On January 6th, 2009, Sierra Leoneans commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Revolutionary United Front rebel invasion of Freetown, the capital. The invasion which attracted a long overdue international intervention in the civil war was one of the bloodiest and most destructive battles. For over a month, RUF rebels, ECOMOG peacekeepers and militia loyal to the government of Tijan Kabbah fought for the control of Freetown. Thousands of people were killed, amputated or raped. Residential houses and public buildings were burned down or destroyed by rebels and ECOMOG aerial bombardment.
On October 22nd, 1999, the United Nations Security Council established the United Nations Armed Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to cooperate with the government of Tijan Kabbah and the Revolutionary United Front in implementing the Lome Peace Agreement and to assist in the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program. By May 2000, the authorized strength of UNAMSIL comprised 17,500 military personnel, including 260 military observers. The kidnapping of almost 500 UNAMSIL military personnel by RUF rebels, however, called for the involvement of a stronger international force. The British responded by deploying the 1st. Battalion Parachute Regiment in May 2000. The operation was code-named Palliser.
Skirmishes between rebels and peacekeepers continued until the disarmament process was completed at the end of 2001. The decade long civil war was declared over on January 18th, 2002. Sierra Leoneans who survived the war still live with tremendous scars in what is viewed as the poorest country in the world. But as Sierra Leoneans reflect on the progress of their country a decade after the massacre of January 1999, we are reminded of a Sierra Leonean proverb that states that ‘a man who wages war in his living room and breaks his furniture must learn to squat on bare ground.’ We fought each other for a decade and destroyed every fabric of our country without achieving any productive outcome. A look at the country today reveals that we killed each other in vain. There are no significant socio-political changes and the country remains a replica of past failures.
Sierra Leone has secured a permanent position at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Indices. According to a recent Time Magazine report, Sierra Leone currently has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. There are only sixty-four government doctors in a country of more than six million people. Most Sierra Leoneans would readily argue that political corruption is one of the reasons we went to war. But recent accountability indices illustrate that we have learned nothing from the consequences of past prebendary and clientelist institutions of governance. Sierra Leone is still at the low end of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. The mentality of public service in Sierra Leone remains what former President Siaka Steven poignantly instituted as usai you tie goat nah dae e dae eat—a goat grazes where it is tied.
What is heart-wrecking about the situation in Sierra Leone is that the common people remain victims whether during war or peace time. The reality is that most of the poor socio-economic conditions that culminated into civil war are reemerging in society. While it is no longer likely that Sierra Leoneans would take up arms anytime soon, it is also not advisable to test their patience. If the poverty is not revealing enough, local musicians continue to remind people of the socio-economic deprivation and systemic failure of political leadership. Emmerson, in his popular song Swegbe, declares that Sierra Leoneans are tired of listening to long political speeches. It is time for action!
As the nation reflects on the horrors of the past, it must make serious commitments to improving the future. Sierra Leoneans must work together to tackle the cankerous corruption that is constantly undermining the fabric of national aspirations. Political leaders must apply total transparency in governance and public affairs. Sierra Leone has most of the resources it needs to survive; what it needs now is better management and leaders who put the interest of the people first.
On October 22nd, 1999, the United Nations Security Council established the United Nations Armed Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to cooperate with the government of Tijan Kabbah and the Revolutionary United Front in implementing the Lome Peace Agreement and to assist in the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program. By May 2000, the authorized strength of UNAMSIL comprised 17,500 military personnel, including 260 military observers. The kidnapping of almost 500 UNAMSIL military personnel by RUF rebels, however, called for the involvement of a stronger international force. The British responded by deploying the 1st. Battalion Parachute Regiment in May 2000. The operation was code-named Palliser.
Skirmishes between rebels and peacekeepers continued until the disarmament process was completed at the end of 2001. The decade long civil war was declared over on January 18th, 2002. Sierra Leoneans who survived the war still live with tremendous scars in what is viewed as the poorest country in the world. But as Sierra Leoneans reflect on the progress of their country a decade after the massacre of January 1999, we are reminded of a Sierra Leonean proverb that states that ‘a man who wages war in his living room and breaks his furniture must learn to squat on bare ground.’ We fought each other for a decade and destroyed every fabric of our country without achieving any productive outcome. A look at the country today reveals that we killed each other in vain. There are no significant socio-political changes and the country remains a replica of past failures.
Sierra Leone has secured a permanent position at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Indices. According to a recent Time Magazine report, Sierra Leone currently has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. There are only sixty-four government doctors in a country of more than six million people. Most Sierra Leoneans would readily argue that political corruption is one of the reasons we went to war. But recent accountability indices illustrate that we have learned nothing from the consequences of past prebendary and clientelist institutions of governance. Sierra Leone is still at the low end of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. The mentality of public service in Sierra Leone remains what former President Siaka Steven poignantly instituted as usai you tie goat nah dae e dae eat—a goat grazes where it is tied.
What is heart-wrecking about the situation in Sierra Leone is that the common people remain victims whether during war or peace time. The reality is that most of the poor socio-economic conditions that culminated into civil war are reemerging in society. While it is no longer likely that Sierra Leoneans would take up arms anytime soon, it is also not advisable to test their patience. If the poverty is not revealing enough, local musicians continue to remind people of the socio-economic deprivation and systemic failure of political leadership. Emmerson, in his popular song Swegbe, declares that Sierra Leoneans are tired of listening to long political speeches. It is time for action!
As the nation reflects on the horrors of the past, it must make serious commitments to improving the future. Sierra Leoneans must work together to tackle the cankerous corruption that is constantly undermining the fabric of national aspirations. Political leaders must apply total transparency in governance and public affairs. Sierra Leone has most of the resources it needs to survive; what it needs now is better management and leaders who put the interest of the people first.
