Britain offers to jail Liberia’s Charles Taylor if convicted

LONDON – Britain promised yesterday to hold Liberia’s Charles Taylor in jail if he is convicted of war crimes, paving the way for the West African country’s former president to be tried in The Hague.

“I was delighted to be able to respond positively to the request of the United Nations Secretary General, that, should he be convicted, Charles Taylor serve his sentence in the UK,” British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said. She said in a statement that his presence in Sierra Leone remains a threat to peace and Britain wanted to demonstrate its commitment to international justice.Taylor, a former teacher who became one of Africa’s most feared warlords, is awaiting trial at a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in the capital of Sierra Leone, a former British colony and Liberia’s neighbour.He faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for backing Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front rebels, who sent drugged child soldiers into battle and mutilated and raped civilians during the brutal conflict.The UN-backed court had asked the Netherlands to hold the trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague because of security concerns but needed a third country to volunteer to be his jailer.Britain’s announcement clears the way for a UN Security Council resolution authorising Taylor’s transfer to The Hague.Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said during a visit to London last month that she hoped a European country would step forward and offer to hold Taylor in jail.”We just think a little bit of distance gives us a little more comfort,” she said.While Taylor is in prison in Sierra Leone, his presence in the region and the fact many of his former henchmen are still at large is seen as a threat to the fragile peace in Liberia.The chaos and brutality of Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war sparked international outrage.Pictures of civilians with hacked-off limbs shocked the world and the United Nations ended up sending 17 500 troops to the diamond-rich country.RUF rebels, led by Foday Sankoh who is reported to have met Taylor at training camps in Libya, clashed with UN troops and briefly took 500 peacekeepers hostage.Taylor is accused of arming the RUF in return for diamonds mined in rebel-held regions of the country during the war.So many children took part that special units were formed, one of which was known as the Small Boys Unit.- Nampa-ReutersShe said in a statement that his presence in Sierra Leone remains a threat to peace and Britain wanted to demonstrate its commitment to international justice.Taylor, a former teacher who became one of Africa’s most feared warlords, is awaiting trial at a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in the capital of Sierra Leone, a former British colony and Liberia’s neighbour.He faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for backing Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front rebels, who sent drugged child soldiers into battle and mutilated and raped civilians during the brutal conflict.The UN-backed court had asked the Netherlands to hold the trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague because of security concerns but needed a third country to volunteer to be his jailer.Britain’s announcement clears the way for a UN Security Council resolution authorising Taylor’s transfer to The Hague.Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said during a visit to London last month that she hoped a European country would step forward and offer to hold Taylor in jail.”We just think a little bit of distance gives us a little more comfort,” she said.While Taylor is in prison in Sierra Leone, his presence in the region and the fact many of his former henchmen are still at large is seen as a threat to the fragile peace in Liberia.The chaos and brutality of Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war sparked international outrage.Pictures of civilians with hacked-off limbs shocked the world and the United Nations ended up sending 17 500 troops to the diamond-rich country.RUF rebels, led by Foday Sankoh who is reported to have met Taylor at training camps in Libya, clashed with UN troops and briefly took 500 peacekeepers hostage.Taylor is accused of arming the RUF in return for diamonds mined in rebel-held regions of the country during the war.So many children took part that special units were formed, one of which was known as the Small Boys Unit.- Nampa-Reuters