Charles Taylor: the legend, the fugitive, the criminal
[I attempted to write and post a good long entry about the history of Charles Taylor, but the net timed out while publishing the post and the article is somewhere in cyberland and I don’t think it is coming back anytime soon. In all truth, I do not have the mental energy at this moment to rewrite such a wandering piece of disconnected thought, but I felt it was important to let you know what things were like on the groud.]
So, as most of you know Mr. Charles Ghankay Taylor has been in the news lately. The history of this political leader would have been better suited to the stage of actors; his antics were hardly believable, including a visit to a church dressed completely in white and prostrating himself before the cross and publicly asking for forgiveness for his “sins.” Sadly, his actions never reflected his spoken words. The reason for the recent daily Taylor headlines stemmed from his involvement in the civil crisis in Sierra Leone. There are strong allegations that he was responsible for providing weapons to the RUF, the rebel group responsible for the civil war in Sierra Leone.* The RUF was notorious for chopping off the hands of those who opposed them. Taylor backed the RUF by buying guns from Gadhafi through the sale of diamonds. All of this led to the UN based criminal tribunal’s arrest warrant issued in 2003 to have Taylor brought to account for the 17 human rights infractions brought against him.
*[An interesting article is written by journalist, Sebastian Junger, on the civil conflict in Sierra Leone; it is entitled: The terror of Sierra Leone (2001)].
Taylor’s mark was left across West Africa; but it was most pronounced in Liberia. A prolonged 14 year civil war in Liberia left 7% of the population dead (200,000 Liberians), numerous children with no education and skills to speak of, and countless girls and women sexually violated, among other offences. In 2003 the international community was putting increasing pressure on Taylor to step down; in fact, the US even sent some warships as a show of force. The old pappy (as Taylor was affectionately called) took the hint and stepped on the Nigerian presidential plane and left Liberia in 2003. Obasanjo gave Taylor a posh villa to live near the sea town of Calaba (Nigeria) in undeserved and undisturbed comfort. That was all until last week.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberian President) met with Obasanjo and put in the request for Taylor to stand trial in Sierra Leone. Obasanjo agreed, but with tongue in cheek he advised Liberia that they would need to come pick him up. The ears of every Liberian tingled as they listened absorbedly to the BBC in anticipation of what would happen next. In true typical Taylor fashion, he put on quite a show for the Liberian audience and greater world spectators.
The international heads of state were putting pressure on Obasanjo to hand Taylor over to Liberia (in a diplomatic fashion.) The heat was on and Taylor was not going to wait around to get burned. On Monday night he “escaped” from his villa in Nigeria. Apparently, no one knew where he went. Rumours blew across the streets of Monrovia like the strong winds of a tropical storm. The talk was full of speculation: “He is coming back to Monrovia…the pappy will return to his people…the CIA has taken him (this is not as far fetched as some may think)…he will hide and then strike Liberia again.” Fear was everywhere. You could feel the dark cloud hanging over the city.
The peaceful humid breeze blew steadily from the ocean on Wednesday morning. It was another typical day in Monrovia or so it seemed. The BBC reported that Taylor was captured while attempting to cross over to Cameroon from Nigeria. This news took us by surprise. It was an immigration officer from Nigeria who thought this old man looked a little too suspicious. He checked the vehicle and found four bags full of US cash. Nigeria is known as the most corrupt country in the world. It remains truly puzzling how Taylor was not able to “buy his way out of Nigeria.” (do read on).
