Bush path to destruction: the origin and character of the Revolutionary United Front/Sierra Leone

Abstract

We recruited fifty-four boys, mostly from Bugisu, and started training them at Nachingwea. Unfortunately, once again, these boys had not been well selected. They had been working mostly in towns like Nairobi and had a kiyaye (lumpen proletariat) culture. They began misbehaving in the Frelimo camp and soon after their training, the Tanzanian government dispersed them. I took personal charge of the Montepuez group and stayed with the boys during the training months in Mozambique because I feared that some of the recruits might be undisciplined bayaye, like those of , and they might have caused us problems. With my presence in the camp, however, we were able to suppress most of their negative tendencies and attitudes."

5- Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Understanding the Complex Drivers of Violent Oil-related Conflict

“…First, the wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia were the result of a complex combination of historical, political, economic and historical factors, as well as the deep-seated crises that engulfed both countries (Abdullah 2004;ZackWilliams 1999;Hutchful and Aning 2004). While it is often attractive to focus on inter-ethnic or resource conflicts, the boundaries of the forces-in-conflict are often blurred and contingent on more than one factor or a situation that is fluid depending on leadership, regional, or transnational forces that require a holistic and critical reading.…”

Coping with the trauma of war: Former child soldiers in post-conflict Sierra Leone

“…The RUF initially claimed to be a political movement promoting 'liberation', 'democracy', and 'a new Sierra Leone of freedom, justice and equal opportunity for all ' (Revolutionary United Front, n.d.). Despite the revolutionary language, the RUF in reality was a loosely consolidated organization of largely disaffected young people that wreaked murderous havoc on the country (Abdullah, 1998). With its message of political revolution failing to attract the support of ordinary Sierra Leoneans, the RUF embarked on a savage 11 year civil war that had devastating consequences for the country and particularly for civilians.…”

La efectividad del uso del poder aéreo en el marco de la intervención internacional dentro de conflictos internos en estados débiles durante la posguerra fría: el caso de Sierra Leona 1991 – 2002

“…En medio de su interés por aumentar su control territorial entre Liberia y Sierra Leona, tener un apoyo político y táctico en el país vecino y tener acceso a recursos económicos abundantes como los de las minas de diamantes sierraleonesas, el NPFL coadyuvó con flujos de armas transfronterizos y el entrenamiento militar necesario para que se formara una rebelión armada en contra del gobierno en Sierra Leona, el llamado Frente Unido Revolucionario (RUF en inglés) en marzo de 1991 (Talentino, 2006). Sin que tuviera un programa político claro, el surgimiento del RUF se puede entender como una reacción de sectores sociales rurales mayoritariamente jóvenes y excluidos del sistema político, frente al carácter cerrado de la política tradicional y ante la posibilidad de ganar poder efectivo por medio del uso de la fuerza (Abdullah, 1998).…”

“…Por otra parte, la expansión del RUF desde la frontera liberiana por el sur y oriente sierraleonés indujo, a su vez, a un cambio en las clases dirigentes al mando de las instituciones legales del país, centradas en Freetown (Abdullah, 1998). Un año después del inicio de la guerra, en abril de 1992, hubo una sublevación de jóvenes miembros del ejército contra la clase política tradicional que, al mando del Estado neopatrimonial en crisis económica, no era capaz de movilizar recursos para afrontar con eficacia el avance…”