The widow of Sierra Leone's late rebel leader Foday Sankoh says the grave of her late husband is intact, contrary to widespread reports the corpse is missing.
| "Nope. Still there. I checked last night..." |
Fatou Sankoh told a press conference at the headquarters of the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP) in central Freetown her husband is in his grave. "Nothing has happened ... I am inviting the press to join a delegation to visit the grave," she said. Asked if she had visited the grave herself, she said "no, I have not, but family members staying in the compound where the grave is say there has not been any interference with the corpse".
| "His zombie lurched by around midnight and told me he was fine..." |
"Also, my son, Andrew who came back last night from the village [Malam, in the north] has supported the story," she said. "My part here is to clear the air about my late husband. I want to make it clear that I am here to pursue the cause of the RUFP - the cause will never die."
| "Nor will he, unless you put a silver bullet through his heart..." |
Mr Sankoh, once head of the notorious Revolutionary United Front (RUF) headed a so-called jungle army of barefoot conscripts, child soldiers and army deserters who were known for such atrocities as hacking off people's limbs. He had been indicted by the UN war crimes court for his role in Sierra Leone's 1991-2001 civil war that left 200,000 dead and many thousands mutilated. The court rejected an appeal to have Mr Sankoh's trial halted on health grounds, despite signs that his mental state had been profoundly altered by a stroke last year. At his last appearance in court on March 15, Mr Sankoh appeared incapable of speaking at all.
| "All he could do was snarl and spew spittle. It was very sad. Typical, but still very sad..." |
RUFP secretary-general Jonathan Kposowa said the Sierra Leone Government had still not released 49 of the party's men. "They are still in prison and the government does not want to release them," he said.
| They're waiting for their victims' arms to grow back... |
He urged the Special Court to "try speedily those indicted as justice delayed is justice corrupted and denied". The RUFP official also urged the UN Security Council to lift a travel ban imposed on the party.
| "We've already sliced off the arms of everybody around here..." |
Mr Kposowa said the death of Mr Sankoh "cannot retard or dilute the aims and objectives of the party".
| That's not a comfortable thought at all... |
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