Liberians smiled nervously as they asked: “What now?” Taylor was in custody, but what is next for this infamous fugitive. Well, Obasanjo was about to meet with George W. Bush in Washington. It was an important meeting for both parties. Bush needs the oil and Nigeria has an insatiable thirst for the foreign income. So, the Taylor escape occurred at just the wrong time for Obasanjo. If you look at the details it really is a bizarre set of circumstances. Taylor was apparently surrounded by a continuous security detail. He was caught just hours before a key meeting with President Bush, which was threatened to be cancelled due to the Taylor escape. With that threat Taylor was suddenly captured. You make the call…
Taylor was sent to Liberia as Obasanjo and Bush met. As Taylor stepped on the Nigerian presidential plane he was in a slightly more somber mood. He no longer played the ever confident “man of the people.” Liberians were beside themselves with fear as the old pappy had to make a touchdown in Liberia before heading to Sierra Leone. UNMIL (United Nations Mission in Liberia) would not let anything happen. Their military presence is strongly felt here in Liberia with 15,000 soldiers and 1,000 civilian police helping to maintain security across the country. UNMIL rushed to the airport, blocked the road, allocated a strong contingent of UN soldiers to the airport and sent the AH-64 Apache war birds into the sky to patrol. It was a significant day in the history of Liberia.
Taylor touched down in Liberia in the middle of a tropical rain storm. The play-by-play on the radio indicated that when they landed he was handed over to Liberian authorities who shackled him and then sent him on his way to Sierra Leone on a UN chopper. So many West Africans (including yours truly) hold grave concerns about the potential instability this could spark and ignite if Taylor were to stand trial at the court in Sierra Leone. There is a strong possibility that Taylor will stand trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Holland.
There was something that struck me at the end of Wednesday, the most interesting day in some time in Liberia. One co-worker made the comment that it was sorrowful to see Taylor in shackles. I thought she was joking, but she was serious. However is this possible, to feel pity for a ruthless man who had no regard for human life or dignity? His actions were deplorable and yet some Liberians choose to feel sorry the man. Another coworker pointed out that Liberians are quick to forget and even more so to overlook the actions, as evil as they may be, of another individual in order to maintain relationships (and to not feel embarrassment or shame in front of others).
What are your thoughts? I often wonder if there is hope for Africa. Perhaps that is a question I would like to begin to tackle in future blog posts.
Until then I say Kudoos to justice!
Marcel
For further reference see: (sorry no links)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2963086.stm
So, as most of you know Mr. Charles Ghankay Taylor has been in the news lately. The history of this political leader would have been better suited to the stage of actors; his antics were hardly believable, including a visit to a church dressed completely in white and prostrating himself before the cross and publicly asking for forgiveness for his “sins.” Sadly, his actions never reflected his spoken words. The reason for the recent daily Taylor headlines stemmed from his involvement in the civil crisis in Sierra Leone. There are strong allegations that he was responsible for providing weapons to the RUF, the rebel group responsible for the civil war in Sierra Leone.* The RUF was notorious for chopping off the hands of those who opposed them. Taylor backed the RUF by buying guns from Gadhafi through the sale of diamonds. All of this led to the UN based criminal tribunal’s arrest warrant issued in 2003 to have Taylor brought to account for the 17 human rights infractions brought against him.
*[An interesting article is written by journalist, Sebastian Junger, on the civil conflict in Sierra Leone; it is entitled: The terror of Sierra Leone (2001)].
Taylor’s mark was left across West Africa; but it was most pronounced in Liberia. A prolonged 14 year civil war in Liberia left 7% of the population dead (200,000 Liberians), numerous children with no education and skills to speak of, and countless girls and women sexually violated, among other offences. In 2003 the international community was putting increasing pressure on Taylor to step down; in fact, the US even sent some warships as a show of force. The old pappy (as Taylor was affectionately called) took the hint and stepped on the Nigerian presidential plane and left Liberia in 2003. Obasanjo gave Taylor a posh villa to live near the sea town of Calaba (Nigeria) in undeserved and undisturbed comfort. That was all until last week.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberian President) met with Obasanjo and put in the request for Taylor to stand trial in Sierra Leone. Obasanjo agreed, but with tongue in cheek he advised Liberia that they would need to come pick him up. The ears of every Liberian tingled as they listened absorbedly to the BBC in anticipation of what would happen next. In true typical Taylor fashion, he put on quite a show for the Liberian audience and greater world spectators.
