On Wednesday (Mar. 27), a French court sentenced former Liberian rebel commander Kunti Kamara to 30 years in prison for his involvement in violence against civilians and complicity in crimes against humanity. These atrocities were committed between 1993 and 1994 during the First Liberian Civil War in Lofa county, located in north-western Liberia.
Throughout the trial, the Court heard testimonies from 22 witnesses, 9 civil parties, and 5 experts, as reported by Civitas Maxima, an organization that coordinates a network of national and international lawyers and investigators dedicated to advocating for victims of international crimes.
Kamara had previously been handed a life sentence during his initial trial in Paris in 2022. Despite the reduced sentence, his legal team maintained his innocence.
The 49-year-old was apprehended in France in 2018. He served as a regional commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), a rebel faction that opposed the National Patriotic Front led by former President Charles Taylor.
The conflicts in Liberia, which occurred in successive waves from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, resulted in an estimated death toll of around 250,000 people.
In early March, Liberia’s parliament endorsed the establishment of a war crimes court. Previously, a truth and reconciliation committee had recommended the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute individuals accused of committing crimes during the conflicts, but no decisive action had been taken.
The bill to establish the war crimes court still awaits a vote from senators in Liberia, a country where some former warlords have secured elective positions.
