US Homeland Security Investigators Arrest Moses Wright in PhiladelphiaBy Anthony Stephens with New NarrativesUnited States authorities have charged Moses Wright, one of the most important figures in the turmoil that engulfed Liberia in the late 1980s
JUAH TOWN, Grand Bassa – James Diggs broke down in tears when he heard the news of the death of Melvin Sogbandi. Sogbandi led “Strike Force Marine”, one of the deadliest divisions of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) during
James Diggs, who says he is a victim of Melvin Sogbandi, is angry he did not face justice. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story carried an image of a family member of Melvin Sogbandi. FrontPage Africa and New Narratives regret the error
By Lekpele M. Nyamalon
Monrovia- Each time we remember the atrocities of war, we prick the conscience of the perpetrators, thereby ensuring that it does not happen again. To ignore or forget is to set them loose, thereby cultivating a cycle of impunity.
I witnessed the Liberian Civil war not as a passive and privileged commentator, but as a child who lived through the burnt and ashes of war, endured the nightmares and have a scar of honor as a war survivor. In 1990, we were enroute to the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church (our family parish) for refuge, but stayed one night short of our journey when soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia stormed the edifice under the cover of darkness and committed one of the most heinous atrocities recorded in our nation’s history.
Massacre victims ask US judge to convict ex-Liberian colonel for the slaughter
Victims and campaigners for a war crimes court for Liberia welcomed the motion against Mr Thomas. 5 min read
The Centre For Justice and Accountability (CJA) has filed on behalf of four victims asking court to find Moses Thomas, a colonel in the AFL and commander of its Special Anti-Terrorist Unit “liable for extrajudicial killings, attempted extrajudicial killings, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The motion, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania says “because there is no issue of material fact in dispute,” plaintiffs ask for the court to grant their motion. Victims ask for $US4m in “compensatory and punitive damages.”