INCREASING INDISCIPLINE WITHIN THE LIBERIAN MILITARY

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05302184
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: September 3, 2020
• Case Number: F-2017-02018
• Publication Date: June 20, 1990

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SUBJ: INCREASING INDISCIPLINE WITHIN THE LIBERIAN MILITARY
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASS 3 E C T WNINTEL--
DIST: 20 JUNE 1990
COUNTRY: LIBERIA
SUBJ: INCREASING INDISCIPLINE WITHIN THE LIBERIAN MILITARY
TEXT: 1. ACCORDING TO A SENIOR LIBERIAN MILITARY OFFICIAL, THERE
HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ACTS OF INDISCIPLINE BY ARMED
FORCES OF LIBERIA (AFL) SOLDIERS DURING THE PAST MONTH. AFL SOLDIERS
HAVE EITHER ROBBED, SHOT, OR HARASSED THE LOCAL CIVILIAN POPULATION.
AFL SOLDIERS HAVE ALSO BEEN INVOLVED IN SHOOTING FELLOW SOLDIERS.
THE DEATHS OF BOTH SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN MINIMIZED, BUT
THE SHOOTINGS AND THE IRRESPONSIBLE DISCHARGE OF WEAPONS AT NIGHT
HAVE OCCURRED ALMOST DAILY DURING THE PAST MONTH. THE AFL LEADERSHIP
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE JOINT SECURITY COMMISSION HAS TAKEN STEPS TO
CONTROL THE UNDISCIPLINED SOLDIERS, BUT THEY HAVE HAD ONLY MODERATE
SUCCESS TO DATE. pOMMENT: MOST CIVILIANS ATTEMPT TO BE OFF
THE STREETS AND AT HOME BEFORE 1900 HOURS FOR FEAR OF BEING ROBBED OR
KILLED BY THE SOLDIERS. THE CIVILIANS SEEM TO HAVE LESS OF A FEAR OF
THE REBELS THAN THE AFL SOLDIERS.)
2. THE OFFICIAL FURTHER NOTED THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY
SOLDIERS WITH WEAPONS ON THE STREETS OF MONROVIA. THE AFL HAS
SUCCEEDED IN CONFISCATING A NUMBER OF WEAPONS FROM OFFDUTY SOLDIERS,
BUT HAS FAILED TO METE OUT DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST MANY OF THEM--
ESPECIALLY THOSE OF THE KRAHN ETHNIC GROUP. THE OFFICIAL COMMENTED
THAT MANY OF THE UNDISCIPLINED SOLDIERS WERE NEW RECRUITS AND KRAHN,
AND BASED ON THEIR ATTITUDE THEY DID NOT HAVE A GREAT AFFINITY FOR
MONROVIA OR THE OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS. COMMENT: THE KRAHNS
REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY FOR NOW AND CAN DO
WHATEVER THEY PLEASE WITHOUT FEAR OF RETRIBUTION. THE KRAHN SOLDIERS
HAVE OPENLY STATED THAT THEY WILL DESTROY MONROVIA IF THEY ARE
ATTACKED BY THE REBELS.)
3. IN AN EFFORT TO STEM THE INCREASING INDISCIPLINE AMONG AFL
SOLDIERS, MILITARY POLICEMEN HAVE BEGUN ARRESTING THE SOLDIERS FOR
MISCONDUCT AND TAKING THEM TO THE BARCLAY TRAINING CENTER POST
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STOCKADE; HOWEVER, THE KRAHN SOLDIERS ARE NORMALLY CONFINED FOR A
MAXIMUM OF ONE WEEK TO TEN DAYS AND RELEASED. SOLDIERS FROM
DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS ARE DEALT WITH MORE HARSHLY AND SWIFTLY.
(SOURCE COMMENT: A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE THE INJUSTICES WITHIN THE
MILITARY SYSTEM CAN BE SEEN IN SEVERAL CASES. MAJOR PRINCE
((JOHNSON)) AND COLONEL ((BANN)) WERE IMPRISONED EVEN THOUGH NEITHER
HAD BEEN CONVICTED OF COMMITTING A CRIME. JOHNSON WAS SUBSEQUENTLY
RELEASED AND WENT INTO HIDING. BANN REMAINS IN PRISON AND MUST SERVE
OUT A FOUR MONTH TERM. ON THE OTHER HAND, A SPECIAL ANTI-TERRORIST
UNIT SOLDIER FOUND GUILTY OF SHOOTING AN AMERICAN WHO LATER DIED, IS
STILL WAITING TO BE EXECUTED ON ORDERS REPORTEDLY BY PRESIDENT DOE.
