An empirical analysis of the conflict, 1991 2000, which described the researchers analysis of three datasets documenting violence in sierra leone. Based on his ethnographic research with militia groups in sierra leone and liberia during those countries recent civil wars, hoffman traces the path of young fighters who moved. These are part of the cultural resources with which the war is fought. Charles taylors civil wars in liberia and sierra leone the. Young men and violence in sierra leone and liberia the cultures and. 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 taylor s national patriotic front of liberia npfl, intervened in sierra leone in an attempt to overthrow the joseph momoh government. Before the civil war, sierra leone had many writers contributing to its literature and since the end of the war the country has been in the process of rebuilding this literature. The political shock of the end of the cold war, coupled with the growing independence and. Oct 23, 2014 in particular, i wanted to better understand the civil war that is referenced throughout the novel. This was also seen by some as a good way of disposing of a troublesome. Civil war in sierra leone revised edition the effects on education, and economy, and the challenges it pose to women and youths l. At the same time, taylor got involved in the sierra leone civil war by explicitly supporting a proxy force to. During the war an estimated 50,000 were killed, over one million were displaced from their homes, and thousands more were victims of brutal amputations, rapes, and assaults human rights watch, 1999.
Council for the development of social science research in africa. The opposition grew significantly in 1999 when the liberians united for reconciliation and democracy attacked a liberian town, triggering a second brutal civil war. In 1991, the liberian conflict spread into sierra leone when foday sankoh, the leader of the sierra leonean revolutionary united front ruf, led a mixed group of fighters from taylors npfl, burkinabe mercenaries, and sierra leoneans across the border. Richards points out that sierra leone s war is a crisis of modernity. The first liberian civil war was an internal conflict in liberia from 1989 until 1997. What factors have caused and sustained war in the two countries. While liberia and sierra leone are both making progress away from war, there are still challenges to the longterm sustainability of peace.
Based on his ethnographic research with militia groups in sierra leone and liberia during those countries recent civil wars. Before the civil war, sierra leone had many writers contributing to its literature and since the end of the war the country has been in the process of. The opposition grew significantly in 1999 when the liberians united for reconciliation and democracy attacked a liberian town, triggering a. Explore our editors picks for the best kids books of the month. International humanitarian law and the conflict in sierra leone. The liberians united for reconciliation and democracy lurd grew out of mr taylors old foes from the 19901996 civil war.
The war has ended today, but it is clear that things are hardly settled. The peace did not last long, and in 1999 the second liberian civil war broke out. The sierra leone civil war sierra leone was ravaged by a civil war that started in 1991 and lasted until 2002. Aug 07, 2015 in 2006, benetech human rights data analysis group and the american bar association published a report, truth and myth in sierra leone. Young men and violence in sierra leone and liberia the cultures and practice of violence hoffman, danny on. A poverty profile in sierra leone the borgen project. Taylor, a longtime ally of the revolutionary united front ruf in sierra leone, had supplied the rebels with arms in exchange for diamonds. As in other african arts, the visual arts of liberia and sierra leone are intimately connected to performance and music and are placed within those broader artistic traditions. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. World war i 19141918 allied powers france british empire united kingdom canada australia new zealand india south africa russia 191417 japan italy 191518 united states 191718 serbia montenegro belgium romania 191618 portugal 191618 brazil 191718 hejaz 191618 china 191718 greece 191718.
Young men and violence in sierra leone and liberia the cultures and practice of violence. The conflict in sierra leone, which began during the civil war in. Part of the international economic association series book series iea. This paper explains correlations between humanitarian emergencies and political economies of failing states in liberia and sierra leone. Eleven british military personnel and one member of the sierra leone army are taken hostage by the west side boys. It will be unfair to treat the sierra leone c ivil war as a mindless act of rebel incursion, which was orchestrated by greedy p aramilitants without pol itical gr ievances. Despite the end of the civil war,consolidating peace in sierra leone continues to face difficult challenges. Abc culture book for sierra leone by mark slette on prezi. 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. War and the crisis of youth in sierra leone the international african library book 41.
Sierra leones war research papers sierra leones war has been one of the most brutal conflicts on the african continent at the end of the 20th century, involving the loss of tens of thousands of lives and the displacement of over 2. In a small town outside istanbul, sinan basioglu, a devout muslim, and his wife. Since 1991, this west african nation has been brought to its knees by a series of coups, violent conflicts, and finally, outright war. This original study, by some of west africas leading scholars, interrogates postwar reconstruction processes in the twin west african countries of liberia and sierra leone, focusing on the effects of regime types on the nature, scope, success or failure of their postwar reconstruction efforts. The situation has improved considerably since then with primary school enrolment doubling between 2001 and 2005 and. Literature of sierra leone is the collection of written and spoken work, mostly fictional, from sierra leone. Liberia and sierra leone have common borders and interwoven civil war experiences. List of books and articles about liberia online research. In this remarkable and eyeopening book, colin waugh draws on a variety.
