Council for the development of social science research in africa. United front sierra leone rufsl banner, and engaged the state in a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002. 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. It was in the year 1991, when the civil war in sierra leone was started by the revolutionary united front led by foday sankoh. This book provides a history of the last ten years of sierra leone. 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. Interesting facts about sierra leone and its civil war.
Julius maada bio, president of sierra leone duration. War and the crisis of youth in sierra leone is a work of unique empirical depth and ethnographic knowledge. By 1991, sierra leone had a corrupt government and openly illicit diamond trading and was a vulnerable and attractive site for armed rebellion. Two million were relocated and tens of thousands died in this 11 year war. This book was wellwritten by a native of sierra leone and it depicts the most important events in the countrys history from prehistorical times until the 1990s.
It will be unfair to treat the sierra leone civil war as a mindless act of. Hayward, a higher education specialist has described sierra leone as a pioneer of west african history. Siaka stevens remains in control for eighteen years by dismantling the countrys checks on the abuses of power. They eventually received their freedom in 1841, after two years internment in the united states awaiting the verdict of the courts regarding their revolt.
Rape, mutilation, forced prostitution and senseless. In 1982 there were three publishers in sierra leone, but 2002 there were no book publishers in sierra leone and only one bookshop, a church bookshop for in christian literary material. Making sense of a senseless war university of denver. Although most of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, sierra leone is also a mining centre. 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. Land sierra leones 350mi 560km atlantic coastline is made up of a belt. Current news government sierra leone web peace corps in sierra leone friends of sierra leone.
On march 23, a civil war began when the revolutionary united front, a group of 100 fighters from sierra. In the book he describes the experiences of the eight women who were abducted. Pdf an examination of the sierra leone war researchgate. From 1971 sierra leone is a republic with himself as executive president. The war began on march 23, 1991, when the revolutionary united front ruf under foday sankoh, with support of liberian rebel leader charles taylor and his group, the national patriotic front of liberia nfpl, attempted to overthrow the government of sierra leonean president. Children were at the core of the brutal civil war that gripped sierra leone. It entails the history of sierra leone from its days as a slave harbor through to its founding as a home for free slaves. Lenneke sprik finds that this read is useful for scholars and students with a specific. It began in march 1991, as the revolutionary united front ruf. An exiled sierra leo nean named foday sankoh led the ruf forces. They witnessed horrible violence, were subjected to systematic abuse and, in many cases, were forced to become combatants themselves. National and international perspectives of the civil war. Railway stations in sierra leone sierra leone government railway historyformation, colonial era, education, corruption, civil war sierra leone company sierra leone colony and protectorate hut tax war of 1898 fourah bay college njala university bai bureh sierra leone 19611971 operation khukri sierra leone civil war operation palliser. It explores the genesis of the crisis, the contradictory roles of different internal and external actors, civil society and the media.
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. An examination of the sierra leone war academic journals. This paper, based on desk research, examines the political economy of. Sierra leone is no place to be young the new york times.
Sierra leone is a country located towards the northwest side of the african continent. Abuja ceasefire agreement text of the 30day ceasefire agreement between the government of sierra leone and the ruf. It entails the history of sierra leone from its days as a. The decadelong war in sierra leone began in 1991 as a revolt against a longstanding dictatorship. Among these, sierra leones civil war has been credited with varied narrations of conflicts. Internal conflict crippled the country from the late 1980s onward, culminating in a brutal civil war that took place from 1991 to 2002. In september 2000 the notorious militia gang, west side boys kidnapped eleven british soldiers in sierra leone and operation barras was launched as the rescue operation. The conflict in sierra leone and the engagement of the united nations the conflict in sierra leone dates from march 1991 when fighters of the revolutionary united front ruf launched a war from the east of the country near the border with liberia to overthrow the government. Resources and governance in sierra leones civil war. Case failure of british colonial health policy, the journal of imperial and commonwealth history, 43 2015. The narrative ends just before the civil war breaks out but for those interested in the war, the issues leading up to it are very well covered. The sierra leone civil war sierra leone was ravaged by a civil war that started in 1991 and lasted until 2002.
Our results are complementary to the other recent studies mentioned above, none of which examines institutional impacts. 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. The war was characterized by widespread atrocities, including the abduction of children and systematic rape. The war was fueled by wealth from diamonds located in the east of the country, where the rebel united front ruf was strongest. The sierra leone civil war was an armed conflict in the west african country of sierra leone from 1991 t0 2002. The sierra leone civil war was the result of varied interactions between structural problems in sierra leone society which increased grievances among people and, accordingly, led to the emergence of the ruf. For the first time since the aftermath of world war ii, a former head of state was indicted and found guilty of war crimes. The causes of the sierra leone civil war einternational relations. Although sierra leone had a long history of publishing and consuming books, the civil war altered this position. Meanwhile the paras advanced on foot, fighting their way through a village to. This study is a historical analysis of sierra leones state structure in the 20th and 21st centuries. Hence, sierra leone appears to provide support for both the governance and resource perspective on conflict.
