STORY BY HAGAR SEY
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Even though it’s been ten years since Sierra Leone came out of a devastating civil war, the effects can still be felt as if it was just yesterday. The negative leftovers continue to heavily have a toll on them, especially for people within communities and regions where the unfortunate incident began. Most of the issues namely corruption, nepotism, abuse of power and neglect of minors among vices that led to the civil war in the West African country in 1991 still persists and is retarding development. The Government’s failure to implement article 28 of the Total Reconciliation Committee, TRC, recommendations agreed by the Rebel Union Front and the then United Nations Mission in Kumrabia Ferry, where the Country finally birthed peace has marginalized victims of the war in society. Since the TRC’s recommendations have not been implemented, most of the war victims especially those who suffered amputations have resorted to begging to survive. Meeting parental responsibilities have become a huge challenge for the amputee since they are unable to cater for their children; resulting in teenage pregnancy, a common phenomenon in these marginalized communities.
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Sierra Leone Civil War begun in 1991 and lasted for 10years. Like many war ravaged African countries the influencing factors pointed at citizen’s unhappiness with the then government in power, for either suspected or confirmed issues of corruption, nepotism and unequal redistribution of the Country’s resources. The citizen’s quest to overthrow the then government led to the loss of over 70 thousand lives with some two-point-6 million people being displaced, many of whom sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Those who were not able to flee the affected regions suffered a lot of brutalities especially women and children. Women and beautiful young girls were at the mercy of rebels, who did not hesitate to rape them for pleasure, children had their limbs amputated and bomb attacks on school children were rife. The Kenema Township bore the brunt of these brutalities most and these victims
SEIB ATU - KALLON ) WAR VICTIM
'shared her experience in the war and her current situation after the war. (I was 13 years when the war begun. on that faithful day the rebels were burning many houses in the village. three rebels entered our pavilion where i was hiding when came back from the market. They took me outside. There was an old man who was invisible at that time, so the rebels could s not see him. The rebels took me along and one of them said I will be his wife. The old man killed the rebel who was holding me in captive. The other two rebels said they have to kill me. I pleaded with them but one of the rebels used machete he was holding to hit my head, back, arm and forehead and I became unconscious.
stepped on my stomach. I was bleeding all over. When I was lying there I saw my mother’s ghost. My mother’s ghost led me to a safer place. The ghost took me to the place I was initially hiding and she left me there. I was bleeding all over my body. The next morning the United Nations mission aids saw me and took me to Kenema. The mission aids said I will die if they take me to Kenema. They put me on a local use of transport and they took me to hospital. My arm was almost cut off by the rebels so when we got to the hospital the cut off the arm. When the doctors were stitching the wounds they were finding it difficulties. I was in the hospital for nine month. I thank God the war has ended.
We agree there should be peace. In 2002-03, they said they will do something for those who suffer from the war but up till date we have not seen any support. I have four children now and a widow. I have to go to Kenema to beg before I can feed my children. We are suffering. Some of the amputees have die because of the level of suffering. The children they left behind are also suffering. What the children will eat at school is a problem. Now most of our children have drop out of school and have become street children. From the abuse and brutality I went through during the war am now partially blind. One of my children leads me town in Kenema to beg, even what to eat we cannot afford. The government needs to implement the recommendations of the Total Reconciliation Committee. Education of our children is a major problem. Amputees are suffering and their children are also suffering.
The amputations and series of rape were not limited to Kenema alone, but also Grafton in the Western Rural District also suffered the same fate. The rebels cut off the legs and arms of some young vibrant men. Theses victims, even though they feel marginalized in society, do not wish to retaliate. While most persons whose limbs were amputated have died out of depression, others have resorted to begging on the street to fend for their families'.
Rubis village in Komrabai Ferry of the Tonkolili District was the starting point for the rebels initiated peace journey, which the government together with the United Nations Mission of the day joined in. Although the Rubis village made history with her immense contribution towards ending the war in Sierra Leone, the same cannot be said of her current situation as she has been deprived of socio-economic development a decade after the war.
The Village remains marginalized in terms of infrastructure; children walk for more than five-kilometres to access a dilapidated building called classroom while women and children also walk more than one-point-five kilometres to access a contaminated stream. The historical village that gave birth to peace is unfortunately yet to recover from ravages of the war.
