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Sierra Leone History

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1. Where is Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone is located on the western coast of Africa, nudged between Guinea and Liberia (west of Nigeria).

2. Why do the rebels commit such senseless atrocities?
They believe that the surest way to win the population to their cause is by sheer terror. They have succeeded in building a horrific reputation for themselves, but they also have antagonized the very people any rebel movement needs the most to succeed, the civilian population.

3. Maybe, but why amputate peoples limbs? And children's?
During the 1996 election campaign, the slogan used by the Sierra Leone electoral commission was “The future is in your hands”. By some perverse and brutal logic, the rebels embarked on a campaign against the elections by cutting off people's hands, presumably hoping that this would stop people from voting. As for hacking children's limbs as well as adults', it is such a staggeringly horrible practice that most people can't make any sense of it. Most likely, it appears that there is a combination of factors, between the will to impress the parents and the fact that the rebel "combatants" are quite often young children, abducted themselves and brainwashed with the help of heavy drugs. The true culprits are the adults who cynically use and abuse these young victims turned into victimizers.

4. Why have these atrocities not been publicized before?
Again, we have a combination of factors here. For all their natural tendency to report bad news, the media draw the line at reporting atrocities, which tend to turn readers off. There is also a general lack of interest in American media not only for international reporting, but even more so for Africa in general. Finally, partially as a result of the neglect just mentioned, it took a long time for the news to make it out of Sierra Leone to the outside world. This is why Sorious Samura's report is so exceptional.

5. Why isn't the UN doing something?
The UN did something, but it was too little too late. Much as it failed to prevent a genocide in Rwanda, the UN did not take action to prevent the large-scale atrocities committed in Sierra Leone. Now let's not forget that the UN is nothing but the sum of its components, the member States. So the question should be more accurately why didn't any country do something?

6. Isn't it too late?
It's never too late to prevent further crimes and to take care of the existing victims.

7. What can be done?
A lot. The most pressing priority is to restore peace. This is not possible as long as the rebels control part of the country. The UN voted to send UN troops in order to maintain peace and fight the rebels if necessary. The second most important issue is to mend the wounds of the civilian population, which means a massive influx of medical assistance, especially treatment for the countless innocent amputees that are left to themselves with no proper care. Finally, Sierra Leone is a destroyed country that needs a lot of assistance to rebuild itself. Help in all areas of life is needed.

8. Yes, but what can I do as an individual?
If you feel compelled to do something yourself, by all means do! If you feel that you're not sure what could be the most effective course of action, we have listed a number of suggestions for you to consider on our Action page