The French justice system sentenced former Liberian rebel commander Kunti Kamara to 30 years of criminal imprisonment on appeal for acts of barbarism and complicity in crimes against humanity during Liberia’s first civil war (1989-1997). This former commander was part of the United Liberation Movement for Democracy (Ulimo), which fought against the rival militia of Charles Taylor.
Kunti Kamara had been sentenced to life imprisonment in the first instance in Paris, at the end of 2022, following an unprecedented trial held under France’s exercise of “universal jurisdiction,” under certain conditions, to prosecute the most serious crimes committed outside its territory.
After three weeks of appeal debates, the 49-year-old man was found guilty on Wednesday of a series of “inhuman acts of torture and barbarism” against civilians in 1993-1994, including the torture inflicted on a teacher, whose heart he allegedly ate, the killing of a woman labeled a “witch,” and forced marches imposed on the population.
According to the verdict rendered after more than eight hours of deliberation, this former Ulimo commander was also found guilty of facilitating crimes against humanity through his indifference to the repeated rapes committed against two teenage girls who became sex slaves for soldiers under his authority in 1994.