Sinkor massacre

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The Sinkor massacre occurred in the course of the First Liberian Civil War on July 29, 1990 in the Sinkor district of the Liberian capital Monrovia .

During the military siege of Monrovia in July 1990, around 2,000 civilians who had fled the hinterland went to the grounds of the Lutheran Church of St. Peter in the Sinkor district. In the safety and custody of a church, they hoped to escape the increasing fighting for the capture of the capital. The Liberian Red Cross was already present with some helpers to set up a makeshift refugee camp on site.
According to witnesses, the completely overcrowded church building was surrounded by a group of 30 soldiers from the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL). The demoralized but still loyal supporters of President Doe attacked the completely defenseless refugees. Inside the church, they used machine guns and knives to wreak havoc. Refugees were also targeted. At least 600 people (according to the first Reuters report of the day), mostly old men, women, children and babies, were murdered by the soldiers. The high number has been questioned by US historians and reduced to around 200 deaths.

The Sinkor massacre occurred 41 days before President Doe was captured and assassinated by Prince Yormie Johnson's forces .

The event triggered the operation Sharp Edge, which began on August 2, 1990, by the US Marines . The aim of the military operation was to rescue foreign civilians and US embassy personnel. In retrospect, the US government's military passivity has been criticized. Although more than 2000 combat-ready marines were already present in the region, the Bush administration avoided intervening directly in the fighting in order to prevent a catastrophe through humanitarian intervention . When asked by reporters, Liberian warlord Prince Johnson calmly replied :

I was made to understand that our civil war was an internal Liberian matter, so the United States never intended to intervene on this matter as it did in Grenada , the Philippines and Panama .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ History and Museums Division: On Mamba Stadium: US Marines in West Africa (1990-2003). (No longer available online.) United States Marine Corps, 2004, p. 57 , formerly original ; Retrieved January 17, 2011 (English, report by a US historians' commission on the course of US operations in Liberia and West Africa (1990-2003)): "Major Tilley of the Armed Forces of Liberia reportedly directed the massacre of more than 600 Liberians in late July 1990 at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Monrovia, a designated Red Cross shelter. Captain James K. Shannon intvw., Apr 15, 91, p. 10. (Oral HistColl, MCHC, Washington, DC). "
  2. ^ REUTERS: Liberia Troops Accused Of Massacre in Church. New York Times, July 31, 1990, accessed January 17, 2011 .
  3. ^ Yormie Johnson: Liberia Troops Accused Of Massacre in Church. New York Times, July 31, 1990, accessed on January 17, 2011 : “I was told our civil war was the internal affair of Liberia, as though the United States had never interfered in the affairs of other people like those of Grenada, the Philippines or Panama. "