Recommendations contained on pages 3 & 4 global witness The Usual Suspects Liberia’s Weapons and Mercenaries in Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone Why it’s Still Possible, How it Works and How to Break the Trend A Report by Global Witness. March 2003 2 The Usual Suspects 1Table of Contents Murder and Intrigue in the Logging Industry 21 OTC’s Chain of Custody 23 1 Recommendations 3 9 What: Types of weapons entering Liberia 24 2 Acronyms 5 10 When: Regular Delivery of Illegal Weapons in 3 Executive Summary 6 2002 and 2003 26 4 Introduction 7 11 Where: Points of Entry for illegal arms 26 5 Infringements against the UN Resolution on 12 Why: Liberia’s appetite for weapons 27 Liberia by the Liberian Government 9 PARTTWO: Rebels Without a Cause: 6 Cast of Characters 12 Liberian Government Mercenaries in Côte Liberia’s Security Apparatus 15 d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone 28 PART ONE: Everything you wanted to 13 The Liberian Government in Côte d’Ivoire 29 know about the Liberian Arms Trade but 13.1 Recruitment and Deployment 30 were too afraid to ask 16 13.2 Weapons Supplies and Logistics 31 7How: Logistics and Financing of Liberia’s 14 Plotting ahead: The Liberian Government’s plans Arms Trade 17 for Sierra Leone 31 7.1 Economics of Liberia’s war 14.1 Tapping old sources: Liberia’s machine 17 Recruitment and Deployment of 7.2 President Charles Taylor’s Bank soldiers in Sierra Leone 32 Accounts 18 14.2 Weapons supplies 33 The Smokescreen of Swiss Bank Accounts 18 15 Conclusion 33 The Arm’s Traffickers Best Friend: Secrecy and 16 Annexes 36 Logging fund estimates 19 Annex I: A Regional Analysis 36 Insecurity of Container Shipments 20 Annex II: Humanitarian Disaster and the A Failed Audit 25 Liberian Logging Industry 44 8 Who: Players in the Illegal Arms Trade to Annex III: Comparison of the Liberia Liberia 20 and the Democratic Republic of Congo Expert Panel Reports 45 Milo Annex IV: Violations of International pana Dion Pam Méli Sewa Humanitarian Law 46 Makona Tienb Annex V: List of weapons shipments SIERRA GUINEA Voinjama LEONE from Yugoslavia to Liberia, from June Gouan Baling to August 2002 49 Gbeya Zorzor Moa LOFA Annex VI: Swiss Banks and High-Risk Mani Ye kepa Noway Camp Sanniquellie Man Lofa Danane Relationships 50 GRAND Gahnpa Saint Paul (Ghanta) CÔTE C APE Gbarnga MOUNT BONG Palala D’IVOIRE Annex VII: Environmental Crimes 50 Tubmanburg Bong Town Totota NIMBA Robertsport BOMI Nuan Kie Cavally Annex VIII: President Charles Taylor and MARGIBI MONTSERRADO Tapeta Toulepleu Kakata Saint John Gardnersville GRAND Monrovia Lac de Possible Links to Terrorism 51 Harbel B ASSA Paynesville Buyo Zwedru Annex IX: UN Security Council Resolution RIVER Buchanan CESS GRAND GEDEH Dube Pyne 1458 (2003) 52 To w n Cestos River Annex X: UN Security Council Resolution Cess SINOE LIBERIA 1408 (2002) 53 Greenville GRAND Nyaake KRU Barclayville MARY- LAND Grand Plibo Cess Cavalla Harper The Usual Suspects 3 countries, and human rights abuses. UNOL 2Recommendations should also me mandated to play a bigger role in organising and overseeing the upcoming The UN Security Council should: October 2003 elections. ● Immediately impose a complete embargo ● Instruct, via the Liberia Sanctions Committee on the export and transport of Liberian or other means, global financial institutions, timber, and its import into other countries. and in particular Swiss banks and the Swiss Such an embargo should remain in place Attorney-General, to investigate suspicious until it can be demonstrated that the trade bank accounts with links to Liberia, and in does not contribute to any armed groups, particular accounts linked to those persons including the Movement for Justice and subject to the UN Travel Ban. Peace (MJP) and Ivorian Popular ● Recognize the significant role that timber plays Movement of the Great West (MPIGO) in funding conflicts, and agree on a definition rebels in Côte d’Ivoire, former of conflict timber and how conflict timber is Revolutionary United Front (RUF) exploited as a war commodity, just as diamonds combatants and Liberian logging and oil. The trade in conflict timber should be company militias. prohibited under international law. ● Pass a new resolution on Liberia that takes The UN Secretary-General should: a comprehensive approach on the role of ● Liberia as a threat to international peace Ensure that a new study on possible and security. This resolution should humanitarian effects of timber sanctions in specifically incorporate the Liberian Liberia be carried out. Such a study should Government’s actions in supporting the incorporate the negative consequences of the MPIGO and MJP rebel groups, ex-RUF timber industry upon the Liberian population. members in Côte d’Ivoire, and any other The Secretary-General should ensure