May 2, 2003
President Charles Taylor has denied allegations that two alleged war criminals from Sierra Leone are in Liberia.
His press secretary, Vani Passawe, said that if Sam Bockarie, alias "Mosquito" and Johnny Paul Koroma were in Liberia they would have been arrested. Earlier this week, Alan White, chief investigator for the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, said Mr Taylor faced prosecution if he did not hand them over. Mr Bockarie was a senior commander of the rebel Revolutionary United Front, which committed widespread atrocities during Sierra Leone's brutal 10-year civil war. Johnny Paul Koroma seized power from the elected leader Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in 1997 and later formed an alliance with the RUF. Earlier this week, Mr Bockarie was accused of killing a rebel commander in neighbouring Ivory Coast.
'Anarchy'
Mr Passawe said the Liberian government had expelled Mr Bockarie from Liberia some years ago. One cabinet minister warned of a total outbreak of anarchy in the region if Mr Taylor was obliged to appear in court. He said the way to encourage co-operation with the Sierra Leone court was not to issue threats against an elected president.
The UN prosecutor said Mr Koroma had been in Liberia for up to a month, while Mr Bockarie had crossed the border after Ivory Coast rebels said they wanted him for the killing of Felix Doh. "The president of Liberia is put on notice that he has two indicted war criminals on his territory," Mr White said. "If he does not turn those individuals over to the Special Court, he could be subject to prosecution for aiding and abetting known war criminals."
Sanctions
Mr Koroma fled Sierra Leone earlier this year when the authorities tried to arrest him after an attack on a military barracks. He was elected to parliament last year with the support of a large number of votes from the military. President Taylor is under UN sanctions for allegedly backing the RUF in their rebellion which ended early last year.
He has also been accused of setting up the two rebel groups which operate in western Ivory Coast. He denies any involvement with them, although his ministers accept that some Liberian mercenaries may be fighting in Ivory Coast. Mr Taylor came to power in 1997 elections following an eight-year civil war in Liberia.
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