Ishmael beahs a long way gone tells the story of himself, a young teen in the midst of political upheaval, where rebels everywhere are killing many of the innocent civilians of africa. Masterminded by muammar qaddafi of libya and charles taylor of liberia, the war engulfed the. Child soldiers is a remarkable insight into the inner workings of armed groups in sierra leones 19912002 war. This book weaves a narrative of the history of sierra leone, from its foundation as a settlement for black slaves through the civil war, with a discussion of more general geopolitical lessons to. In 2018, sierra leone made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. In more than a decade cities were destroyed and occupied, people displaced, women raped and children forced to become soldiers. The authors have presented a very readable history of the bloody sierra leone conflict, the blood diamond war.
Book summary in a long way gone, ishmael beah, a former boy soldier with the sierra leone army during its civil war1991 2002 with the rebels of the revolutionary united front ruf, provides an extraordinary and heartbreaking account of the war, his experience as a child soldier and his days at a rehabilitation center. Underlying grievances and the role of the revolutionary united front the root of the conflict is and remains diamonds, diamonds and diamonds. President bio and vice president jalloh together with officials from ministries, departments, and agencies, donated 3 months of their salaries to eliminate school fees for more than 2 million students in primary and secondary education. Altogether, there were approximately 10,000 child soldiers engaged in the conflict. The book is set in sierra leone, where many african rebels were causing chaos at every town they passed by. Diamonds were smuggled from sierra leone to his country of liberia and those diamond profits were used in exchange for materials and services to support the war. Ishmael beah, 26, went through that extraordinarily horrific struggle as a child in sierra leone. The book deals with child soldiers in sierre leone in the 80s and 90s. Child soldiers in sierra leone 1488 words bartleby. Students will understand the effects of the recent civil war in terms of conflict diamonds. Africa, sierra leone, diamonds, movies, child soldiers. Child soldiers in sierra leone this semester, the topic of child soldiers presented a very interesting dilemma that several countries in africa continue to face today. The rights group has documented abductions of children as recently as early may. Denovs work challenges conventional wisdom and will be an indispensable component in debates about childrens roles in recent conflicts.
Indeed, david crane, the former chief prosecutor at the special court for sierra leone, said that he would not prosecute child soldiers because they were as much victims as the people they. Nearly half of the revolutionary united front ruf, and a quarter of the governmental armed forces consisted of children aged 814 years old. Materiality and the unseen in against the backdrop of a threadbare postwar state and a global marine ecology in treacherous decline, jennifer diggins offers a dynamic account of postwar sierra leone, through the examination of a precarious frontier economy and those who depend on. And the government is working to bring stability to families who are still vulnerable, helping them build resilience with food and income so they can thrive.
Exchild soldiers literary bestseller is factually flawed. Children did indeed play a prominent role in the civil war that raged in sierra leone from 1991 to 2001. Rebel group in sierra leone trying to overthrow the existing democratic government in the 1990s. Through dedicated scholarship and longterm residence in sierra leone, richards conducted interviews with child soldiers, excombatants, youth, diamond traders, ruf members, government forces, village leaders and residents in mining areas and other regions with ruf incursions in sierra leone. 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. Child soldiers in sierra leone refers to the roughly 10,00014,000 children who fought between 1991 and 2002 in the sierra leone civil war. The resulting civil war lasted 11 years, enveloped the country. Ibrahim kamara 2000 to the economist, this is war motivated by greed.
Memoirs of a boy soldier 2007 is a memoir written by ishmael beah, an author from sierra leone. Sierra leone rebels forcefully recruit child soldiers. Civil war in sierra leone and the role of blood diamonds the civil war in sierra leone has been one of the most grotesque ones in history, and the nations rich diamond reserves have driven much of the violence. Blood diamonds and sierra leone flashcards quizlet.
Child soldiers were heavily recruited in the sierra leone civil war. Blood diamonds, child soldiers and cannibalism, 19912002 history of. The ruf made extensive use of child soldiers, using. After carrying out investigations in sierra leone, the australian newspaper alleges that beah was 15 and not when he was recruited into the army and that he therefore served only a few months as a child soldier and not two years as he has claimed in the book. The book is a firsthand account of beahs time as a child soldier during the civil war in sierra leone 1990s. Founded by foday sankoh and charles taylor, used diamonds to buy guns and get money for their army. Findings on the worst forms of child labor sierra leone.
