RIGHTS-SIERRA LEONE: ‘Spare My Life’, Rebel Leader Appeals

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Oct 26 1998 (IPS) - Sierra Leone’s rebel leader Foday Sankoh, who was sentenced to death last week for his part in a coup which briefly overthrew the elected government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, has failed to persuade the court to spare his life.

Begging judge Samuel Ademusu, Sankoh, who is believed to be in his 60s, pleaded: “I will prevail on the rebels to lay down their arms and embrace peace if my life is spared”.

His plea was rejected by the Sierra Leonean authorities who signed a peace accord with Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in the West African state of Ivory Coast in November 1996.

The RUF reneged on that agreement and escalated the conflict.

Remnants of the RUF soldiers who fled into the bush after the ousting of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) junta in February, have vowed to continue fighting if Sankoh is hanged.

RUF battlefield commander Sam Bockarie, alias Maskita, told a European radio station on Monday that “peace will only prevail if our leader’s life is spared.”

“We want the international community to prevail on the Freetown authorities not to kill our leader because we now want peace,” Bockarie was quoted as saying.

Sankoh, who was sentenced to death by hanging on Oct 23, was found guilty of treason, incitement and crimes against humanity by the court.

Handing down the sentence, judge Ademusu said, “Taking into account the atrocities committed by the AFRC/RUF and if you had not given some assistance to the regime (AFRC), they would have gone long ago. But by having them stay in power, you made it possible for the AFRC to become recalcitrant”.

“Therefore to serve as a deterrent to others, I have passed the death sentence on you,” said Ademusu.

As he was being led out of the court, to the Freetown Maximum Security Prison, Sankoh burst into a war song, to the amusement of hundreds of civilians who had thronged the court precincts to catch a glimse of the man whose seven-year rebellion led to the deaths of tens of thousands and destructions of whole towns and villages.

Sankoh, who did not serve in the AFRC, was named deputy chairman by the junta’s fugitive leader Major Johnny Paul Koroma.

The rebel leader was in detention in the Nigerian city of Lagos when the junior officers of the Sierra Leonean army staged a coup on May 25, 1997 and toppled the 14-month old civilian government of President Kabbah.

Kabbah, along with his government, fled into exile in neighbouring Guinea. Sankoh, through a radio message, urged his combatants from the bush to join the mutinous soldiers. That marriage culminated into the formation of the rebel/military AFRC junta.

Sankoh remained behind lock and key in Nigeria for the entire period of AFRC reign, and was extradited to Freetown by the Nigerian authorities, after the ousting of the military junta, by a Nigerian-led west African peacekeeping force ‘ECOMOG’ in February.

But Sankoh, who was tried by a civilian court, since he had been dismissed from the army over 20 years ago, has the right of appeal against his sentence, in a higher court, within 21 days.

Although local lawyers were reluctant to represent him, the rebel leader defended himself in court.

The sentence came only four days after the execution of 24 army officers by firing squad for their role in the coup. More than 30 civilians have also been sentenced to death and are expected to be executed shortly.

Last week’s execution was criticised by rights groups, the United Nations and former colonial power, Britain.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he regretted the execution, and Britain said the killing would not help the process of reconciliation in the west African country.