Part -3
By: Philipbert Semogai Browne
By now the Liberian Government has announced that rebellion has started on her northern flank in Lofa and rebels (name unknown yet) has crossed over from neighboring Guinea into Liberia.
While the government was actively combating the insurrection on the Guinean boarder, there also came intelligence that another rebel group, on her eastern flank was opting to engage the Liberian Government Force from the Ivorian side of the boarder. On getting the reports, Pres. Taylor would send a high-powered delegation to meet the Ivorian government.
The Liberian delegation left Liberia on a private jet owned by a Lebanese national called Mohammed Salime. The National Security Advisor, Lewis Brown headed the delegation, Gen. Samuel Varney, Deputy Chief of Staff (AFL) Co-chair, the ATU Commander, Gen. Warner, Gen. John Teah, and Philipbert Browne.
The meeting with the Ivorian Military Chief of Staff and high-ranking Military Officers went very well, with both parties agreeing for their respective Heads of State to sign a Non-Aggression Agreement. Later that evening, the Liberian delegation was taken to the Ivorian Presidential Palace and warmly welcomed by Pres. Laurent Gbagbo, who was already briefed of the outcome of the meeting.
Pres. Gbagbo greeted the Liberian delegation well, he extends heart felt greetings to Pres. Taylor and gratitude for such a high-powered Liberian delegation to discuss peace between the two sisterly Republics.
He, with gratitude, acknowledged the outcome of the meeting with the Ivorian Military High Command and was seemingly grateful. He promised in a few days to extend a formal invitation to Pres. Charles Taylor for the signing of the Non-Aggression Agreement between the Governments of Cote D’Ivoire and Liberia.
Unfortunately, and unknowingly to the Liberian Government and delegation, Pres. Gbagbo had already signed a previous agreement with the Liberian Militants fighting on the side of the Ivorian Military to give them the necessary military support to invade Liberia.
After being briefed by Lewis Brown, Pres. Taylor being very pleased with the outcome of the peace-talk world waited endlessly, for the invitation to sign the Non-Aggression Agreement, that never did come.
The Liberian delegation sitting together in the restaurant of Hotel D’Ivoire for lunch, suddenly, there walked in about a platoon size of dirty, dusted up soldiers apparently just from the battle fronts.
The soldiers were predominantly former AFL soldiers now turned “soldiers of fortune”. Gen. Varney and Gen. Teah recognized them immediately, panicked and started to point them out. We left the Ivory Coast for Liberia the next day on the same private jet, with a lot of goodies, especially food stuff given to the Liberian delegation by our host.
Fast forward, the war was raging from both the Northern and Eastern sides of our boarders. By now, the Guinean and Ivorian sides of the boarders were experiencing a lot of military activities. LURD and MODEL, separately had formally announced their intent to out Pres. Taylor on the BBC.
Pres. Taylor hands were full but he was no stranger to war and did not panicked. As the war raged, strange occurrences and intelligence reports began to surface. Behind the Executive Mansion overnight appeared a United States Military war ship.
Pres. Taylor would instruct his Foreign Minister, Monie Captan to do a Protest Letter to the United States Government and to the United Nations Security Council. While that was ongoing, there were constant intelligence reports of strange helicopter flights at night. Amb. Blaney was doing what he does best by implementing his bosses order.
While the war was raging and Amb. Blaney was seemingly directing the war efforts as instructed, on this particular morning, seated at White Flowers (the name of Pres. Taylor’s residence) was an arrayed of high-place government officials apparently awaiting a very important guest.
The guest arrived in a private jet at Springfield, was picked up by Gen. Mombo Gebah and an Executive Mansion protocol officer. He was brought directly to White Flowers for a very important meeting.
After the high-profile guest arrived and was seated, Pres. Taylor would walk into the meeting holding his white Belgium Shepherd, dressed in all white (from top to bottom) and a Leppard skin hat resembling Pres. Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. Apparently briefed, and with prior know of the intent of the meeting, Pres. Taylor greeted his guest and sat for the commencement of the meeting.
Wasting no time, his guest, representing a a very powerful international Oil Company, would open up his briefcase and present the already prepared and signed documents for Pres. Taylor to affix his signature, obligating the Republic of Liberia.
The guest who would go by the name Sir Duke (apparently a pseudonym name) would ignore the gathering and forward the document, which was a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for Liberia’s Offshore Oil Blocks, across the conference table to Pres. Taylor.
Unfortunately, for the guest, Pres. Taylor had already prepared his own Production Sharing Contract (PSC) countering that of the International Oil Company. The PSC of the International Oil Company was put at 95% to 5% including the Franchise in favor of the International Oil Company. The PSC prepared by the Taylor’s government was placed at 60% to 40% in favor of the International Oil Company but with Liberia keeping the Franchise.
Pres. Taylor feeling disrespected in front of his kitchen cabinet, would push the contract back to Sir Duke suggesting that they recess for lunch while his technicians review the content of the contract. Sir Duke would rudely push the contract back to Pres. Taylor and remarked that the signing of the contract would make or break him.
Upon hearing the remark from Sir. Duke, Pres. Taylor would get into a rage, make a few unfounded statements and storms out of the conference room leaving his guest with his documents.
Sir Duke would gather his documents, safety placing them back into his briefcase and Gen. Gebah would take him back to his private jet at Springfield for his departure.
Four years later, Pres. Sirleaf would sign the exact Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the same International Oil Company giving them 95% of Liberia’s Offshore Oil including the Franchise. When quizzed in private by a team of high-profile media executives, she would remark that “she does not want to end up like Charles Taylor”.
Main while on the war front, LURD was advancing with lighten speed leaving the Liberian forces in the rear without any combat engagement. It was then reported that a helicopter was airlifting the LURD fighters, creation a new front line and leaving the government troops at their rear. Before Pres.Taylor could realize what was happening, LURD forces was in Virginia with constant visitation from the American Ambassador.
PLEASE NOTE that I was not in the meeting at White Flowers so I cannot independently validate or verify the occurrences of the meeting. I am writing from narrative of third party’s authoritative sources.
