How a monstrous past finally caught up to Liberian warlord ‘Jungle Jabbah’ in suburbs of Philadelphia
Mohammed Jabateh, who ran a shipping business in the US, once commanded forces in Liberia that committed cannibalism, rape, mutilation and murder
A Liberian former warlord whose forces committed atrocities including murders and cannibalism during the country’s civil war was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in US prison – for immigration-related fraud and perjury.
Nicknamed “Jungle Jabbah”, 51-year-old Mohammed Jabateh commanded the “United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy” (ULIMO) and later ULIMO-K rebel groups, which engaged in killings, rapes, mutilation and cannibalism during Liberia’s 1989-2003 civil war, according to prosecutors.
It is not the atrocities that will send the former warlord to prison, but rather lying about his past to American authorities as part of his 1998 asylum application and his subsequent bid for permanent residency, which saw him convicted in October of “two counts of fraud in immigration documents and two counts of perjury.”
This defendant committed acts of such violence and depravity that they are almost beyond belief
Prosecutors did, however, summon 17 Liberians to testify during the trial about the actions of Jabateh and his men, which allegedly included killing a village leader and bringing his heart to his wife with orders for her to cook it for them.
“This defendant committed acts of such violence and depravity that they are almost beyond belief,” US Attorney William McSwain said in a statement.
“This man is responsible for atrocities that will ripple for generations in Liberia. He thought he could hide here but thanks to the determination and creativity of our prosecutors and investigators, he couldn’t,” McSwain said.
“This prosecution was our only option under the law and his sentence achieves at least some measure of justice for his victims,” he said.