The rise and fall of Taylor

Dua · 2008-05-04T17:10:45+00:00

Taylor 'had billions' in US bank Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor had about $5bn in two US bank accounts during his presidency, his chief prosecutor has told the BBC. Mr Taylor is being tried by a UN-backed war crimes court for backing rebels in Sierra Leone while in office. He denies trading arms for diamonds and challenged the international community when he stood down in 2003 to trace and seize any monies they alleged he had. If any was found he would "turn them over to the Liberian people". During Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war, which officially ended in 2002, tens of thousands of people died and thousands more were mutilated, raped and had limbs amputated. Mr Taylor's case has been transferred from Sierra Leone to The Hague for security reasons, although it is still being conducted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He denies 11 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. UN freeze "We've certainly found evidence of hundreds of millions of dollars taken by Charles Taylor illegally in various banks at different times," chief prosecutor Stephen Rapp told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. "We have evidence of two accounts that were maintained in his name in the United States during his presidency," he said, adding that they had had almost $5bn at one time. He said he was in the process of tracing the funds and a number of countries were co-operating. If recovered, Mr Rapp said that the money would be subject to a UN freeze on Mr Taylor's assets. He said that he hoped any money recovered would be shared between the victims of the Sierra Leone civil war and the Liberian state, if Mr Taylor was found guilty. Tanzania tunaye Chenge, Che-nkapa na list ipo ndefu Je tuwafanyaje? The rise of taylor Warlord Charles Taylor launched a rebellion against President Samuel Doe in 1989. He had served in Mr Doe's government but was accused of embezzling $1m. He fled to the United States and was arrested but mysteriously escaped from a US prison. Cross-border conflict He was one of several warlords battling it out in a bitter civil war, which killed hundreds of thousands of Liberians and ruined a once prosperous economy. A rebel group led by the notorious Foday Sankoh began attacking Sierra Leone from territory controlled by Mr Taylor, plunging that country into a brutal, 10-year conflict. African appeal Mr Taylor was born to a family descended from freed American slaves - the group which still dominates Liberia. In a bid to broaden his appeal to the indigenous ethnic groups, some of whom backed rival militias, he took the African name Ghankay. Jewel wedding After several false dawns, a peace deal was signed by the rival groups. By January 1997, Mr Taylor felt secure enough to organise a lavish wedding to his third wife, Jewel, a trained economist. Hiyo ndio culture ya viongozi wetu kujionyesha wana pesa wakati wamedhulumu pesa ya walipa kodi. Fear of defeat Elections were finally held in July 1997 and Mr Taylor won. Some voted for him out of fear that if he lost, the war would reignite. But they were still probably the fairest elections Liberia had seen at the time. Strict father As president, he never attempted to bring his former enemies into his government. They fled into exile. He was always something of a maverick and once publicly caned his daughter in her school after she was suspended for indiscipline. New rebellion In 1999, a group of his former enemies joined forces and launched a rebellion against Mr Taylor from near the border with Guinea. At first they were not felt to pose a serious threat but they gradually advanced through the country towards the capital, Monrovia. Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes. Clinging on The Lurd rebels finally reached central Monrovia in June 2003. When Mr Taylor went to Ghana for peace talks, a UN-backed court issued a warrant for his arrest over his alleged role in the brutal 10-year war in Sierra Leone. He said he would step down if it would ensure peace but the details were not agreed and the fighting continued. Prayers Despite his attempts to seek divine intervention, military pressure from the rebels and diplomatic pressure from the US and West Africa did not let up. In the end, once peacekeepers arrived, he had no choice but to step down. He went into exile in Nigeria in August 2003 as part of a deal to end the long civil war. He now faces trial on war crimes charges in The Hague. Alijifanya kuruka ruka kama Kunguru lakini arobaini zake zimetimia……………………………………. In Court Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has made his first appearance before the war crimes court in Sierra Leone. Security was tight as the tribunal got under way in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Mr Taylor is accused of backing rebels in Sierra Leone who carried out terrible atrocities during the country's civil war. He denied all the charges and said he refused to recognise the court's jurisdiction. Lazima akatae nani atakubali hata Sadam alikataa itakuwa Robert Mugabe au Chenge? Judges adjourned the hearing without setting a date for Mr Taylor to return to court. Lawyers have been appointed to Mr Taylor by the court as he has yet to put together a defence team. Members of Mr Taylor's family as well as the Liberian ambassador were in court to hear the proceedings. Jamani imekuwa haya tena? Mbona wakati anatafuna pesa ya walipa kodi tulikuwa tunafaidi? Ama kweli dunia hadaa ulimwengu shujaa. The UN is considering moving the trial to the Hague amid fears his presence in Freetown could reignite conflict in the region. Hii ndio sifa moja kubwa ambayo Viongozi wetu wanaipenda wanataka wawe na mabillionea kama ya Robert Mugabe! Umhhhhhh Kweli asiye na mwana aeleke jiwe. Sierra Leone's decade-long war was particularly brutal, with 50,000 people killed and thousands more mutilated. Hawa ndio victims sijui watawezaje kuendesha maisha yao.

Thread starter Dua
Start date May 4, 2008

Dua

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May 4, 2008

Manda

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The rise and fall of Taylor

Dua

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