War and the crisis of youth in sierra leone by krijn peters. The united kingdom began a military intervention in sierra leone on 7 may 2000 under the codename operation palliser. Sierra leones trc describes the violence during the civil war thus. This book is a historical narrative of sierra leone from the midfifteenth century to the end of its civil war in 2002. Download citation free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war this book is a historical narrative of sierra leone from the midfifteenth century to the end of its civil war in 2002. Peters sheds light on the ruf militia and the role they played during the sierra leonean civil war. Child soldiers in sierra leone refers to the roughly 10,00014,000 children who fought between 1991 and 2002 in the sierra leone civil war. Just days before scheduled peace talks, rebels from the revolutionary united front ruf have committed scores of atrocities against the civilian population of sierra leone, human rights watch.
Reports emerged of indiscriminate amputations, abductions of women and children, recruitment of children as combatants, rape, sexual slavery, cannibalism, gratuitous killings and wanton destruction of villages and towns. The civil war in sierra leone raged from 1991 to 2002. The civil war was the result of varied interactions between structural problems. The sentence on charles taylor is to be pronounced on may 30, 2012, and sierra leoneans will finally receive some justice for the atrocities they have endured. Oct 25, 2012 after he was found guilty of aiding and abetting the war crimes during the sierra leone civil war in the unbacked special court for sierra leone on april 26 2012, one victim, whose forearms were amputated during the war, indignantly talked to the bbc.
Although the conflict has been over for more than a decade, this western african country is still struggling to recover from the bloodshed and violence that left more than 50,000 people dead. Inside the war provides readers with an detailed overview of the 19912002 civil cluding descriptions of sierra leones culture and prewar history, a yearbyyear account. The book is clearly written and accessible, although i found myself referencing an. The causes of the sierra leone civil war einternational relations. United frontsierra leone rufsl banner, and engaged the state in a civil w ar that lasted from 1991 to 2002. Free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war joseph. Nearly half of the revolutionary united front ruf, and a quarter of the governmental armed forces consisted of children aged 814 years old.
Like wars often do, it left infrastructure, institutions, and systems in complete collapse although many, including the educational system b, had already collapsed before the war due to widespread corruption and poor. In the 1860s, as america waged civil war, several thousand african americans sought greater freedom. Sierra leone has been a source of and destination for refugees. In sierra leone books gateway duke university press. Inside the war provides readers with an detailed overview of the 19912002 civil cluding descriptions of sierra leones culture and prewar history, a yearbyyear account of the civil war, and narratives from 30 people who describe their experiences as both civilians and fighters written after the 2012 conviction of liberian warlord charles taylor for crimes committed. For the first time since the aftermath of world war ii, a former head of state was indicted and found guilty of war crimes. It entails the history of sierra leone from its days as a slave harbor through to its founding as a home for free slaves, and toward its political. Apr 05, 2018 2002 july british troops leave sierra leone after their twoyear mission to help end the civil war. Civil war devastated sierra leone in the 1990s, and today it is the poorest country in the world. In 1992, i was living in sierra leone as a 4 year old boy in freetown, when the conditions forced my mother to take myself and my older sister and flee the country. Aug 07, 2015 sierra leones trc describes the violence during the civil war thus. Sierra leones civil war was long and brutal but, writes soas fellow dr david harris exclusively for channel 4 news, the issue of diamonds needs to be kept in perspective.
