Johnny Paul Koroma

Johnny Paul Koroma (1999)

Johnny Paul Koroma (born May 9, 1960 in Tombodu , Kono District in Sierra Leone , † June 1, 2003 in Liberia, pronounced dead, but may not have died until August 10 or August 11, 2017 in Binkolo , Saforokoh ) was chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council and Head of State of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998.

Youth and training

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Johnny Paul Koroma grew up in Freetown , the capital of Sierra Leone, after he and his family moved from his birthplace in the east of the country. He belongs to the Limba people . In 1985 he joined the Sierra Leone Armed Forces Army and was promoted to commander until 1994 after two training courses at military academies in England and Ghana .

Military coup and civil war

Koroma received further military training in Nigeria and Great Britain and fought as a commander against the rebel forces of the Revolutionary United Front of Foday Sankoh . In August 1996, he was arrested for high treason following a planned coup against the government. Koroma was liberated during another coup on May 25, 1997 and declared chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and head of state. He tried to pacify the country through a cooperation with the rebels of Foday Sankoh. However, he also suspended the constitution and banned all parties and demonstrations.

Armed Forces Revolutionary Council

Under the leadership of Koroma in collaboration with Sankoh, all major laws were repealed and a state of emergency declared . The attacks against the civilian population increased. Koroma cited the rise in corruption and the failure of the civilian government to take action against the rebels and to establish a clear positioning of the Sierra Leonean army with the Kamajors as reasons for his strict administration .

ECOMOG

On June 2, 1997 , under the mandate of the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) and under the supervision of the ECOMOG troops, Nigeria sent troops to Sierra Leone. These were stationed in and around Freetown and Freetown International Airport . Koroma recognized the difficult situation and immediately took up talks with the troops and ECOWAS, which ended in a peace treaty in October 1997, which, however, was never kept. As a result, the ECOMOG troops tried from January 1998 to disempower the current rulers around Johny Paul Koroma. In just one month, the Freetown Peninsula was liberated from the RUF and pushed back to the far east of the country. By January 1999, the RUF troops had taken over most of Sierra Leone and Freetown again through waves of attack, but were then pushed back into the Northern Province .

Lomé Peace Treaty

The RUF and the former civilian government of Sierra Leone reached agreement on July 7, 1999 on a peace treaty that was signed in Lomé . Koroma were excluded from the negotiations, but afterwards participated in the successful disarming of his own troops. His power decreased steadily, so that he dissolved the AFRC in August 2000 and announced the establishment of a political party.

He stood for the 2002 presidential election and came third with 3 percent of the vote.

Special Court for Sierra Leone

The Special Tribunal for Sierra Leone , established in 2002 under the supervision of the United Nations , prosecuted those who played a key role in the civil war in Sierra Leone . Using the largest United Nations peacekeeping force ( UNAMSIL ) to date , Sierra Leone was pacified and numerous war criminals were brought to the Special Court.

On March 7, 2003, Koroma was charged by the Special Court. He is said to have lived in Liberia since 1998. His brother Samuel Koroma, who was also involved in the coup, was executed in Sierra Leone in 1998.

Remaining unexplained

On June 1, 2003, he was officially declared dead under mysterious circumstances in neighboring Liberia. The charges against him by the Special Court remain. Rumors in October 2006 say that Johnny Paul Koroma has again gathered more than 1,000 soldiers and is still living in Liberia.

According to unconfirmed information, Koroma's remains were found in September 2008 in Foya , Lofa County , Liberia. The Special Court in Sierra Leone is said to have later refuted this find on the basis of DNA samples. As of 2010, many people believe that Koroma was executed by the then Liberian President Charles Taylor . Three witnesses, including former Liberian Vice President Moses Blah , are believed to have confirmed the execution based on statements made by Taylor. But they would not have attended it.

According to media reports, however, Koroma died on August 10, 2017 or August 11, 2017 in his home village of Binkolo , Saforokoh-Chiefdom and was buried on August 11, 2017.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 24 Linked to Coup Executed in Sierra Leone. The New York Times, October 20, 1998.
2. ↑ Johnny Paul's Dead Body Found in Liberia. Concord Times, September 11, 2008.
3. ↑ Sierra Leone: Is Ex Junta Leader Johnny Paul Koroma Dead Or Alive ?. New Democrat, In: AllAfrica.com, Oct 25, 2010.
4. ^ Judges Order Prosecutors to Disclose Exculpatory Material and Payments Suggesting That AFRC Leader Johnny Paul Koroma Was Not Killed By Charles Taylor. International Justice Monitor, October 21, 2010.
5. ↑ Johnny Paul Koroma Dead And Laid To Rest.Sierra Express Media, August 20, 2017.
6. ↑ After 10 years in hiding: AFRC Johnny Paul is dead. Standard Times Press. Retrieved September 18, 2019.