THE ATROCITIES OF SIERRA LEONE
by Antonio Jones
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was accused of turning their weapons on the civilian population of Sierra Leone in January, 1999 according to both government and independent sources. Reservations must be rendered by the government's account of their reporting of this atrocity. The RUF may truly be responsible for these atrocities, and if so, the government is waging a good fight to restore order. The horrors that resonated in this small African nation must be observed in the light of how the perpetrators of such crimes could have done such things and how order and justice can be restored.
Although the RUF fought to overthrow successive governments it has been accused of widespread corruption, nepotism and mismanagement of the country's valuable resources. They failed publicly to appeal their opposition even to the point of desperation by committing alleged large-scale atrocities against civilians. The horrors included widespread rape, torture, dismemberment and murder of innocent civilians of Sierra Leone.
Government is inherently needed to govern people. A democratic society is good when the people elect their leaders. When leaders become corrupt and need to be replaced, a revolutionary movement may be warranted to instill order; however, not at the expense of the same people who are suffering from the problems of the country. If these atrocities that were committed by the RUF are proven to be true, then the government have a duty to respond forcefully to restore order. A good beginning strategy for the RUF would have been in making sure that the people were behind them in their quest for eliminating government corruption. This move would have placed them in a more effective position to distance themselves from similar atrocities alleged by the government; thereby, not confusing some on which side to support. Since this strategy was not implemented, they brought discredit to themselves for being accused of unjustly handling civilians in what they perceived was governmental support.
While the Revolutionary United Front has accused the Sierra Leone government of human rights violations, they have been largely responsible for horrific acts of genocide against the civilian polulation. This inhumane act questions the R.U.F. alleged complaints of the government. Executing civilians for resisting rape or abduction, trying to flee, protecting a friend or family member sounds peculiar for both governmental and anti-governmental forces. There does exist a possibility that a faction may have developed within the revolutionary movement that may have been responsible for these aggregious acts. If this is the case, the government is going to accuse the RUF of this and the RUF is going to downplay it. This is reminiscent of recent wars like Vietnam, whereby American soldiers were guilty of raping some Vietnamese women.
Unfortunately, members of the ECOMOG peacekeeping force, and members of the CDF and Sierra Leone Police routinely executed RUF prisoners and their suspected collaborators or sympathizers. These swift miscarriages of justice serve to convict these governmental forces of similar atrocities. Government must take the initiative to lead by example the true meaning of justice pertaining to war. When government forces behave like rebels who are running amok, they are perceived as bringing due process into disrepute. When government is able to show factions within the opposition, the general public usually sides with the government. The general public has this impression that government is the protector of its citizens; however, when that perception is breached, growing sentiment is formed which sympathizes with the dissidents. Government must always be cognizant of the neutrality of public opinion.
Thugs such as the RUF do not feel obligated in complying with international humanitarian law laid down by the Geneva Convention, which explains the atrocious acts committed by them. Human Rights Watch may call all parties to the war to respect this, but the RUF does not respect this calling. They have already sent a message on non-complying by targeting a few groups, namely Nigerian nationals, unarmed policemen and journalists. Human Rights Watch and international communities should not have take groups like the RUF lightly. National and International initiatives should be in place to remind similar groups like the RUF that they are serious consequences in violating these laws. International pressure not only should be maintained to sway them from their wicked ways, but other countries should collaborate to seek out groups like the RUF who disregard these laws. There should always be a visible proactive peacekeeping force in place to meet this kind of resistance head on. This would reinforce the international posture of seriousness, which is needed to prevent the uprising of groups like the RUF.
Negotiations and enforcement should occur simultaneously. Negotiating an end to the war is always a top priority for the government of Sierra Leone and the international community; however this call should consist of some of the above measures. Both the RUF and their collaborators as well as the government should be given fair trails and punished according to national and international law if found guilty. It is important for both governmental and non-governmental groups like the RUF to see that the judicial system doesn't discriminate for either side. Governmental forces must come to the realization that if they commit war crimes similar to the alleged crimes committed by the RUF that they will be dealt with similarly. No one is above the law.
The laws of war explain the concept of justice. The Geneva Convention is an example and was designed for this purpose in 1949. Both the RUF and governmental forces violated these laws. What can be done socially/culturally is that a consensus among the people must be undertaken. This would hinder uprisings by groups like the RUF from developing. If people believed that by brainstorming collectively in issues that impact them directly, they could represent a majority thereby signaling unification. This is an effective way of developing a democracy when one is not in place.
This would ultimately impact the political and legal perspective of the country. The government of Sierra Leone must either deal with their people legally, or deal with deadly uprisings from rebel groups like the RUF. These are political options that cannot be ignored. The wider African communities can follow suit in the similar courses of action. If some of the surrounding African communities are having similar problems such as the ones in Sierra Leone, leaders in each respective country should take proactive legal initiatives rather than trying to overthrow their countries. They should solicit the assistance from the international communities. In taking this course of action, an effective message would be sent to corrupt dictators that there exist international sympathizers. The international communities should launch investigations into illegal treatment of citizens by their leaders. This is certainly a national concern. If nothing was learned nationally from what did happen when citizens feel disenfranchised, then there exists the likelihood of this war or a similar one re-occurring.
This should be an international concern also. Anywhere there is flagrant corruption within rogue nations, the international community has a responsibility of not just being concerned, and standing idle, but aid and assist those helpless people who are affected by the corruptive and cruel policies of that particular government. The United Nations was formed under the premise of ensuring human rights are protected in the international community and that genocide should never occur. Violations of human rights are the concerns of the international community and the United Nations should take the initiative to show that such violations do have consequences.
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