Gibril Massaquoi accused of ordering rape, looting

Gibril Massaquoi, a Sierra Leonean, whose acquittal of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the District Court of Finland is being challenged, has been accused of ordering the rape of two minors and a pregnant woman.

Small children, between the ages of 8 and 9 and pregnant women cried for help in vain, witnesses told the Turku Court of Appeal in Monrovia.

“We were put in one room, then two girls and a pregnant woman were put in another room,” said “Civil 45.” “Then they (soldiers) started using (sex) with him.”

The former commander of Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, (RUF), Mr. Massaquoi was acquitted of his charges by the Tampere District Court, which ruled in April 2021 that prosecutors did not prove that he committed the crime “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The RUF fought alongside Liberian government forces against the rebellion by Liberia United for Reconciliation and Democracy, between 2001 and 2003. But Mr. Massaquoi has always denied the accusations against him, but prosecution witnesses continue to link him to the crime.

Civilian 45 told the prosecuting attorney on direct examination that the reaction of the minor and the woman made him and others realize that he was raped.

“We heard the girls crying and we could hear the noise of everything that was happening,” Civilian 45 said.

But he said the little boy survived the incident. Rape is one of the crimes the District Court acquitted Massaquoi of. Civilian 45 also accused Massaquoi and his troops of robbery, another prosecutor appealed.

45 civilians stated that they were forced to carry looted goods, including mattresses, chickens, ducks, and sewing machines by walking the distance from towns and villages in Lofa to Foya, among heavily armed men .

“They put all the workers,” said Civilian 45. “Then they took these things and put them on our heads and then they were going to burn our houses.”

Civilian 45 said the incident happened in 2001 when the RUF army captured the town of Kortuhum from the forces of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, (LURD).

“Civilian 18,” and “Civilian 27,” two other prosecution witnesses on Friday confirmed the testimony of Civilian 45.

Civilian 18 under the orders of Mr. Massaquoi, he was beaten and locked in a shop for a whole day without food and water until the next day when he along with a group of prisoners were taken to Foya.

“It was Monday in 2001, they (RUF Rebels) entered our town and began to collect people, men, women and children and materials and then said that they are taking us to Foya,” said Civilian 18. “They began to beat man. Then when I left, I was put in a shop and I stayed there all (day).
He said the fighters who attacked the town spoke Krio, the English people of Sierra Leone.

Civilian 18 also told the court that he survived captivity at the time he and other prisoners were put out by soldiers to go and get wood, but he said that at that point, and other prisoners escaped the area.
Civilian 27, the only female witness today, who said from Babahum said that Mr. Massaquoi and his soldiers also committed robbery and torture.

READ ALSO: Liberia: Witnesses accuse Gibril Massaquoi of causing an accident in Lofa County

In this hearing, defense lawyers have raised concerns about previous inconsistent statements by witnesses, including the date of the alleged crime Mr. Massaquoi.

Paula Sallinen, one of the defense counsel told FrontPage Africa / New Narratives after the hearing that the hearing helped her understand how the witnesses told their stories, as well as the testimony about the date and time of the client’s crime.

“We know that people come from small villages, small communities, and it is most likely that they have discussed the experience in the lower court with each other,” said Ms. Sallinen. “So we’re trying to see if there’s any indication that they’ve discussed it, so we’re going to evaluate how that would affect the credibility of the witness.”
The trial continues on Monday.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West African Justice Reporting Project.