HOWEVER, THE EXECUTION OF THE SOLDIER WILL MOST LIKELY NEVER BE
CARRIED OUT.) ( DOMMENT: OTHER REPORTING INDICATES THAT BAHN
WAS ACCUSED OF PROVIDING WEAPONS TO THE REBELS AND WILL BE IMPRISONED
INDEFINITELY. ALTHOUGH DOE REMARKED THAT THE SATU SOLDIER SHOULD BE
EXECUTED, THERE IS NO INFORMATION TO INDICATE THAT HE ORDERED THE
EXECUTION TO BE CARRIED OUT.)
4. THE OFFICIAL PLACED MUCH OF THE BLAME FOR THE LACK OF AFL
DISCIPLINE ON THE SENIOR MILITARY LEADERSHIP. THE OFFICIAL COMMENTED
THAT MINISTER OF DEFENSE MAJOR GENERAL BONA ((BARCLAY)) WILL NOT
TAKE ANY ACTION AGAINST THE SOLDIERS PARTIALLY BECAUSE HE DOES NOT
EXPECT TO BE IN HIS POSITION FOR VERY LONG. THE OFFICIAL OPINED THAT
LIBERIAN PRESIDENT SAMUEL K. DOE IS EXPECTED TO MAKE SOME MINISTERIAL
CHANGES IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. THE OFFICIAL ALSO INDICATED THAT
CHIEF OF STAFF LIEUTENANT GENERAL HENRY ((DUBAR)) WILL ONLY TAKE
MINOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST KRAHN SOLDIERS WHICH USUALLY
ENTAILS A REPRIMAND OR DETENTION IN THE POST STOCKADE FOR SEVERAL
DAYS. THE COMMANDER OF THE EXECUTIVE MANSION GUARD BRIGADIER GENERAL
CHARLES ((JULUE)) WILL NOT REACT TO KRAHN INDISCIPLINE UNLESS THE
SOLDIER REFUSES TO OBEY A DIRECT ORDER FROM HIM. OTHER SENIOR STAFF
OFFICERS DO NOT BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO HAND OUT
PUNISHMENT TO THE SOLDIERS.
5. THE OFFICIAL COMMENTED THAT PART OF THE BLAME FOR THE AFL
INDISCIPLINE CAN ALSO BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE INDUCTION OF NEW RECRUITS
INTO THE MILITARY. DURING THE PAST FEW MONTHS COLONEL D. Z.
((BROWN)) TRAINED OVER THREE THOUSAND NEW RECRUITS AT THE TUBMAN
MILITARY ACADEMY AT CAMP TODEE (06 33N 010 32W). 800 RECRUITS WERE
SUBSEQUENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE 1ST BATTALION AT CAMP SCHIEFFLIN (06 13N
1032W); EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT WERE KRAHN. 763 RECRUITS WERE ASSIGNED
TO THE 6TH BATTALION AT BOMI HILLS (06 52N 1049W); EIGHTY-FIVE
PERCENT THIS GROUP WAS ALSO KRAHN. APPROXIMATELY 1500 RECRUITS
REMAINED AT THE 2ND BATTALION AT CAMP TODEE. THIS GROUP WAS
COMPRISED OF A MIXTURE OF ETHNIC GROUPS. ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL
ANOTHER 3,000 KRAHNS WERE REPORTEDLY BEING TRAINED IN THE TOWNS OF
TUZON AND ZWEDRU IN GRAND GEDEH COUNTY. THIS WAS IN ADDITION TO THE
2,000 SOLDIERS ALREADY POSTED THERE. ( COMMENT: THE
SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF SOLDIERS IN GRAND GEDEH SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT
IF DOE IS FORCED OUT OF POWER, HE WILL RETREAT TO GRAND GEDEH AND
CONDUCT HIS OWN INSURGENCY AGAINST THE NEW LIBERIAN GOVERNMENT.)
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