Global Policy Forum

Liberian President Charles Taylor, whose regime is under UN sanctions, came under mounting global pressure after a UN court official accused him of ordering the murder of the family of slain Sierra Leone rebel Sam Bockarie.

Alan White, the chief of investigations at a UN-backed tribunal set up to try those accused of war crimes in Sierra Leone's 10-year war, said: "The latest information the Special Court has received is that the family of Bockarie -- his mother, wife and two children -- have allegedly been killed at the direction of Charles Taylor."

White said the information came from "multiple credible sources." Liberian Information Minister Reginald Goodridge told AFP he had no information about the alleged killings. "This is the first time I'm hearing this," he said by telephone from Monrovia, refusing further comment.

The Liberian government had announced that Bockarie, widely seen as a former protege of Taylor, had died after a shootout on May 6 with state security forces near the Liberian border with Ivory Coast. However, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group, which has been fighting Taylor since 1999 and occupies about half the country, had claimed that Bockarie had died in combat with their men. A LURD statement claimed that Taylor had deliberately sent Bockarie to his death so that he would not reveal anything about Taylor to the UN court.

White also alleged that Taylor, whose regime is under sweeping United Nations (news - web sites) sanctions including an arms embargo, was sheltering Al Qaeda operatives and members from other terror groups. "This is a sensitive issue but our investigation will certainly demonstrate that Taylor is harbouring known Al Qaeda people and other terrorists," he said.

When asked if Taylor risked being indicted by the court, White said: "We will follow the evidence to wherever it leads and no one will be exempted." Another court official -- David Crane, the court's US prosecutor -- said in an interview published in the Washington Post Thursday that he had evidence that Taylor was harbouring al Qaeda operatives.

"Diamonds fuel my conflict, and diamonds fuel the war on terrorism," Crane said. "Charles Taylor is harboring terrorists from the Middle East, including al Qaeda and Hezbollah, and has been for years. "It is time for the world to know this and who Charles Taylor really is. He is not just a regional troublemaker; he is a player in the world of terror and what he does affects lives in the United States and Europe." Crane also accused Taylor of ordering Bockarie's murder.

White slammed Monrovia for not repatriating the body of Bockarie, wanted for alleged war crimes during Sierra Leone's civil war. Bockarie fled to Liberia after falling out with Foday Sankoh, the leader of Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group which conducted a war from 1991 until January last year. "It is most unfortunate for the people of Sierra Leone that Taylor has refused to release the body," White said. "This action can only be viewed as an attempt to obstruct the work of the court. An examination of the body has already been conducted by the government of Liberia and there is no logical reason for them to retain it. We are calling on Taylor to release the body immediately to Sierra Leonean authorities."

White also accused Taylor of failing to turn over former Sierra Leonean junta leader, Johnny Paul Koroma, who is also wanted for alleged war crimes by the special court. "I continue to receive credible information that he is in Liberia as previously reported despite repeated denials by the government. Koroma is still located in the Foya Kamala area," he said. He said Taylor should know "the world is watching if he will assist the course of international justice."

Taylor has been accused of arming and funding the RUF in return for so-called "blood diamonds" mined by them, a charge he has denied. Some 200,000 people were killed and thousands more had their limbs hacked off during the conflict in Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest countries despite its large diamond reserves.

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