Civil war in sierra leone and the role of blood diamonds. Underlying grievances and the role of the revolutionary united front the root of the conflict is and remains diamonds, diamonds and diamonds. Dec 27, 2016 in free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war, joseph kaifala provides a readable narrative historical account of various periods in sierra leones history from the fifteenth. Although most of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, sierra leone is also a mining centre. While his initial concern was to help his old friend sewa bockarie s. The difficulties in the country were compounded in march 1991 when conflict in neighbouring liberia spilled over the border into sierra leone. The role of art is to bear witness and speak the unspeakable professor aliko songolo purchase catalog here in 2003, twentyfirst century african youth movement aym developed a traveling art exhibition titled, representations of violence. British military intervention in the sierra leone civil war. Civil war broke out in 1990 under the command of former sierra leonean army corporal foday sankoh, who launched his first attack in villages in kailahun district in eastern sierra leone on march. For more than a decade a vicious civil war has torn the fabric of society in the west african country of sierra leone, forcing thousands to flee their homes for refugee camps and others to seek peace and asylum abroad. This fleeting interest, however, obscured much of the longer history of the region, and made sierra leone a laboratory for postcold war interventions. Taylor deserves 100 years in jail for his role in the atrocities bbc april 26 2012. Sierra leones civil war internally displaced as many as 2 million people, or almost half the population, and forced almost another half million to seek refuge in neighboring countries 370,000. The sierra leone civil war 19912002 was a civil war in sierra leone that began on 23.
Art about the sierra leone civil war twentyfirst century. This fleeting interest, however, obscured much of the longer history of the region. Its land yields diamonds, gold, bauxite, and rutile titanium dioxide. Internal conflict crippled the country from the late 1980s onward, culminating in a brutal civil war that took place from 1991 to 2002. The sierra leon civil war 19912002 began on 23 march 1991 when the revolutionary united front ruf, with support from the special forces of charles taylors national patriotic front of liberia npfl, intervened in sierra leone in an attempt to overthrow the joseph momoh government. The resulting civil war lasted 11 years, enveloped the country, and left over 50,000 dead. The sierra leone civil war 19912002 was a civil war in sierra leone that began on 23 march 1991 when the revolutionary united front ruf, with support from the special forces of charles taylors national patriotic front of liberia npfl, intervened in sierra leone in an attempt to overthrow the joseph momoh government. In early may 2000, the revolutionary united front rufone of the main parties to the civil waradvanced.
Sierra leoneans have established new communities around the world, in london, paris, new york, washington, d. Aug 31, 2016 a decade on, the guardian cast it as the last significant event in sierra leones long civil war, suggesting that it tied up all loose ends. In 2002, as sierra leone prepared to announce the end of its brutal civil war, the distinguished anthropologist, poet, and novelist michael jackson returned to the country where he had intermittently lived and worked as an ethnographer since 1969. A decade on, the guardian cast it as the last significant event in sierra leones long civil war, suggesting that it tied up all loose ends. Rufs guerilla war began in march 1991 when its first incursion of approximately 100 liberian commandos and conscripted sierra leoneans crossed into sierra leone and took the town of bomaru. Indeed, ibrahim abdullahs incisive introduction to this volume wastes no time in inveighing against the outlandish explanations that such scholars as chabal, deloz. A book on the sierra leone civil war that includes a history of the war and narratives from civilians and fighters. Best on sierra leone 14 books meet your next favorite book. This book is a historical narrative covering various periods in sierra leones history from the fifteenth century to the end of its civil war in 2002. Art about the sierra leonean civil war is an exhibition of civil war through the eyes of artists. I as well as my entire my family are from sierra leone.
Rebel atrocities against civilians in sierra leone human. In 1992, i was living in sierra leone as a 4 year old boy in freetown, when the conditions forced my mother to. It entails the history of sierra leone from its days as a slave harbor through to its founding as a home for free slaves. Rebels in a rotten state is an important and interesting addition to the remarkably vast, and growing, literature on the war in sierra leone. It is distinguished by its careful and learned attention to the causes and nature of the atrocities of the war, rather than to the war itself. In free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war, joseph kaifala provides a readable narrative historical account of various periods in sierra leones history from the fifteenth. Free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war african. Jennifer diggins offers a dynamic account of postwar sierra leone, through the examination of a precarious frontier economy and. Diamond miners in sierra leone sifting through the sand in search of diamonds. An imagined geography sierra leonean muslims in america joann dalisera. The definitive book on the sierra leone civil war about the book sierra leone. Maraha prominent figure in sierra leonean politicswrite his. Conflicts over american history textbooks from the civil war. The 32 best sierra leone civil war books, such as salone, no tears, what rebels want, the war machines and soldiers of light.