that the armed groups supported by the Liberian information is independently verifiable and from Government. non-biased sources. ● Instruct the Secretary-General to mandate The International Community should: any further Panel of Experts on Liberia to ● Ensure that all arms-trading countries refrain conduct detailed investigations into the from selling weapons to West Africaa in role of the Liberian logging industry in accordance with the Moratorium on the fuelling national and regional Import, Export and Manufacture of Small destabilization, to enable the United Arms and Light Weapons of the Economic Nations Security Council (UNSC) and Community of West African States, and from other members of the international providing any support to armed rebel groups, community to gain a comprehensive including the Liberians United for understanding of the role of this industry. Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), in The UNSC should ensure that a panel Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. member with extensive knowledge of the ● Increase humanitarian aid to Liberia as a logging industry be employed to partake in matter of urgency, channeled through UN investigations. Any further Panel of Experts agencies and Non-Government Organizations on Liberia should also conduct detailed (NGOs). The donor community should ensure investigations into any other Liberian that citizens of Liberia are aided until their industries that constitute a threat to country returns to active peace and security. international peace and security. ● Emphasise the importance that countries target ● Expand the mandate of the United Nations arms traders and brokers, by imposing stringent Office in Liberia (UNOL) to include more arms-trading laws targeted at preventing the robust investigations of the Liberian illegal trade in weapons. Government's involvement in illegal arms imports, activities in neighbouring a Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo 4 The Usual Suspects The European Commission should: natural resources. Specifically, the Special Court should recognise the role of the Liberian timber ● Adopt the Communication from the industry in financing and facilitating illegal Commission to the Council and the diamond and weapons deals during the conflict. European Parliament which proposes the Those responsible should be prosecuted under Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and the mandate of the Special Court. Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan and then bring in a Regulation banning the importation of The Liberian Government should: illegally-sourced and conflict timber into the ● Immediately recall and cease sending rebels EU, as soon as is practicably possible. into Côte d’Ivoire and providing logistic and The Banks of Switzerland should, under the material support. guidelines of the Swiss Federal Banking ● Ensure that logging companies operating in Commission: Liberia, particularly the Oriental Timber ● Fully investigate the activities of all bank Company (OTC) and Maryland Wood accounts with links to Liberia, and in Processing Industries (MWPI), immediately particular to those persons subject to the halt illicit arms import into, and transport UN Travel Ban, in accordance with Swiss within, Liberia and neighbouring countries. federal anti-money laundering legislation. ● Ensure that logging companies operating in Banks should report any suspicious the country do not employ armed militias, and accounts to the Swiss anti-money that they immediately halt all human rights laundering authorities and the Swiss state abuses committed upon the Liberian attorney general for further investigation population. and legal prosecution. Accounts should emain frozen until such a time that it can ● Ensure that the country’s timber industry is be shown that the Liberian Government is run according to the best international no longer plundering state resources and standards of sustainable forest management, that funds are not the proceeds of crime or and that all timber revenues due to the State corruption. are directed to the Central Bank of Liberia, and not to the extra-budgetary expenditures of The Government of Sierra Leone should: the Executive Mansion. ● Take a leadership role in lobbying for the ● Fulfill its obligations under UN resolutions to Kimberley Process to have a regular, undertake a full and internationally verifiable independent monitoring mechanism, to audit of revenue generated by its timber ensure that the process is working and not industry and shipping and corporate registries. open to abuse. The Government of Sierra Leone should also strengthen its own The logging companies operating in Liberia and diamond certification system by companies importing Liberian timber should: introducing