Greaves, Others' NPFL Support Uncovered
. . . 1990 Fund-Raising Communication Obtained
As the truth telling period under the aegis of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission picks up steam, and the search for individuals bearing the greatest responsibility of the 14-year ruinous civil imbroglio continues, some Liberians have turned themselves into archeologists and are vigorously exploring the social, economic and political fossils to find answers. In so doing, one Liberian, who preferred not to be named, bumped into a letter under the official letterhead of a Liberian exile group, Association for Constitutional Democracy in Liberia (ACDL), drumming financial support for the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), the largest and notorious armed group that ignited the Liberian conflict. Political Editor Sherman C. Seequeh perused the communication and now reports.
Public Agenda has obtained a copy of a letter penned by Harris Greaves, now Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), not only announcing to his partners and like-minds the military showdown of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), but soliciting financial contributions for the prosecution of the war.
Dated on April 9, 1990 on the official letterhead of the Association for Constitutional Democracy in Liberia (ACDL), the communication commences in these words: “As you have probably heard, Liberia is in the midst of a war--a war of liberation spearheaded by our compatriots, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, against the barbarous, tyrannical regime of M/Sgt. Samuel Doe, self-proclaimed President of Liberia.”
The NPFL was headed by Charles G. Taylor, who later became President of Liberia and coerced out of Liberia before his indictment and prosecution by the Special War Crimes Court of Sierra Leone in The Hague .
Greaves, in the letter, recounted that the war commenced on December 24, 1989 in Butuo, Nimba County and had been raging since then at various levels of intensity.
As if Greaves were on the battle field himself, he wrote: “At first, Doe mistakenly took what was essentially a guerrilla action for the normal run-of-the-mill ‘coup' and dispatched a massive force to crush it. His troops were ambushed and totally routed, with casualties running into several hundred dead.”
Signing the communication as Treasurer of the ACDL, Greaves reported further: “As I write you, the NPFL has captured and is holding a large swathe of land stretching from the Ivorian border down as far as Bong County . A few weeks ago they overran a military barrack at Wadru, in Grand Gedeh County , that was being used to train new recruits for Doe's army, and immobilized the Ganta-Harper road. Lately, word has reached us that NPFL forces are descending upon Gbarnga…a mere three hour's drive from the nation's capital, Monrovia . All independent reports indicate that the NPFL advance is gaining momentum, and it seems now just a matter of time before the action reaches Monrovia, the seat of Doe's government and the probable site of the final battle--if, that is, Doe chooses to fight rather than run away in his new $20 milion Boeing 707.”
“Over the course of the past few years, we have been striving for the replacement of the present military dictatorship with a genuinely democratic government, grounded in the Liberian Constitution and legitimized through free and fair elections,” Greaves wrote on the letterhead which carries, besides him, the names of Ezekiel B. Pajibo, Momo K. Rogers, Amos Sawyer, PatrickL.N. Seyon, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Mamadee Woahtee. “That view appears to be shared by the vast majority of Liberians, including victims of the current conflict. For all independent reports we have received from the refugee community emphasize the fact that they too feel that they will not be able to return to their peaceful lives until the brutal reign of terror of M/Sgt. Doe is over.”
Doe's regime ended upon his brutal death in the hands of a splinter NPFL faction, the INPFL, and immediately punctuated with the ascension of a transitional regime headed by Greaves fellow ACDL colleague Amos Sawyer.
“That is why the current initiative must not be allowed to falter or fail,” Greaves said in the letter. “The memories of the aftermath of November 12, 1985 are still fresh in many of our minds. We remember all too well the terrible price that was paid by combatants as well as non-combatants at the hands of Doe's murder machine. That lesson must not be repeated.”
Writing further, Greaves made a clarion call for massive support: “So, for all of us who love Liberia --citizens as well as friends of Liberia --active participants in the struggle as well as silent supporters--it is time to redouble our efforts. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's beaming brightly. What we need now is to summon up our last reserves in order to hasten the exit of the M/Sgt. That is why I am making this personal appeal to you to make a generous $20, $50 or $100 contribution to the cause. Checks and money orders should be made payable to ‘ACDL' and mailed to P.O. Box 3835 , Merrified , VA 22116-3835 . Your donation will be treated in the strictest confidence. Our attorneys, Messrs. Lichtman, Trister, Singer & Ross, have applied for tax-exempt status for ACDL under Section 301 [c] (3) of the Internal Reenue Code, which when approved, will be retroactive to December 1988.”
The NPFL's rage across the country left huge trail of blood and carcasses behind, characterized by retributive horrors between and amongst tribes and communities. It triggered the emergence of splinter warring groups, all of which killed and rained terror on innocent civilians.
During and even after the war, it was rumored that Charles Taylor was not acting alone, and that there were white-collared rebels sitting in the comfort of American metropolitans raising money, purchasing arms and training men and women, drugged and programmed to maim, killed and commit arson.
A Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been set up to probe Liberia 's past, find victims as well as perpetrators of war crimes.
With victims and ordinary foot-soldiers dominating the TRC hearing process, most of the white-collared rebels have been refusing to testify. Some or few have openly said they would not appear but their testimonies would come in the form of personal dairies or biographies that may be published in the future.
Persistent calls of Greaves, followed by a text message from Public Agenda to speak to the leaked communication, failed to yield the intended result.
