Kunti Kamara
Facts
| Faction | ULIMO |
| Nationality | Liberian |
| Period of Activity | First Liberian Civil War |
| Charges | Crimes against humanity and torture |
| Status | Sentenced |
Resources
Press Releases
Useful Documents
[FR] Feuille de motivation
[EN] Motivation Paper
External links
- Premium Times (2024) – Liberia: French court upholds guilty verdict for Liberian warlord
- Le Monde (2024) – Crimes contre l’humanité : l’ex-commandant rebelle libérien Kunti Kamara condamné à Paris, en appel, à trente ans de réclusion
- Premium Times (2024) – Convicted Ulimo war criminal Kunti Kamara’s appeal begins
- TV5 Monde (2024) – Condamné pour crimes contre l’humanité commis au Liberia, l’ex-commandant rebelle Kunti Kamara jugé en appel à Paris
- The Washington Post (2022) – Paris court sentences Liberian ex-rebel to life in prison
- Amnesty International (2022) – France: Conviction of former Liberian rebel commander is ‘justice for victims’
- The Guardian (2022) – French court convicts former Liberian rebel commander over atrocities
- FPA (2022) – Liberia: “I would never eat human heart” Kamara Tells War Crimes Court as TRC Commissioner Washington Makes a Powerful Case for the Legitimacy of the French Trial
- Daily Observer (2022) – Kunti K War Crimes Trial Begins in France
- The Washington Post (2022) – Paris trial opens over crimes against humanity in Liberia
- Le Monde (2022) – War crimes trial of Liberian rebel leader Kunti Kamara opens in Paris
- The Guardian (2022) – Former Liberian rebel charged with war crimes awaits Paris trial
- FrontPage Africa (2021) – ULIMO Commander Kunti K. Will Face Trial in France for Crimes Against Humanity
- La Provence (2020) – Crimes contre l’humanité au Liberia : procès requis en France contre un ex-commandant rebelle
- FrontPage Africa (2020) – Ex-Rebel Commander Accused of War Crimes Rearrested in France
Kunti Kamara, former ULIMO commander, was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of crimes against humanity and torture allegedly committed during the First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996). After 17 days of trial, which took place from October 10 to November 2, 2022, in Paris, Mr Kamara was found guilty of all the charges he was accused of, which include: rape and sexual slavery committed by his subordinates on particularly vulnerable people; subjecting a man to severe suffering and participating in the public eating of his heart; executing a sick woman who had just lost her baby because she was accused of witchcraft; subjecting two men to forced labor under inhumane conditions; and torturing a civilian. Mr Kamara denies all charges, and appealed the decision.
This is the first extra-territorial case for international crimes tried held in France which is unrelated to Rwanda, and it is also the second trial of a Liberian national for international crimes allegedly committed during the Liberian civil wars.
Civitas Maxima represents several victims who have become civil parties in the proceedings against Kunti Kamara and is itself a civil party in the case in France.
You can find daily updates from the Court and a detailed trial monitoring here.
The appeal proceedings were held by the “Cour d’Assises” of Paris from March 5, 2024, until March 29, 2024. You can find daily summaries from the Court here.
Background
In Spring 2019, the French and Liberian authorities collaborated on a fact-finding mission relating to proceedings in Lofa County, northwestern Liberia.
This was the first time since the end of the Second Civil War in 2003 that Liberian authorities have proceeded, along with foreign authorities, to undertake crime scene reconstructions relating to war-time crimes. These reconstructions took place in the presence of the French prosecuting authorities, investigating judge, defense lawyers, and the civil parties.
In September 2019, Kunti Kamara was released from pre-trial detention due to a procedural error. Kunti Kamara was subject to conditions of release, including being prohibited from leaving France.
