The civil conflict in Sierra Leone

Film

Cry Freetown
by Sorious Samura

Sorious Samura is a film-maker and reporter in Sierra Leone. His film, "Cry Freetown” has become a phenomenon. A brutal portrayal of what happened in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone in January 1999, the film has succeeded in making the horror of this country's civil war a matter of international outrage. Sorious Samura shot the film at great risk to his own life. For more information, see the links below.

Books

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The Devil that Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Memoir
by Animatta Forna

Aminatta Forna is a Sierra Leonean author, broadcaster and journalist. Her book, 'The Devil that Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Memoir', is a passionate and vivid account of her African childhood. It covers her return to her father's country, Sierra Leone, to discover why he had been hanged by the dictator Siako Stevens. It also intertwines her personal history and how it relates to the history of Sierra Leone. For more information, see the links at the bottom of this page.

The Devil's Feather
by Minette Walters

Moses, Citizen and Me
by Delia Jarrett-MaCawley

Sierra Leone's brutal conflict lasted for eight years. Mass killings, rapings, amputations and maimings are all atrocities which were committed in Sierra Leone during the war. Many women were raped and, as a result, contracted HIV or developed AIDS. Many of their children are now orphans, or have HIV/AIDS too, and need help.

An estimated 10 to 15,000 children were abducted and forced to join various armed factions during the war. They were used as intelligence gatherers, labourers and sex slaves. Forced to fight, many committed horrifying atrocities and admit to killing adults and other children. Many of these children continue to suffer from the ordeals which they experienced; some are mute, some traumatised, some continue to be violent.

Many inhabitants fled for their lives while their homes, schools and other buildings were burnt. Complete villages were destroyed and people spent years living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, often separated from family members. Now, many of these people have returned to their villages, where they needed to rebuild their homes and lives. Schools also needed to be rebuilt and re-established to provide an effective education for their children.

Medical facilities did not escape the destruction and Kambia Hospital was destroyed in February 1999. Temporary medical facilities are provided in make-shift buildings, thanks to MSF, until the new hospital was reopened in 2004.

Facts:

50,000 people died in the conflict
Over 2 million Sierra Leoneans were displaced by the conflict (over one third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighbouring countries.
100,000 civilians were deliberately mutilated (including children)
An estimated 3,000 towns and villages were destroyed by the war.
10 -15,000 children were abducted and used as soldiers
Rape and sexual abuse became weapons of war
An estimated 3% of the population in Sierra Leone have HIV/AIDS.
There is an immense shortage of food, clothes, shelters, medicines and other essential supplies.

The Conflict

Links