MONROVIA – A former major player in the Liberian Civil War, Christopher Vambo known by many as General Mosquito has issued disclaimer clearing Mr. Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu who was recently indicted by a US court for his role in the Liberian Civil war.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
In an interview with FrontpageAfrica he said, he was appalled after reading the United States Prosecutors’ Sentencing memorandum regarding the case: United States of America vs Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu, as published by CIVITAS MAXIMA, “especially the false and malicious” references made in the Memorandum with respect to a wholly fabricated relationship between Mr. Woewiyu and him before and during the 1992 battle known as Operation Octopus.
According to him, the statement is “flagrantly false” in its full content. “Mr. Woewiyu was not even in Liberia at the time when Operation Octopus was planned and executed. “It was an open secret within the NPFL that President Taylor did not want Woewiyu involve in anything to do with the planning of Octopus because Woewiyu was known as a friend of ECOMOG.
“It was Woewiyu who deployed ECOMOG throughout greater Liberia late 1991 or so. To the utter dismay of Mr. Woewiyu, President Taylor undeployed ECOMOG mid 1992 followed by Operation Octopus.
“Second, it is another farfetched lie that Mr. Woewiyu was involved in forcibly recruiting child soldier and delivering ammunition to the front-line fighters and their commander, Mosquito. As a former senior officer of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, (NPFL), I must state unequivocally that Mr. Woewiyu was not involved in any of these activities.”
The Prosecutors Memorandum also states: “October 15, 1992, Witness CC was placed under the command of Christopher “Mosquito” Vambo. Witness CC moved towards Barnersville and engaged in a battle with ECOMOG, which deployed jets against them.
Witness CC personally received orders from Mosquito every day during Operation Octopus, and at one point, he and Mosquito picked up ammunition from Woewiyu near the Fendell campus. Mosquito saluted Woewiyu before speaking with him, after which Witness CC heard Woewiyu order that fifteen boxes of AK-47 and RPG ammunition be given to Mosquito. Witness CC also heard Woewiyu tell Mosquito to “take care of the front line,” and to “take care of the boys.”
Vambo furthered described as “complete lie” in that Woewiyu could not have done any of these things if he were not even in the country at the time of Operation Octopus. Furthermore, the military-command structure of the NPFL would not have connected him (Vambo) to the Minister of defense at no time.
“I have called this press conference today to debunk what was said by the prosecution is false and misleading. I also want to say that the prosecution intent is to jail an innocent man for crime he didn’t commit thus creating situation that didn’t happened. At no time I ever met Mr. Woewiyu or anyone connected to him or ever received any instruction from Mr Woewiyu during my days with the defund NPFL.
“It is my hope that this will be laid to rest this misinformation by the prosecutor team that I took instruction from Mr. Woewiyu during our dark history.
May God bless all of you for coming as we all pray and strive for the Upiftment of our beloved country Liberia.”