Liberian Rebel Leader Executed for Killing Rival
A Liberian rebel commander nicknamed “Feared Killer” was executed by firing squad at dawn Friday, rebel radio reported.
Gen. Sam Lartoe of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) was convicted by a court martial last week for the “willful and intentional murder” of a guerrilla named Sam Massaquoi from the rival INPFL militia.
The radio, monitored in Monrovia, said the sentence was carried out “to uphold fair play, justice and equality before the law.”
The NPFL, led by Charles Taylor, controls most of Liberia outside the capital but faces a growing military challenge from a third militia, ULIMO, in the west.
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