First war crimes trial of Liberian rebel leader opens in Paris

A former Liberian rebel went on trial Monday (10 October) in Paris, charged with “complicity in massive and systematic torture and inhumane acts” against civilians in Liberia’s Lofa County in 1993-1994.

As one of the leaders of the Ulimo armed group, now the 47-year-old Kunti Kamara is accused of crimes against humanity, torture and acts of barbarism during the West African country’s civil war in the 1990s. Kamara, who faces life in prison, denied committing such acts. “I’m innocent,” The former rebel, who was then less than 20 years old, told the court, adding that he doesn’t know any of the witnesses accusing him. The trial by the Paris criminal court has been made possible under a French law that recognizes universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity and acts of torture.

Kamara was arrested near Paris in 2018, following a complaint filed by Swiss-based group Civitas Maxima, which specialized in helping victims of crimes against humanity. During the investigation, he acknowledged having been a battlefield commander, leading about 80 soldiers during the civil war — a choice he said he made to defend himself against Charles Taylor’s rival faction. According to court documents, Kamara is being accused of having hit a man and then opened his chest with an ax in order to extract and eat his heart. He is also accused of having allowed and abetted, in his position of authority, rapes and sexual torture, and of having compelled people into forced labor under inhumane conditions.