A copy of diamonds, guns and rice, a related documentary coproduced by haaken, accompanies the book. Some claimed it as a case of successful humanitarian intervention. Using the sierra leonean civil war as a case study, the video documentary, like the curriculum guide, brings into focus key forces operating behind the front lines of war zonesforces that continue to fuel armed conflict in regions throughout. This lesson will briefly summarize the sierra leone civil war, how and why it started, and the key events of sierra leones civil war from its beginning in 1991 to its end in 2002. A collection of essays by sierra leonean intellectuals promises a less eurocentric agenda and a more localized inquiry into the causes and course of the sierra leone civil war. This information is from administration reports and socalled blue books of statistics. Inside the war provides readers with an detailed overview of the 19912002 civil cluding descriptions of sierra leones culture and prewar history, a yearbyyear account of the civil war, and narratives from 30 people who describe their experiences as both civilians and fighters. Apr 25, 2017 the civil war in sierra leone has been one of the most grotesque ones in history, and the nations rich diamond reserves have driven much of the violence. Causes of sierra leones civil war prior to the civil war in 1990, sierra leones life expectancy was even lower than it is today. Jul 19, 2003 civil war devastated sierra leone in the 1990s, and today it is the poorest country in the world. Sierra leone came to world attention in the 1990s when a catastrophic civil war linked to the diamond trade was reported globally. Momoh responded by deploying troops to the border region to repel the incursion of liberian rebels known as the national patriotic front of liberia npfl, led by charles taylor. Although small numbers of british personnel had been deployed previously, palliser was the first largescale intervention by british forces in the sierra leone civil war.
Shocking war crimes in sierra leone human rights watch. The january 1999 offensive against freetown marked the most intensive and concentrated period of human rights violations in sierra leones eightyear civil war, said peter takirambudde. Jonathon torgovnik wrote about eight women that he interviewed after the war had ended in his book. Based on a wealth of original interviews with perpetrators of violence in sierra leones civil war, this book provides a detailed response. For more than a decade a vicious civil war has torn the fabric of society in the west. Sierra leones civil war internally displaced as many as 2 million people, or almost half the population, and forced almost another half million to seek refuge in neighboring countries 370,000 sierra leoneans fled to guinea and 120,000 to liberia. Nov 30, 2017 the sierra leone civil war lasted from 19912002.
Caryl phillips travels to the capital, freetown, and meets the writers struggling to make a living. Anthropologist, poet and novelist jackson returned to sierra leone in 2002, after some 30 years absence, at a time when the west african country was emerging from a violent 11year civil war. Free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war. Ibrahim kamara 2000 to the economist, this is war motivated by greed. War and the crisis of youth in sierra leone is a work of unique empirical depth and ethnographic knowledge. The decadelong civil war in sierra leone formally ended in january 2002. When the state fails rectifies this, providing a comprehensive and critical analysis of the intervention. Although the civil war of sierra leone did not officially begin until 1991, several events occurred in the. Civil war in sierra leone revised edition the effects on education, and economy, and the challenges it pose to women and youths l. A long way gone sierra leone civil war buy study guide the sierra leone civil war began in 1991 with the attacks of the revolutionary united front ruf, led by former army corporal foday sankoh, on government military and civilian targets.
He covered the sierra leone civil war as a journalist for inter press service. Inbordeskriget i sierra leone agde rum mellan 23 mars 1991 och 18 januari 2002, da det. He illuminates the social logics at play and clarifies the motives behind their constitution, conflict engagement, and conciliation. Similarly, a 2015 retrospective on barras in the independent talks up its epic importance in having rescued sierra leone from a hell on earth the piece never even mentions the ruf. Understanding atrocity in the sierra leone civil war hurst publishers.