RUF from John

Child soldiers in Sierra Leone

My research topic is the R.U.F (Revolutionary United Front). The RUF was a rebel army that had fought an 11 year war in Sierra Leone and they failed. Three of the most senior surviving leaders, Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao were convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The RUF raided and recruited child soldiers and abducted thousands of girls and boys and made them become soldiers and prostitutes. The young soldiers sometimes would have to kill their parents as a way to show their loyalty. Being taken from your family at such a young age and pushed to do something is unbelievable. The RUF tended to carve the initials "RUF" into their soldiers chest, and officers would rub cocaine in the wounds of their soldiers to make them fearless. The RUF also started to institute a policy were they would cut the hands off of captured soldiers to send a message and to prevent voting in the election because the slogan of the election was "had power in their hands." The civil war in Sierra Leone was estimated to have costed 200,000 people their lives. I am very excited to learn more about the RUF for the search paper.

http://www.webcitation.org/68rsEYVOi