Chapter One:

We are the children of Sierra Leone. The war was targeted against us, our families and our communities. It was a brutal conflict, which we did nothing to cause, but we suffered terribly because of it. Every child in this country has a story to tell – a heartbreaking one. Unfortunately only a handful of these stories have been told and made known to the world. The memories continue to weigh on our minds and hearts. We, the children of Sierra Leone, witnessed the worst possible human ruthlessness and terror.

Children of this country were forced to fight for a cause we could not understand. We were drugged and made to kill and destroy our brothers and sisters and our mothers and fathers. We were beaten, amputated and used as sex slaves. This was a wretched display of inhuman and immoral actions by those who were supposed to be protecting us. Our hands, which were meant to be used freely for play and schoolwork, were used instead, by force, to burn, kill and destroy. We do not believe this is the end of our story. Rather, it is the beginning. We, who survived the war, are determined to go forward. We will look to a new future and we ourselves will help build the road to peace.

The country of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is a beautiful country in West Africa, with lush green hills and bush and ocean beaches. Our ancestors came from different tribes and traditions. Altogether there are 17 ethnic groups. The groups are the Creole, in the Western Area, the Mende, in the south and east, Kono in the east, and the Temne and the Limba in the north.

The name “Sierra Leone” comes from the Portuguese language and means “mountains with lions”. Although there are no lions in Sierra Leone, the beautiful name was adopted for the country because of the lion-shaped mountains on the Peninsula, which were admired by the Portuguese. The Portuguese arrived by ship in the mid-15th century, but the land was later seized by the British Empire. The Western Area of Sierra Leone was colonised by the British in 1808, and in1896 the rest of the country came under British control.The people of Sierra Leone always wanted their independence but the end of colonial rule did not come until after the Second World War. In 1947, following many years of hardship, the territories of Sierra Leone were joined together and in 1961 these territories became one independent country.

Today the total number of people living in Sierra Leone is 5.4 million. The capital city is Freetown, with a population of about 1.5 million. In the centre of Freetown is a large cotton tree, with a massive trunk and many branches reaching to the sky. The cotton tree has come to symbolise the strength, unity and freedom that inspired our ancestors.

About two thirds of the people in Sierra Leone are subsistence farmers. They raise rice, cassava and potatoes, as well as cash crops such as cocoa and coffee. The most important natural resource is diamonds, which are found mainly in the Eastern Province. The diamonds are precious and valuable and could become a source of income for social improvements.

Political Map of Sierra Leone

Unfortunately the diamonds have not benefited the people of Sierra Leone. The diamonds have been under the control of traders from other countries and corrupt governmentofficials.

The story of the war
After independence there was peace in Sierra Leone, but there were also problems. The people could not agree on what was best for the country. By the 1970s, a small group of people controlled the government and made all he decisions. They did not have the best interests of children at heart. Many important needs – such as schooling, health care, clean water and safe roads – were neglected. Because of these problems the people were poor and unhappy. They saw injustice all around them. Some of them – especially the youth – began to speak together and organise, with the idea that they would start a revolution and create a fair and just society.

They travelled to other countries – to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and later to Liberia – where they hoped to find support. Their ideas became confused, and theyturned more and more violent. A group of fighters emerged. They called themselves the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone – or the ‘RUF’. The leader of these rebel forces was Foday Sankoh. In Liberia, members of the RUF joined forces with Liberian fighters under the command of Charles Taylor. In March and April of 1991, they launched an attack on the Kailahun District and the Pujehun District of Sierra Leone.

What began as a quest for justicebecame a terrible and brutal conquest, slaughtering innocent civilians. The rebel forces targeted children for recruitment and forced them into battle. The war continued to rage in the east and south of the country. Diamonds did not cause the war but they helped pay for the guns and other expenses of war. The fighting forces struggled to control the diamond mines, and many of them used children to wage their battles and to search for gems – or “blood diamonds” as they were called.

Child’s drawing of war and peace in Sierra Leone war,

The Sierra Leonean army overthrew the Government and took control as the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC). During the NPRC rule, corruption and fighting continued.

In 1996, elections were scheduled but without the support of the army or the rebels. People cast their ballot with a thumbprint and, in order to prevent the people from voting, a brutal campaign of amputation was waged. Not only hands but arms and legs were cut off by rebel forces. It was a period of unspeakable horror.

In 1996, elections were scheduled but without the support of the army or the rebels. People cast their ballot with a thumbprint and, in order to prevent the people from voting, a brutal campaign of amputation was waged. Not only hands but arms and legs were cut off by rebel forces. It was a period of unspeakable horror. In 1996, elections were scheduled but without the support of the army or the rebels. People cast their ballot with a thumbprint and, in order to prevent the people from voting, a brutal campaign of amputation was waged. Not only hands but arms and legs were cut off by rebel forces. It was a period of unspeakable horror.

In 1996, elections were scheduled but without the support of the army or the rebels. People cast their ballot with a thumbprint and, in order to prevent the people from voting, a brutal campaign of amputation was waged. Not only hands but arms and legs were cut off by rebel forces. It was a period of unspeakable horror. The AFRC joined with the RUF and found a common enemy in the CDF forces and a small number of loyal government forces. Greater brutality was unleashed. Girls were targeted for rape by all sides, and even young children had limbs amputated.

Sierra Leoneon children at an event to mark the launch
of theTruth and Reconciliation Commission proceedings

To the great despair of the innocent civilians and children, the war had lost all reason and become a campaign of destruction and madness. People were massacred, homes burned, properties looted. No one knew any more what the war was about.

In 1998, ECOMOG (the Monitoring Observer Group of the Economic Community of West African States) and the Allied Forces drove the RUF and the AFRC out of Freetown. But in

Child’s drawing of village
attacked by rebels

January 1999, the rebel forces attacked Freetown and burned and looted many parts of the city. ECOMOG fought to regain control of Freetown. Their efforts succeeded, and in 1999 a peace agreement was negotiated and signed in Lomé (Togo). This agreement became known as the Lomé Peace Accord. In 1999 and 2000 peacekeeping troops arrived under the flag of the United Nations. Everyone thought the war was over but attacks continued. In the Provinces 500 United Nations soldiers were taken hostage. By the time the end of the war was officially declared, on 18 January 2002, thousands and thousands of people had lost their lives, their families, their homes and all their possessions.

The children of Sierra Leone were targeted for attack and suffered unimaginable violations. Many were brutally killed, mutilated and raped. Now we, the children, look back at the wreckage. We have lost so many dear family and friends. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is helping record our experiences and our memories so that we can try to understand what happened and the horrors of war can be put into the past. We must learn to make sense out of our survival, in order to transform our lives and create a new dream for the future.