Liberia ex-warlord ‘Jungle Jabbah’ jailed for 30 years in US

New York, United States | AFP | A Liberian former warlord whose forces committed atrocities including murders and cannibalism during the country’s civil war was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in US prison — for immigration-related fraud and perjury. It is not the atrocities that will send the former warlord to prison, but rather lying about his past to American authorities as part of his 1998 asylum application and his subsequent bid for permanent residency, which saw him convicted in October of “two counts of fraud in immigration documents and two counts of perjury.”

Prosecutors did, however, summon 17 Liberians to testify during the trial about the actions of Jabateh and his men, which allegedly included killing a village leader and bringing his heart to his wife with orders for her to cook it for them. Judge Paul S. Diamond, said Mr. Jabbateh’s crimes including systemic rape, murder, slavery, torture, use of child soliders, genocide and cannibalism were so extreme “it was difficult to believe anyone could be capable of committing those acts.”

In recognition of those crimes the judge imposed the maximum crime possible under the law. Mr Jabbateh was found guilty on four-counts of U.S. immigration fraud and perjury charges – all linked to atrocities he committed nearly three decades ago in Liberia when he was commander of the Zebra Battalion in the militia known as ULIMO (United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy), in Western Liberia operating from 1990-1994. We heard them because of the incredible courage of those Liberian witnesses.”

When asked at trial to identify the man responsible for their torment, each of those witnesses offered the same answer, identifying Jabateh by his nom de guerre, “Jungle Jabbah.”

One woman testified she had been captured and turned into a sex slave at 13, only to be raped daily for weeks until she managed to escape. Here in Lofa Bridge when they kill somebody he takes of their heart to cook pepper soup and eat it.”

“Whenever soldiers under his commend complain of hunger he will ask for all the prisoners to get out,” said Town Chief Momoh FenSeh, 60. Mr. Jabateh’s trial is the first case in a new legal push for the prosecution of Liberians who are known to have committed war crimes during the country’s plunge into bloody civil conflicts that intermittently ran for nearly 20 years.
Liberian warlord Mohammed "Jungle Jabbah" Jabbateh is sentenced to 30 years in prison in the United States for immigration offences. Jabbateh lied to authorities about his role in the Liberian Civil War.