By Kylie M Tsudama
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Charles Taylor is still on the stand in front of the Special Court for Sierra Leone defending himself against allegations that he aided Sierra Leonean rebels during the country’s 11-year war.

On Monday Taylor continued to deny any affiliation between his National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) and the Revolutionary United Front’s (RUF) Foday Sankoh saying that if any agreement were made, the prosecution would have produced evidence of such.

“I had no pact with RUF leader Foday Sankoh for mutual assistance.  That could not have been necessary.  There has been no evidence in this court about Sankoh being involved in the conflict in Liberia or commanding an NPFL post.  There was no such thing because I did not know him at this time,” Taylor said.  He added, “There has been no evidence in this court about Sankoh being involved in the conflict in Liberia or commanding an NPFL post.”

He also denied having any knowledge of “Operation No Living Thing.”  During the prosecution’s case a witness testified that Taylor participated in the operation that ordered the deaths of anything that was living.

“I did not instruct anybody to launch such an operation.  I had no control over anybody in Sierra Leone.  There is no way that I would be in control or even in any type of situation of this sort when throughout the revolution in Liberia we never had these kinds of atrocities, so this is impossible,” he said.

Taylor also denied having anything to do with a witness’ claim that he was involved in an organized plan to destabilize West Africa saying, “There was no such thing like this that occurred.”

Taylor’s trial continues on Monday.

For more information, please see:

CharlesTaylorTrial.org – Taylor Did Not Order the Assassination of Sam Bockarie – 10 September 2009

CharlesTaylorTrial.org – Taylor Refuses Testimony of Key Prosecution Witness; Says He Did Not Plan to Destabilize West Africa – 09 September 2009

CharlesTaylorTrial.org – “I Was Not Aware of RUF’s Operation No Living Thing,” Taylor Says – 08 September 2009

CharlesTaylorTrial.org – Taylor Did Not Have Any Pact with RUF Leader Foday Sankoh for Mutual Assistance, He Says – 07 September 2009

Impunity Watch – Update: Trial for Charles Taylor Still in Progress – 27 August 2009