SIERRA LEONE: Hundreds of mourners in Freetown pay respects to controversial former Sierra Leonean militia leader Sam Hinga Norman

Hundreds of mourners flocked to see the body of former Sierra Leonean militia leader Sam Hinga Norman whose fighters were accused of roasting and eating their victims during the country's civil war. The former interior minister died two weeks ago and had been on trial for war crimes at a U.N.-backed tribunal. Mourners gathered in their hundreds to pay their respects to former militia leader Sam Hinga Norman on Thursday (March 8). Norman was the interior minister and co-ordinator of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF) militia during Sierra Leone's 11 year war that ended in 2002. He died from heart failure two weeks ago after a routine operation in nearby Senegal. His fighters were accused of roasting and eating their victims. Norman had been on trial for war crimes at a U.N.-backed tribunal in Freetown, which was to give a ruling in a few weeks. But he is seen by many in the country as a hero who helped save them from the brutal hands of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels. "Well the death of Sam Hinga Norman is a big loss to the people of this country, it is pathetic because this man fought in the defence of this country to bring back democracy in the interest of all true Sierra Leoneans, and today within the same democracy he was arrested in the guise of special court, and he is dead today. So I wonder if anything is to happen of that kind, which Sierra Leoneans would come out in the defence of this our beloved country," said Alex Kandeh, one of the mourners. Norman's CDF militia fought for President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah's government against the RUF rebels - notorious for chopping off limbs, lips and ears off their victims and kidnapping and drugging children so they could fight. But the CDF are also accused of similar tactics: recruiting underage fighters and brutally killing suspected rebel supporters. "For this man to die in this way, I just take it as his own destiny, there are people who are drowning in rivers, people are there who were killed during the time of the rebels so maybe that's his own time. God must have shown that he will die that way, so I really play it very cool to say that's his own destiny," said Mohamed Abu a resident of Freetown who was at the wake to pay his respects. "The death of Sam Hinga was a shock to everybody in this country, particularly me. I felt really bad about his death, because this man was a warrior in this country and I really felt the way he died - the way he died like a nobody - it didn't make me happy, so that's how we feel about his death. We are not happy today and we will not be happy tomorrow about the death of Sam Hinga Norman," said Aminata Conteh, a saleswoman who was also at the wake. Norman had been charged with eight counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his activities at the time he headed the CDF. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial, which began in June 2004. President Kabbah said he would be given a state funeral because he was not found guilty as he died before a verdict was given. Norman will be buried in Ngolala, in the southern region of Bo on Sunday (March 11).

ITN Source | March 12, 2007

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