Benjamin Yeaten | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "50" |
| Born | 28 February 1969 Tiaplay, Nimba County, Liberia |
| Allegiance | NPFL (1987–2003) Liberia (1997–2003) |
| Service/ | Armed Forces of Liberia (1997–2003) |
| Years of service | 1987–present |
| Rank | Lieutenant general[1] |
| Commands held | Special Security Service (SSS)[2][3] Special Operations Division[4] Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU)[5] Armed Forces of Liberia |
| Battles/wars | First Liberian Civil War Sierra Leone Civil War 1998 Monrovia clashes Second Liberian Civil War First Ivorian Civil War Second Ivorian Civil War 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis |
Benjamin Yeaten (born 28 February 1969), widely known by his old radio call sign "50",[6] is a Liberian militia leader and mercenary, who served as the Armed Forces of Liberia's deputy commander and director of the Special Security Service (SSS) during the presidency of Charles Taylor. Notorious for committing several war crimes, Yeaten was one of Taylor's most trusted and loyal followers. He rose to the de facto leader of all of Taylor's armed forces and the second most powerful figure in the government during the Second Liberian Civil War. After the fall of Taylor's regime, he managed to flee his home country, and since then operates covertly in West Africa as commander, recruiter, and military adviser for hire.
- ^ Jeff Koinange (5 July 2003). "Liberia, symbol of freedom, now anything but free". CNN. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Gerdes 2013, p. 159.
- ^ Elaisha Stokes (19 February 2016). "Children of War. Their lives torn apart by war, two brothers' paths diverge in peacetime Liberia". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Dwyer 2015, p. 107.
- ^ Thomas T. Johnson (9 January 2017). "Yeaten Helping Jammeh?". Liberian Observer. Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Dwyer 2015, pp. 122, 123.
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