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THE NEW YORK TIMES, TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1971
A Sudanese Court Hears of a Mercenary's Life
Steiner but denies that it gave
him a mission. Mr. Steiner says
that he was sent to work out
CAIRO, Aug. 16—It is 110
a
route for shipment of relief
degrees in the former Assembly
supplies, and that this led him
chamber at Khartoum. The
to consider setting up model
overhead fans only stir the
farms in rebel territory—which,
heat. Sleepily, six dark-comin turn, led him to military
plexioned officers who constitraining to enable his charges
tute the court eye the blond,
to
defend those farms.
bullet-headed defendant sitting
Mr. Steiner does not seem to
at his table, guarded by two
have been very successful in
soldiers with submachine guns.
the Sudan. He concedes that
Such is the setting, as dethe main force of the rebels
scribed here in Cairo by those
was under Joseph Lagu, whom
who have witnessed it, for a
he described as an Israeli protrial that has aroused more extégé. He also described concitement in anticipation than
tacts with an alleged agent of
in performance.
the Central Intelligence Agency,
It is the trial of Rolf Steiner,
a freelance journalist named
the German soldier who insists
David Robison, and with British
that he is more a missionary
Intelligence. Both agencies at
than a mercenary, but the trial
one
time or another, were suphas also from the start impliposed to have helped the rebels
cated Israel, Roman Catholic
by way of Ethiopia and Uganda.
agencies, the Central Intelligence Agency, Uganda and
United Press International
Questions of the Sentence
Ethiopia in a 15-year-old guerRolf Steiner
Prosecution witnesses have
rilla war in the southern Sudan.
testified that they saw Mr.
Observers of the trial feel
that political considerations by that time and, although he Steiner training southerners at
such as these will settle Mr. indicates that his original mis- a camp. He, himself, does not
Steiner's fate. The wider implica- sion there was sponsored by the deny it, but says contemptutions of the case brought the French, he says he turned inde- ously that if he had wanted to
secretary general of the Or- pendent to avoid being involved make war, he would have
ganization of African Unity, in what he called dirty business blown up bridges and cut off
Diallo Telli, to the opening ses- about oil concessions. His ex- the south from the north.
ploits as a commander of Biel- Observers say that Mr. Steinsion two weeks ago.
er's sentence will be decided
ran troops are well known.
With Nazi 'Wolf Cubs'
Expelled at last by the Biaf- not on the case- before the
The Sudan straddles the di- rans, Mr. Steiner returned to court, but on a balance of
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vide in Africa between Islam, the southern Sudan, operating state interests.
to the north, and black Africa, from Uganda. He was arrested On the one hand, they say,
pagan or Christian, to the there last winter and handed the Sudanese Government is
south. A fitful guerrilla war over to the Sudanese in a ges- aware of the revulsion aroused
has been sputtering in the ture of solidarity from the new by its summary executions of
leftists last month - and is intersouthern Sudan against the Ugandan regime.
ested in improving relations
north since independence, and
Contacts With Agents
with the West. On the other
some outsiders have apparently
taken sides.
Mr. Steiner pleaded guilty to hand, clemency for Mr. Steiner
Mr. Steiner, who is 41 years having crossed the Sudanese would move some nationalists
old, says that his military ca- border illegally, but pleaded not to say that the regime is kindreer began in 1945 with the guilty to making war, to re- er to white mercenaries than
Nazi "wolf cubs," a branch of cruiting mercenaries, collecting it is to Sudanese-critics.
the Volksturm, or home guard. weapons, smuggling and spreadAccused of Killing Child
which was made up of mem- ing malicious rumors.
bers of the Hitler Youth. Two Mr. Steiner says he was KHARTOUM, The Sudan,
years later, he says, he left a stirred by the condition of the Aug. 16 (Reuters) — KhadmalCatholic seminary to join the people In the south Sudan. He la Abdalla, a witness for the
French Foreign Legion, in went to Rome to the Verona prosecution, accused Rolf Steinwhich he fought in Indochina, Fathers a missionary order that er today of having„killed her 7was expelled from the Sudan month-old child and injured
Korea, Algeria and at Suez.
His story, as told to several years before and which was her at a rebel camp in the
journalists, becomes a little deeply upset about the fate of southern Sudan where she was
fuzzy. He has said that he made its converts. They passed him being detained. She also told
a trip to the southern Sudan along to Caritas International the court that while she *as in
in 1965 to seek means of get- and to a German Charitable or- the camp she saw Mr. Steiner
ting supplies to the rebel areas, ganization, the Society for the and Maj. Gen Idi Amin, now
but resigned from the Foreign Promotion of African Affairs. President - of Uganda, conferLegion only in 1967.
The Society acknowledges ring with Southern- Sudanese
He had already been to Biafra that it had contacts with Mr. rebel leaders.
By JOHN L. HESS
Special ha The New Yark 71113,1
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