World at the Moment

A typical life in Sierra Leone during its civil war was much different from that of America. The real meaning of brutality can be seen when the rebels raped young girls, vandalized houses, and kidnapped children. Many young children were combatants, spies or sex slaves.

For young women in Sierra Leone, childhood was a nightmare that they wish they never had. Rebels showed their manpower through rapes and harsh treatments. Women were forced to do chores, hold a gun and comfort men.

Women were unconditionally drugged to kill people, and hold weapons that they cannot even carry. Often times, women were blackmailed to kill people. Mabinti was captured at the age of twelve and was forced to shoot her family. “They gave me a gun to kill my brother.They said, ‘If you don’t kill him, I will kill you and your brother.'”Mabinti had no choice but to point the gun at her brother.

Men took turns to vigorously rape women. Laura adds, “Many men raped us. so, I don’t know which man impregnated me.” Laura was abducted by the rebels when she was 12, and went through sexual harassment like many women. Laura goes on and mentions that she was raped countless. Sometimes it was so brutal that they were left unconscious for days. They would pray not to get pregnant, but their prays almost never came true. The women had hard time telling their kids who their father is. Women in Sierra Leone were both victims and soldiers.

A silent environment was rarely seen by young boys in Sierra Leone. Boys were often forced to become a soldier at a young age, sometimes as early as seven. The first time they start to kill becomes the last time they fear to kill; here after, killings become countless. M.G. was 10 years old when he was put at gunpoint to kill his friends and family: “I pleaded with the commander. He told me: ‘Kill them. If you don’t, I will kill you.'”M.G. pulled the trigger and saw each body fall to the ground.

Many were brainwashed by their armies to take revenge on people who killed their family and friends. In the memoir, A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah discussed the words that made him point the gun at the rebels. Lieutenant Jabati, the commanding officer of the army, called the village for a gathering; he persuaded the villagers to take revenge: “They [rebels] have lost everything that makes them human. They do not deserve to live. That is why we must kill every single one of them. Think of it as destroying a great evil. It is the highest service you can perform for your country.” Beah was 12 years old when the war came to his village, and soon he became a child soldier. Vengeance were deeply rooted in each child soldier’s mind.

Typically, the boys were also introduced to drugs as a pain reliever. Beah, who has been influenced by those drugs, apprised that “brown brown”, cocaine mixed with gunpowder, and white capsules were the most common drugs taken to boost their energy. He further adds, “The combination of these drugs gave us a lot of energy and made us fierce. The idea of death didn’t cross my mind, and killing has become as easy as drinking water.” After several dose, the drugs give so much energy to stay awake for days.

The Civil War of Sierra Leone was a dark phase of life to its citizens. Years later, people have started to forgive others, and accept them as they are.

Credits:

Beah, Ishmael. “A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.” A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008, pp. 108–122.

Friedman-Rudovsky, Jean. “The Women Who Bear the Scars of Sierra Leone’s Civil War.”World News, Telegraph Media Group, 16 Nov. 2013, The-women-who-bear-the-scars-of-Sierra-Leones-civil-war.html. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

Goodwin, Jan. “Sierra Leone Is No Place To Be Young.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Feb. 1999, http://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/14/magazine/sierra-leone-is-no-place-to-be-young.html. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

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