GRAND BASSA COUNTY, Joseph Kpagbor, former General Commander of the erstwhile armed rebel group, National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) assigned in Grand Bassa, Rivercess and Sinoe Counties, has given what he called 'voluntary testimonies' to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Liberia.

Speaking recently at the TRC public hearings held at Fairground in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, Gen. Kpagbor disclosed that in his controlled areas during the Liberian armed conflict, there were two fighters of the NPFL that had almost identical names.

He gave the names of the then NPFL fighters as Marcus Davis and Marcus David.

According to him, Marcus Davis, who is widely known as 'Sundaygar Dearboy' and a musician, was indeed a fighter of the NPFL assigned to District #3 in Grand Bassa County.

The ex-general told the hearings, which were attended by hundreds of citizens and international observers, that Marcus Davis or Sundaygar Dearboy was first assigned with Gen. 'Chinese Japper', also a top commander of the NPFL, as radio man.

Later on, Kpagbor, who said he controlled about 1,500 fighting forces at the time, told the TRC hearings that Marcus Davis was appointed to the position of deputy military police commander of the NPFL rebel group with the responsibility of, among other things, issuing passes to civilians as they traveled from one place to another in Davis' then area of assignment.

He said Marcus Davis was assigned the task of issuing passes to civilians because he was the only NPFL fighter in his place of assignment that could read and write.

Touching on the other fighter, Marcus David, General Kpagbor told the huge gathering that Marcus David, who was also known as Marcus High-Grade, was directly assigned with him as a bodyguard.

According to him, while Marcus ‘High-Grade’ David was serving as his (Kpagbor's) bodyguard, he (Marcus David) killed somebody (name not given) and was also noted for other bad behavior, for which he was being pursued to face court marshal on his (Kpagbor's) order.

However, Kpagbor continued, Marcus David could not be prosecuted because he ran to the then NPFL stronghold of Gbarnga, Bong County, where Charles Taylor rejected his court marshall on grounds that that would have reduced the numerical strength of the NPFL forces in Grand Bassa.

Gen. Kpagbor, who said he went to the TRC hearings to clarify certain issues, indicated that prior to his appearance before the Commission, it was Marcus Davis (Sundargar Dearboy) that called him by phone and informed him that he (Dearboy) had been linked to the Commission regarding atrocities during the war by a witness and that Dearboy had asked that he (Kpagbor) should go to the Commission and clarify.

Kpagbor, a former Major General of the NPFL rebel group, told the gathering that though he did not personally see Marcus Davis committing any acts of atrocity, he could not support or establish his (Marcus Davis) innocence or guilt regarding the allegations levied against him. He, however, encouraged the accused, Marcus Davis alias Sundaygar Dearboy, and other former generals of the NPFL and other disbanded warring factions to appear before the TRC and testify on their experiences during the 14-year brutal armed conflict.

During the hearings, Gen. Kpagbor submitted that he did not kill anyone, neither did he violate the rights of civilians during the war, but in an answer a question by one of the TRC commissioners regarding disciplinary measures meted out against other NPFL fighters, who were alleged to have been involved in atrocities, Kpagbor admitted killing two of his fighters for allegedly raping some women.

He also admitted ordering the stabbing in public of one NPFL fighter in the back with a sharp instrument because, according to him the fighter, without any justifiable reason, stabbed one innocent woman.

Kpagbor made a general appeal to the people of Rivercess and Grand Bassa for forgiveness for whatever wrongs he and others might have committed against them during the 14-year armed conflict.

He also asked the TRC to bring perjury charges against people who testified under oath to the Commission in connection with its ongoing public hearings and elected to give false information. He cautioned that the TRC must exercise care in the execution of its duties. It must also take the necessary corrective measures against those who wanted to discredit its responsibilities, he emphasized.

“We support the TRC process and we will ensure that all former generals in our reach appear before the Commission to testify,” he added.

Kpagbor: “Some of the people who are giving false testimonies to the TRC are being used by politicians; others for pecuniary gains to the disadvantage of the nation. We trust the TRC and we will cooperate with it.”

Meanwhile, TRC Chairman, Cllr. Jerome Verdier, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Buchanan public hearings, accentuated that “despite the heeding and prophesies of doom and failure by wayside pessimists who had opined that the hearings would foster and breed acrimony, quite to the contrary, public participation and support for the hearings remained high.”

He pointed out that there had been no incident of violence targeted against commissioners and staff of the TRC, neither had there been any disturbance of the hearings by any individuals or group of individuals in any of the seven counties covered so far.

“I should also add that the cooperation of our partners, including the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the Liberia National Police (LNP), local authorities and the public has been exceptional,” Verdier said.

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