The international heads of state were putting pressure on Obasanjo to hand Taylor over to Liberia (in a diplomatic fashion.) The heat was on and Taylor was not going to wait around to get burned. On Monday night he “escaped” from his villa in Nigeria. Apparently, no one knew where he went. Rumours blew across the streets of Monrovia like the strong winds of a tropical storm. The talk was full of speculation: “He is coming back to Monrovia…the pappy will return to his people…the CIA has taken him (this is not as far fetched as some may think)…he will hide and then strike Liberia again.” Fear was everywhere. You could feel the dark cloud hanging over the city.
The peaceful humid breeze blew steadily from the ocean on Wednesday morning. It was another typical day in Monrovia or so it seemed. The BBC reported that Taylor was captured while attempting to cross over to Cameroon from Nigeria. This news took us by surprise. It was an immigration officer from Nigeria who thought this old man looked a little too suspicious. He checked the vehicle and found four bags full of US cash. Nigeria is known as the most corrupt country in the world. It remains truly puzzling how Taylor was not able to “buy his way out of Nigeria.” (do read on).
Liberians smiled nervously as they asked: “What now?” Taylor was in custody, but what is next for this infamous fugitive. Well, Obasanjo was about to meet with George W. Bush in Washington. It was an important meeting for both parties. Bush needs the oil and Nigeria has an insatiable thirst for the foreign income. So, the Taylor escape occurred at just the wrong time for Obasanjo. If you look at the details it really is a bizarre set of circumstances. Taylor was apparently surrounded by a continuous security detail. He was caught just hours before a key meeting with President Bush, which was threatened to be cancelled due to the Taylor escape. With that threat Taylor was suddenly captured. You make the call…
Taylor was sent to Liberia as Obasanjo and Bush met. As Taylor stepped on the Nigerian presidential plane he was in a slightly more somber mood. He no longer played the ever confident “man of the people.” Liberians were beside themselves with fear as the old pappy had to make a touchdown in Liberia before heading to Sierra Leone. UNMIL (United Nations Mission in Liberia) would not let anything happen. Their military presence is strongly felt here in Liberia with 15,000 soldiers and 1,000 civilian police helping to maintain security across the country. UNMIL rushed to the airport, blocked the road, allocated a strong contingent of UN soldiers to the airport and sent the AH-64 Apache war birds into the sky to patrol. It was a significant day in the history of Liberia.
Taylor touched down in Liberia in the middle of a tropical rain storm. The play-by-play on the radio indicated that when they landed he was handed over to Liberian authorities who shackled him and then sent him on his way to Sierra Leone on a UN chopper. So many West Africans (including yours truly) hold grave concerns about the potential instability this could spark and ignite if Taylor were to stand trial at the court in Sierra Leone. There is a strong possibility that Taylor will stand trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Holland.
There was something that struck me at the end of Wednesday, the most interesting day in some time in Liberia. One co-worker made the comment that it was sorrowful to see Taylor in shackles. I thought she was joking, but she was serious. However is this possible, to feel pity for a ruthless man who had no regard for human life or dignity? His actions were deplorable and yet some Liberians choose to feel sorry the man. Another coworker pointed out that Liberians are quick to forget and even more so to overlook the actions, as evil as they may be, of another individual in order to maintain relationships (and to not feel embarrassment or shame in front of others).
What are your thoughts? I often wonder if there is hope for Africa. Perhaps that is a question I would like to begin to tackle in future blog posts.
Until then I say Kudoos to justice!
Marcel
For further reference see: (sorry no links)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2963086.stm
Comments
You asked a question at the end of the post: "However is this possible, to feel pity for a ruthless man who had no regard for human life or dignity? "
It struck me (rather inexplicably -- for I certainly wouldn't feel this way) that the tone you heard from this woman -- one of pity and sadness -- is exactly how I would picture Jesus reacting to this man.
Of course, "kudos to justice", and God is a God of justice. But he is also a God of mercy and inexplicable grace. There's a gap in our understanding of how the two can stand together in one, and yet they do in Christ.
I don't understand it, and I don't believe I will until I get to the other side.
On a personal level, I'm a bit baffled at myself for having such vehemently vitriolic feelings toward Hitler and his men while feeling a sad compassion for Taylor. Summarily strange, bizarre, incomprehensible... weird!!
Hmm. More great food for thought. Don't know that I can stand too much more! ;o)