While researching on INFOTRAC I came across a few articles that furthered my understanding of Sierra Leone’s ten year civil war. The war officially ended on January 18, 2002 which is over ten years since rebels from the Revolutionary United Front invaded east Sierra Leone in March 1991.
The civil war has had and continues to have a lasting impact on the people of Sierra Leone. Over two million people were displaced and half a million people were killed in the conflict. There were many issues that contributed to the start of the civil war; however it was Sierra Leone’s natural resources that caused the civil war to last so long. Blood diamonds paved the way for the RUF to have such power over Sierra Leone and it also created a cycle that seemed would never end. It was only eight years after the civil war began and Sierra Leone’s diamond industry thrived more than ever that the UN prohibited the purchase of diamonds from Sierra Leone. The UN also sent over 17,000 peace keepers from places all over the globe, which eventually cost the UN $700 million annually to sustain the mission.
Before and after the war Sierra Leone’s standing didn’t seem very bright. The country is ranked to be one of the poorest in the world being last of the countries in Africa with the lowest per capita income. The average Sierra Leonean earns about 20 cents a day and 70% of the people live below the poverty line (as of 2004). Over half of the population is under 14 years old, yet Sierra Leone’s education system has practically malfunctioned. The literacy rate is about 35%. With no real proper education it almost seems inevitable that so many children are drawn into war to become child soldiers. There is one doctor per 11,000 people, most doctors of which live in the capitol of Freetown. With staggering facts like these it is no wonder that Sierra Leone is haunted by conflict and civil war. All of these things contribute to the vulnerability of Sierra Leone when the civil war began and even after the civil war there is little progress.
Bibliography:
- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sl.html#Govt
- http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ2309004022&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=sand07018&version=1.0
- http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ2359070210&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=sand07018&version=1.0
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