Sierra Leone Essay, Research Paper
SIERRA LEONE
Merely about the size of South Carolina, Sierra Leone is a tropical state in west Africa. It s more than 71,000 square kilometres and has a population estimated at 4.8 million. It was colonized by great Britain in 1808-1961. With over 12 cultural groups, and several linguistic communications, Sierra Leone is really diverse. The official and commercial linguistic communication of the state is English, and each group has its ain cultural linguistic communication, but, an of import vehicle of communicating is Krio, the ‘ Lingua Franca’, which is widely spoken within the state. Sierra Leone’s natural resources include diamonds, bauxite, chromite, gold, Fe ore, rutile, and lumber. Most Sierra Leoneans depend on subsistence agriculture. Cassava, chocolate, java, millet, palm oil, peanuts, and plantains are the major harvests grown in the state. Like many African states, the people of Sierra Leone went through great political convulsion since deriving their independency. They had their first free and just election in May 1997, since 1967. ( Sierra Leone )
Before manus, Sierra Leone was, and still is a conflict land, used for slaying, colza, abduction, bondage, and anguish. This was all a consequence of the Revolutionary United Front Rebels, or RUF. The struggle began in March 1991, when armed battlers crossed the boundary line from Liberia into the south-eastern portion of the state, assailing and later busying the boundary line town of Bomary in the Kailahun territory ( Background Paper ) .
In revenge, the authorities of Monoh increased its military force from three 1000, to fourteen 1000 work forces during the first two old ages of the struggle. After the first month of the struggle, many different military cabals were born. Some were allied, and the remainder fought each other. The RUF rapidly rose during this clip, and the authorities was forced to acquire aid from foreign soldier of fortunes. With the gross of the diamonds the authorities sold, they were able to pay off the soldier of fortunes ( Background Paper ) .
The soldier of fortunes stayed in Sierra Leone for 22 months. Within that clip, they successfully launched onslaughts against the RUF, which cause them to retreat from a figure of bases they had established around the country. This was besides followed by RUF prisoners give uping to them every bit good ( Background Paper ) .
Because the prisoners were treated good, this caused fright among the RUF, and was besides unsafe to them excessively. So in bend, they committed new and more atrociousnesss against the civilians. Attempts to make a peace understanding was postponed, because the authorities wanted peace before dialogues, and the RUF wanted all foreign military personnels withdrawn from the state. A peace understanding was eventually reached on November 30, 1996, but violent Acts of the Apostless on the civilians still continued to be inflicted by the Rebels and soldier ( Background Paper ) .
They had no specific marks. Peoples were selected at random. They would gun down people in their house, burn them alive in their autos, cut off assorted parts of their organic structure, and force out out their eyes with a knife. The adult females and misss were sexually abused, the kids and immature people were abducted from their places, school, or while out acquiring nutrient. These atrociousnesss were normally carried out in the manner of a game. RUF Rebels would dress up as ECOMOG soldiers, and penalize all civilians who came to them for aid, and talked bad about the RUF. They would illume houses on fire, fell, so shoot the people running out of the house. They would besides conceal, and shoot people who went out to assist their household or friends that lie in the street. Upon deriving control of a vicinity or suburb, the Rebels went on systematic robbery foraies, in which households were hit by moving ridge after moving ridge of Rebels demanding money and valuables. Those who didn’Ts have what the Rebels demanded were frequently murdered, even the 1s who gave them what they wanted were still murdered. While colza and abduction were
widespread throughout the violative, the gait of the executings, amputations and combustion of belongings picked up dramatically as the Rebels were forced to retreat. The maltreatments committed in the last several yearss of rebel business of any given vicinity were of huge proportion. It was stated that this was their penalty for back uping the bing authorities ( human rights ) .
This civil war is being waged through onslaughts on the civilian population. Soldiers capture them, and commit these atrociousnesss in hope to transfuse panic. The soldiers further terrorise their victims by coercing them to take part in their ain mutilation, inquiring them to do picks about which finger, manus or arm to hold amputated. The huge bulk of victims are males between the ages of 16 and 45, but adult females, kids, and the aged are non spared. They use this method to derive political and military control. The maltreatment done to civilians is used to direct a message. They want ECOMOG to go forth the state, and they besides want the release of their leader, Fadey Sankoh, who is being held in a Nigerian prison ( seeding panic ) .
The most atrocious act of human maltreatment, is considered to be, the usage of kids in combat. Children have been recruited by the CDF s ( civil defence force ) for many of the same grounds that the AFRC/RUF kidnap them into their ranks: kids are frequently easy indoctrinated, fearless, and have small sense of what is morally right or incorrect They are taken from their households, and sometimes forced to kill them, or ticker. They are so
taking into the forests and receive military preparation, so go a soldier. They are the most feared of all Rebels. They normally acted under the influence of drugs. There were many different units, which had their ain forte of killing people. Such units were known as, the burn house unit, cut custodies commando, and blood shed squad ( sierra leone ) .
Both the U.S. and U.K. have played important functions in recent political and military developments in Sierra Leone. The U.S. is the individual largest giver in response to the Sierra Leonean crisis, holding contributed $ 53 million in nutrient, human-centered and other assistance in the twelvemonth of 1998, including support for ECOMOG. This support for ECOMOG should be accompanied by close monitoring of its behavior and attempts to protect human rights ( seeding panic ) .
Finally, things are doing turn-around for the people of Sierra Leone. The National committee for Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Will be responsible for the rebuilding, and revitalizing of Sierra Leone. The NCRRR, which started out as a ministry until being turned into a commissioned organisation, will work really closely with the human rights division on the co-ordination of resource mobilisation activities. They will be responsible for the resettling of some five hundred 1000 refugee s in neighbouring states, cater to some two million internally displaced individuals and vulnerable groups, and besides the relocation of some six hundred 1000s internally displaced individuals in assorted cantonments around the state ( NCRRR ) .
Following all the atrociousnesss that were commited upon them, from being beat up, to being mutilated, raped, and murdered. They have managed to come out of it, and are ready to reconstruct their great state. We can merely trust and pray, that they find peace at last among all the decease and devastation around them.
Sierra Leone ( hypertext transfer protocol: //gbgm-umc.org/africa/sierra-leone/sprofile.html ) March 18, 2000
Background paper on refugees and refuge searchers from Sierra Leone ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.unhcr.ch/refworld/country/cdr/cdrsle.htm # 1.2 ) March 20, 2000
NCRRR ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sierra-leone.gov.sl/nbt/NCRRR.html ) March 20, 2000
Sowing Panic in sierra leone ( http: //www.sierra-leone.org/pratt042399.html ) March 17, 2000
Human Rights ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sierra-leone.org/usds013098.html ) March 17, 2000