Corruption and state politics in sierra leone new york. The capital of the country is freetown, which was founded for former repatriated slaves in 1787. The sierra leone civil war 19912002 was a civil war in sierra leone that began on 23. That said, since the end of the civil war, the people and the government have done a tremendous job of moving forward and rebuilding the country. In the book he describes the experiences of the eight women who were abducted during the war and forced to fight in it. 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. Richards, 2011, sierra leone features a welldocumented checkered history in terms of corruption, unaccountable leadership, and policy making that is far from inclusive.
Interesting facts about sierra leone and its civil war a. He illuminates the social logics at play and clarifies the motives behind their constitution, conflict engagement, and conciliation. The reason for the protracted civil war tearing sierra leone apart is the legacy of british colonialism and the struggle by the ruling cliques to rob the countrys wealth. In addition, some scholars and journalists disregard historical and political contexts in which civil wars occur and then describe the wars merely. Despite a large body of research on the sierra leone civil war there.
Read while you wait get immediate ebook access when you order a print book. Sierra leone has been ravaged by a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002, and resulted in some 70,000 casualties and 2. The conditions that led to the war included a repressive predatory. War and the crisis of youth in sierra leone by krijn peters. From this point sierra leone declines into a long era of repressive rule, military coups and by the end of the century terrifying and violent anarchy. Since the end of the civil war in the early 2000s, sierra leone has made investments and commitments to health. Pdf this study is a historical analysis of sierra leones state structure in the 20th and 21st centuries. The difficulties in the country were compounded in march 1991 when conflict in neighbouring liberia spilled over the border into sierra leone. Till 1961, it was a part of the british colonial empire. List of books and articles about sierra leone history. The definitive book on the sierra leone civil war about the book sierra leone. During the war an estimated 50,000 were killed, over one million were displaced from their homes, and thousands more were victims of brutal amputa tions, rapes, and assaults human rights watch, 1999. A political history by david harris examines 225 years of the countrys history and fifty years of independence, placing statesociety relations at the centre of this investigation of those who have tried to rule or change sierra leone. Mcferson1 abstract gender inequality in sierra leone, after colonialism among the worst in subsaharan africa, has been heightened further by the civil war of 19922002which was related in part to the struggle for control of blood diamonds but also to longstanding.
Sierra leone, as with most african countries, has a complicated history, characterized by colonization and civil war. Since the end of the war, the government of sierra leone has undergone the arduous task of rebuilding the countrys physical and social infrastructure while fostering reconciliation. 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. This is the most authoritative study of the sierra leone civil war to emanate from africa, or indeed any publications programme on africa. Black mans grave sierra leones civil war and its precursors breakout. Although diamonds seemingly played a significant role in financing the war once it started, diamonds more likely contributed to corrupting. 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. Political economy literature on sierra leone gsdrc. The war began on march 23, 1991, when the revolutionary united front ruf under foday sankoh, with support of liberian rebel leader charles taylor and his group, the national patriotic front of liberia nfpl, attempted to overthrow the government of sierra leonean president joseph. The culture is clearly an eclectic mix of both regional and international influences.
Its land yields diamonds, gold, bauxite, and rutile titanium dioxide. At one end the country is seen as a victim of resource curse and on the other end it reflects the public grievance transpired from the incompetence of government pham, 2007. Sierra leone lion mountain was embroiled in a civil war that resulted in the death of over 50,000 civilians. The role of diamonds in sierra leone history and conflict. Free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war. It is bordered by the atlantic ocean in the west, by guinea in the north and east, and by liberia in the south. Fast roping in from helicopters, the sas soldiers engaged in a heavy firefight with the militia, killing several, and capturing their leader. The slaves had been kidnapped mostly from the neighborhood of the colony of sierra leone and sold to spanish slavers. The civil war in sierra leone raged from 1991 to 2002. Civil war broke out in 1991 when a rebel group, known as the revolu tionary united front ruf launched a military offensive from neighbor ing liberia to overthrow the momoh government.
1500 1533 1612 8 543 316 365 1665 279 1483 986 20 660 436 1148 1207 1507 192 176 419 1053 370 466 1477 17 704 1298 433 12 1353 1418 174 893 1241