Blood diamond film screening highlights the plight of child soldiers with video unicef hosts book launch for ishmael beah, former child soldier from sierra leone with video coping with a legacy of violence in sierra leone with video. One of its objectives was to drive away much of sierra leones population from the. War and the crisis of youth in sierra leone by krijn peters. February 7, 2005 backgrounder current political and economic issues succinctly explained. Leonardo, diamonds and child soldiers part i the globalist. Ruf agreed to surrender its forces for a share in sierra leones government. Taylor played a key role in the bloody civil war in neighboring sierra leone by backing and supplying the revolutionary united front ruf as a means of destablizing the sierra leone government. For many years sierra leone and liberia have been too dangerous to travel through, bedevilled by a uniquely brutal form of violence from which sprang many of africas cruellest contemporary icons child soldiers, prisoner mutilation, blood diamonds. Freetown the rebel revolutionary united front ruf of sierra leone is forcing children, including demobilized child soldiers, to join its ranks and engage in combat, human rights watch said today. Briefing notes about child soldiers in sierra leone in 1991, the revolutionary united front ruf attacked sierra leone in an attempt to obtain diamonds and overthrow joseph momohs government. Child soldiers in sierra leone essay examples 1484 words. Civil war in sierra leone and the role of blood diamonds.
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. Finally, in july 1999, sankoh and sierra leones president, ahmad tejan kabbah, signed the lome peace accord under pressure from the u. Most were used for attacks on villages and on guard duty at diamond fields as well as guarding weapons stockpiles. These wars involve inhumane practices such as rape, torture, and slavery involving children. The sierra leones civil war, started in 1991 and ended in 2002. Students will explore the use of child soldiers forced to fight the war in sierra leone. Campbells book is primarily set in sierra leone and traces the history of diamond mining and its link with the civil war that ravaged sierra leone for over a decade. They fought mostly for the ruf, but they were also recruited into the governments forces.
This report discusses the relationship between mental health care and postconflict rehabilitation in sierra leone and liberia. Executive outcomes south african mercenary group hired by the sierra leone government in exchange for services. To be a boy forced to bear arms in an adult conflict is to be a prisoner of war of a terrible kind. The child soldier, of sierra leone, who witnessed and committed war atrocities talks about his new book.
The scsl is a pioneer in the prosecution of those responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers and forced marriages. Agricultural production, the countrys main economy, is coming in at aboveaverage levels. Over 120,000 people were killed and two million displaced in sierra leones civil war which was marked by brutal atrocities, the use of enslaved child soldiers and widespread use of amputation. Freetown the rebel revolutionary united front ruf of sierra leone is forcing children, including demobilized child soldiers, to join its ranks and engage in combat, human rights watch said. Diamond miners in sierra leone sifting through the sand in search of diamonds. Students will understand the location, major landforms, and general geography of sierra leone and west africa. In the book, beah, now a 26yearold living in the united states, describes how he was recruited into the government of sierra leones army at the age of, after his village was burned by rebel forces and his family killed. Bernard s moigula in 1991 a brutal civil war broke out in sierra leone, a small country on the west coast of africa. Man were mostly used in the diamonds mines or deployed in illegal armed forces.
It is analytically sophisticated and based on solid and innovative field research. I was asked to read this book by a mother whose child was required to read it over the summer. How the diamond trade is enslaving millions of africans. After reading ishmael beahs memoir, a long way gone, i for one hope taylor is convicted and sentenced to a fate similar to those met by the child. On thursday, charles taylor was found guilty by the special court of sierra leone scsl of aiding and abetting murder, acts of violent sexual abuse and using child soldiers. Profits from the diamond mines supported by child soldiers, child laborers, and adult slaves finance armed wars and conflicts.
Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990s sierra leone, blood diamond is the story of danny archer an ex mercenary from zimbabwe and solomon vandy a mende fisherman. Blood diamonds, child soldiers and cannibalism, 19912002 history of terror venter, al j on. Sierra leone, in particular, has struck an interest because of the many films and readings that try to depict this story of the civil war. Beah ran away from his village at the age of 12 after it was attacked by rebels, and he became forever separated from his immediate family. It was an idiosyncratic war, which started with the foday sankohs revolutionary united front ruf chanting the slogan no more slaves, no more masters, power and wealth to the people and ended with a series of battles for control for sierra leones diamond mines in the interior.
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