MARCH 30, 2006
All over the nation of Sierra Leone yesterday, people breathed a sigh of relief that at last the man who spearheaded their pain and troubles is at last in the hands of international law.
The prosecution and eventual life imprisonment of Charles Taylor , if he is found guilty , will not bring back the nearly one millions souls that perished in the two countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone It will NOT bring back the limbs of innocent children , women and men chopped off by the wicked rebels who belonged to Taylor’s NPFL and Foday Sankoh’s RUF. It will not bring back the relatively better economic situations that prevailed in both countries before Taylor started the whole tragic drama.
However, the arrest and transfer to the Special Court on Wednesday of Charles Taylor sent out a clear, unadulterated and stern message to those who will hear it. There shall be no more acts of impunity and wickedness to the innocent people of Sierra Leone and Africa The days when anybody can take up a gun and attain selfish , brutal and megalomanic power through merciless killings of innocent people and destruction of their country’s basic infrastructure on which billions of dollars had been spent will no longer be permitted. And if any countries needed such a message , it is Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Liberia and Sierra Leone are two countries where impunity reached frightening levels. When you think back about the horrible deeds of Samuel Doe, Charles Taylor, Prince Johnson and other warlords in Liberia , you cannot but applaud the arrest of Charles Taylor on Wednesday. When you think back about the satanic and cruel deeds of Foday Sankoh and other warlords in Sierra Leone, you cannot but thank God that Charles Taylor was arrested on Wednesday.
Now, people will think seriously before they seek power at all costs. They will consider that there will be an enormous penalty to pay if they try to seek power through remorseless wickedness, cruelty and criminal acts. They will now realize that the innocent people, whose interests they never, ever pursued and whom they considered worthy only of being cruelly exterminated or used to gain power , now have their interests being looked after by the international community.
Indeed, Wednesday was a watershed and landmark day in Africa.The message is now clear-cut. Respect the human and civil rights of the people. Respect the lives of other human beings. Do not seek power through hellish violence, mayhem and cruelty to the people If you do, whatever your position or backing, you are a gonner. The cells of International Justice will be your abode for the remainder of your miserable life.
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