Cynthia was originally from sierra leone, and i loved the way those two dusky words rolled off her tongue. The 26 best sierra leone civil war books, such as no tears, what rebels want. My research led me to the following information there are also some pictures attached the sierra leone civil war lasted for 10 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 5 days 23 march 1991 18 january 2002 and left roughly 50,000 people dead. Sheltered by guinea and sierra leone, lurd launched its attack on. Sierra leone is a very rich country in diamonds and bloodshed. Cia world factbook surrounded by the ivory coast, sierra leone and guinea in this volatile region of west africa, liberia stretches 360 miles along the atlantic ocean. The situation has improved considerably since then with primary school enrolment doubling between 2001 and 2005 and the reconstruction of many schools since the end of the war. The special court for sierra leone, created in 2002 as a joint venture of the sierra leonean government and the united nations, indicted leaders of the afrc, the ruf, and the cdf, as well as former president of liberia charles taylor. In particular, i wanted to better understand the civil war that is referenced throughout the novel. The conflict in sierra leone, which began during the civil war in liberia, has been linked with the liberian conflict. The coastal westafrican country suffered a civil war from 1991 until 2002. Postwar regimes and state reconstruction in liberia and sierra leone. International humanitarian law and the conflict in sierra. Babafemi akinrinade,international humanitarian law and the conflict in sierra leone, 15notre dame j.
Powerful, emotional, and beautifully written, alan drews stunning first novel brings to life two unforgettable familiesone kurdish, one americanand the sacrifice and love that bind them together. In early 2003, a second rebel group, the movement for democracy in liberia model, emerged in the south, and by junejuly 2003, charles taylors government controlled only a third of the country. The sierra leone resettlement scheme was designed to provide a new life for 400 destitute mainly black people in london. The situation for refugees and internally displaced people in guinea, liberia and sierra leone is a human rights crisis. The search for africas fighting spirit by tim butcher, a long way gone by ishmael beah, sierra leone by k. The conflict killed about 250,000 people and eventually led to the involvement of the economic community of west african states ecowas and of the united nations. Aug 04, 2003 the liberians united for reconciliation and democracy lurd grew out of mr taylors old foes from the 19901996 civil war.
The mano river union, consisting of guinea, liberia and sierra leone, was established in 1973 to constitute a customs and economic union between the member states in order to. Underlying causes of conflict persist in familiar and new forms, and social and political violence and unrest still affect the lives of many. Sierra leone is a west african country that was decimated by a civil war that lasted nearly a decade 19912002. Inside the war bernard moigula and i collected many stories about the war, traveling to every part of the country to find people who had experienced or taken part in major events of the war. Art from liberia and sierra leone reflected distinct cultural groups, and the engagement of those communities with a global audience. The semiautomatic ak47 made a child closer to equal with a similarly armed adult. The sierra leone civil war was an armed conflict in the west african country of sierra leone from 1991 t0 2002.
Combatants subsequently moved between them with ease. In the war machines, danny hoffman considers how young men are made available for violent labor both on the battlefields and in the diamond mines, rubber plantations, and other unregulated industries of west africa. Charles taylors civil wars in liberia and sierra leone. Richards points out that sierra leones war is a crisis of modernity. In remote diamonddigging camps, young people watch rambo videos and listen to bbc news. Sierra leone s youth belongs to a modern, transatlantic culture. In the late 1990s, liberia was accused of supplying troops to support rebel forces in sierra leone s civil war. Liberia history, west african history, books barnes. Since march 1991, sierra leone has experienced continuous civil strife. In both, cold war era rulers acquired personal power through their influence over economic exchange, irrespective of conventional publicprivate distinctions.
This original study, by some of west africas leading scholars, interrogates post war reconstruction processes in the twin west african countries of liberia and sierra leone, focusing on the effects of regime types on the nature, scope, success or failure of their post war reconstruction efforts. Sierra leone s army came under attack not only from the npfl but also from the revolutionary united front ruf, led by former sierra leone army corporal foday sankoh, who was collaborating with the liberian rebels. The united nations presence in sierra leone has made that country a subject of international attention to an unprecedented degree. 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. From the young boys i met in the demobilization camps in sierra leone to the suicide bombers of palestine and chechnya, to the young terrorists who fly planes into the world trade center and the pentagon, we can no longer afford to ignore them. As we drove along i found myself fascinated with the deep oooooohhs and aaaahhhhss that made up her conversational speech patterns.
Oct 20, 2005 buy conflict and collusion in sierra leone by david keen isbn. A dirty war in west africa recounts lansana gberies harrowing experiences as a journalist during the decadelong civil war in sierra leone. Art from liberia and sierra leone reflected distinct cultural groups, and the engagement. With a population of over six million and an area roughly the size of pennsylvania, sierra leone is overcrowded and mired in absolute poverty. The wars in sierra leone and liberia beginning in 1991 were fought by thousands of child soldiers. Rebels from the ongoing liberian civil war ignited the 19912001 sierra leone war.
However, tension caused by his different irregular security services, including the revolutionary united front in sierra leone, soon sparked more violence. Taylors takeover threw much of the neigbouring region into turmoil, until he was finally brought to face justice in the hague for his role in sierra leones civil war. Postwar regimes and state reconstruction in liberia and sierra. In the late 1990s, liberia was accused of supplying troops to support rebel forces in sierra leones civil war. Once identified as a source of the new barbarism, it has also become a proving ground for western interventions in the war against terrorism. By the 1990s weapons had become light enough for children of use with ease. At the same time, taylor got involved in the sierra leone civil war by explicitly supporting a proxy force to take control of the diamond mines in that country. Charles taylor, the liberian warlord who later became the presi. Sierra leones youth belongs to a modern, transatlantic culture. We have to take concrete steps to remove the causes of their rage. The sierra leone civil war resulted in the destruction of 1,270 primary schools, and in 2001, 67% of all schoolage children were out of school. The second liberian civil war began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighbouring guinea, the liberians united for reconciliation and democracy lurd, emerged in northern liberia.
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