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Charles Taylor- At War with Justice By Ifeanyi Udensi
“All the lessons of history in four sentences: It goes beyond saying that ambition is an aphrodisiac, culminating in a hitherto complex web of supposedly drug-induced passion. Driven by lust for control and power, some have become paralyzed by psycho-social imbalances, bereft of proper reasoning, having neurotic tendencies- emotional disorders-, and have been plagued by their own loss of what is real and what is surreal. In times of war, men fight for values, beliefs, greed and honour. In times of peace, men do fight for beliefs and honour. In as much as the existence of man remains, there shall continuously be disputes. Early Days Charles McArthur Taylor was born in Arthington, near Monrovia, on the 28th of January 1948. It is believed his father, Nelson Taylor, was an Americo-Liberian, although other sources claim he was Afro-Trinidadian. His mother, Bernice Taylor, was a member of the Gola ethnic group. At the age of 24, Charles Taylor attended the Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he earned a degree in Economics. His nickname ‘Ghankay’ was believed to have been a ploy to identify more precisely with the indigenous people.
Charles Taylor however had also supported the coup and thus was appointed in Doe’s government in the General Services Agency of Liberia, where he was in charge of purchasing on behalf of the Liberian government. Sacked in May 1983 on charges of embezzling almost $1,000,000 and siphoning the funds to an American bank account, he fled Liberia to the United States, where he was apprehended on the 24th of May 1984 on a warrant for extradition to face charges of embezzling almost $1,000,000 meant for the purchase of machinery parts. Taylor, by now, had marked himself out as a personality to be noticed more intensely. His fear of returning to Liberia to face charges of corruption led to his detention in a House of Corrections in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he cleverly escaped on the 15th September 1985 with four other inmates. However, all four of the other escapees were apprehended, including his wife Enid and his sister-in-law, Lucia Holmes Toweh, who had both assisted in his getaway. According to a Gale Research biographical piece released in 1998, Charles McArthur Taylor had always been fascinated by the history of New England because, as reported, there had been many freed slaves who had left on ships from New Bedford, Massachusetts to colonize Liberia. This had ignited his passion for the history of Liberia and its connections to the United States and as such it was only over time that the need to satisfy the inner cravings of power and control would surface. Deceit or sheer political brilliance by the ECOWAS and its partners? Charles Taylor was elected President of a Sovereign nation, with all the rights and privileges accorded one of that political stature. This applies to even criminals who accede to the post of Head of their States. However, in trying to assuage the sufferings of the peoples of that region, a deal had to be brokered by the African Nations and the international community with the Charles Taylor government. In 2003, Taylor declared he would resign from the political scene of Liberia and leave the country if some agreement was made by the international community. This Agreement stipulated the following conditions, and was led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and former South African President Thabo Mbeki. The Agreement stated:
In return the Agreement offered to Charles Taylor
It’s been construed that the asylum and residency granted Charles Taylor by the Nigerian government was a tool for a future implementation of a more complex or rather multiplex political planning orchestrated by the West, in obvious association with some members of the ECOWAS States. However, it behooves belief, therefore, that throughout the life of the political mayhem being perpetrated by his administration against the Liberian people and Sierra Leoneans through arms dealings, America, Britain, Germany and France could not influence further directives that would weaken and eventually paralyze his corrupt government, although President Bush did put some measure of pressure on the Charles Taylor’s government. For arguments sake though, the West have limited influence on the political process of sovereign nations, including African nations. Or do they? True that every nation has a right to govern itself in a way and manner according to the country’s constitution, but we see that this is not always the case. Take Iraq for example, or Afghanistan, or even Pakistan, the Western nations such as the United States and Great Britain hide under the cloak of terrorism to implement their own policies and influence the countries’ political process. It is indeed a thing of worry that Taylor is the first African leader to face trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed over a ten-year period of war in neighboring Sierra Leone. According to The Open Society Justice Initiative, an operational program of the Open Society Institute (OSI), a body which pursues law reform activities in anti-corruption, equality and citizenship, freedom of information and expression, international justice, and national criminal justice, two Nigerian businessmen challenged the granting of asylum to Charles Taylor on grounds of torture and mutilation in Sierra Leone in 1999 by rebel groups backed by Taylor in a case before the Abuja division of the Nigerian Federal High Court. This leaves me to think that if this case was brought against Taylor way back in 1999, is there really any justice for wrong-doing for all? And what about Justice for hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who have suffered gravely and perhaps still suffering from irreparable damages caused by Charles Taylor and his men? The Justice Initiative further filed an amicus brief with the Abuja Court on the duty of States to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and withhold asylum from them. In all fairness, the relevance of granting asylum to an individual is a fundamental right of every man - criminal or righteous. In as much as the Western states are ready to make rules, which inhibit certain freedom from certain individuals, it therefore makes relevant the need to compensate those who haven’t got a voice by instituting rules, laws against all war criminals. As is the case of the two Nigerians who are able to challenge the legitimacy of the asylum granted Charles Taylor, so is every Sierra Leonean and ofcourse Liberian who suffered abuse and loss be able to file charges against Charles Taylor and his henchmen. It is a grave injustice that men like Charles Ghankay Taylor are allowed the leisure and luxuries of life all because they had the political clout. Be as it may, so many war criminals and terrorists have been granted asylum by the English, the Americans, French etc and this has got to stop. True that all men have the rights to fair justice and fair play, I believe in an eye for an eye. Justice peppered with justice. If you desire to commit mass atrocities against humanity, then I suppose it is only fair that justice be applied where necessary. The need to extend this justice to every man, woman, Head of State or President, who believe that fairness means lining their pockets with a country’s wealth while the citizens and the voiceless linger in poverty and lack. Every African leader who has abused his political office by way of corruption, human rights abuses and other criminal conduct must at some time or another pay for their crimes. Africa is richly endowed with great intellects, nevertheless it seems that those who seek to rule the nations of Africa are corrupt in mind and intellect, allowing willful greed and self gratification dictate their every motive. We hinge on the notion that the next man will carry the burden of change, and if this change is sought, most times it is nipped at the bud. Men like Charles Taylor , who have applied their brilliance to rape their people of self-worth, dignity and any values must pay for their acts, like for like. I wait the day when all men, especially those who have sought and taken the powers over other men, are judged by their actions, and not by the rules made to protect such. References
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