself based at PC ground?
Wit: i spent upto five months there.
pros: How do you know these commanders were at these locations?
Wit: There were radio stations there manned by radio operators. I used to receive messges from those commanders and their various locations.
Pros: Who was overall in charge in Kono?
Wit: Superman
Pros; Do you remember when you arrived at PC Ground?
Wit: March 1998
Pros: Am going to ask you questions about PC ground, you said you were working as a radio operator for Superman, who were some of the other radio operators there?
Wit: Jusu Kanneh, Kelfalah, Achie, Abdul and Elongima but they were SLAs
Pros: Who was Kelfallah?
Wit: he was an SLA operator
Pros: Were there any other RUF radio operators with you there?
Wit: Yes
Prod: Who?
Pros: Jusu Kanneh and Thomas Sombi
Pros: Did the SLA operators have any particular role?
Wit: Yes, they had their own radio which they installed to monitor the ECOMOG soldiers
Pros: Where were the other radio stations in Kono?
Wit: There was one in Gandohun, in Yormandu and one in Tefaya but Tombodo did not have one.
Pros: Who were the radio operators in Gandohun?
Wit: Claris, who was Rambo’d wife
Pros: Any other operators in Gandohun?
Wit: I cant recall their names
Pros: Do you remember any radio operator with Komba in Yorbandu?
Wit: Vandy Massaquoi, aka Wako Wako
Pros: Who was the commander at Tefaya?
Wit: Short Bai Bureh
Pros: Who was the radio operator there?
Wit: Foday Lansana, Jusu Kanneh, Albert Boima was there.
pros: Did Albert Boima go by any other name?
Wit: he had a name but i cannot recall right now
Pros: Can you describe during this time period, the flow of communications occuring between PC ground and the other locations?
Wit: yes, i used to receive messages in the morning. When you switch the radio in the morning, you will call the radios in the various locations and will receive situation reports to me or if they needed any thing or if they had gone on any operation, they will send the messages to me and i will pass them to Superman. If it were anything for Buedu, i will show Superman and will send it to Buedu.
Pros: To who in Buedu?
Wit: sam Bockarie
Pros: Did you ever hear any communications outside of Sierra Leone?
Wit: yes
Pros: What did you hear?
Wit: I used to hear Liberians coming on our frequency and they will call Buedu which was Planet 1. I used to hear them call him for them to go to another area where we the radio operators did not know.
pros: How did you know they were Liberian stations?
Wit: I knew from their voice procedures, from their accents i will know it was a Liberian speaking.
Pros: What exactly would you hear the Liberian stations tell Planet 1?
Wit: It just comes on, he will stop, he will say Planet 1, get on the 2/1. We did not go to the 2/1. We would not know what they will talk about on the 2/1.
Pros: What is the 2/1?
Wit: It was a satelite phone
Pros: Who were the operators in Buedu?
Wit: Sebatu was there, major Selay was there, Ebony was there, DAF was there, Zed Man was there who was Sahr James,
Pros: Did you ever communicate with these Liberian stations?
Wit: No. I didnt have permission to speak to them.
Pros: Who had permission to speak to them?
Wit: It was only the Buedu station
Pros: Were there any other communications going on that you were aware of?
Wit: Except when the SLAs who were cut off and were not able to join us. It was when i was at PC ground that i was able to talk with them.
Pros: How?
Wit: It was one day when i was on theset, wehn Maj. King the former adjutant at Ngaya. he heard me talking and he came on the net. He was not a radio operator. He tried to call so we will know that they had been cut off in that particular place called Rosos. He did not call like how the opeartors will call. Because of security reason, i created an immediate code in alphabets and i gave it to him, i told him to code the town where they were. he said the radio was foiund but they could not see the operator. He used the code and gave me the name of the town where they were. I passed it on to Superman that our men were cut off in Rosos.
Pros: Do you know who the people at Rosos were?
Wit: majority of them were SLAs.
Pros: Can you tell how long you had been at PC ground when this happened?
Wit: It was more than 2 months going to 3 months.
Judge: I think this is a convinient point to stop. We’ll have our lunch break and will resume court at 2:30.