Sierra Leone: Three Sierra Leonean rebel commanders led fighters who killed, raped and mutilated their victims, and carved initials into the chests of child soldiers forced into battle, prosecutors said yesterday.
"AFRC/RUF physically mutilated men, women and children, including amputating hands, feet, breasts, buttocks, lips, ears, noses, genitalia and carving AFRC or RUF on their bodies," US prosecutor David Crane told the country's UN-backed war crimes court in his opening statement.
"Children will come before you and testify in effect, 'I killed people. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it'," he said.
The defendants - Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao - were each personally liable for the crimes carried out under their command as they fought for control of the country's diamond mines in Sierra Leone's 10-year civil war, the prosecution said.
The defence representing the senior members of the rebel Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was to set out its case later in the day.
Sierra Leone's war killed 50,000 people and shocked the world with images of mutilated civilians and drugged-up young gunmen.
The war was declared over in 2002 after a UN peacekeeping force disarmed 47,000 fighters.
The court in the west African country's sprawling capital was set up to bring to justice those bearing the greatest responsibility for atrocities. It is the first of its kind to try suspects in the country where the crimes were committed. - (Reuters)