Research Exercise for ALWG

War Criminal and former President sentenced 50 years in prison
tries to appeal as victim, but sentence still stands. 

Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown

Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown

Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown

Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown

      Charles Taylor was the 22nd President of Liberia, serving from 1997 to the year of 2003 in which he resigned. The former Liberian President has been found guilty of many war crimes that include assisting in crimes of rape and mutilation in Sierra Leone. And has also been accused of interfering with the Sierra Leone's civil war by aiding the rebel Revolutionary United Front or as we better know it as the RUF with things such as the exchange of weapon sales for blood diamonds. Former president Taylor has denied the accusations, but was found connected to the arrangement of attacks for the RUFS in return of access to diamond mines which he then forced survivors of attacks into slavery of miners. He was called to resign from "international pressure" mainly from the US and then later officially resigned in August of 2003. And was then exiled into Nigeria. The word of his war crimes had gotten out more people wanted justice. He was tried on 17 counts of crimes against humanity including those of rape, murder, and the usage of child soldiers. After the trial Taylor was convicted on 11 of the 17 counts in 2012 and was sentenced 50 years of prison to be served in a British Prison. 
https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/international-crimes/charles-taylor/

   

Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown

Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown

      Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone and the largest city in Sierra Leone is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean. There is an average of 30,600 people per square mile in the city. It is the big city where things such as major urban areas, economic, financial, cultural, educational, and is known as a center where the government of Sierra Leone sits. During the civil war of Sierra Leone Freetown was captured by the Economic Community of West African States, also known as ECOWAS who were seeking to restore President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in 1998, but was attacked by rebels of the RUF. In May of 2000 rebels of the civil war in Sierra Leone closed in on Freetown with 800 British paratroopers sent to evacuate and help secure UN peacekeepers. 

Maci Research exercise for ALWG

Gbowee is a role model for all men and women find the courage to fight in what you believe in

           Nobel Peace winner Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist, social worker and women’s rights advocate. She is Founder and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, and is best known for leading a nonviolent movement that brought together Christian and Muslim women to play an important role in ending Liberia’s fourteen-year civil war in 2003. This historic achievement paved the way for the election of Africa’s first female head of state. She educated herself as a social worker and has worked to help those who suffered psychological trauma during the civil war in Liberia, including child soldiers. Gbowee demonstrated the power of social cohesion in the face of political unrest. She was the second African women to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights.

A child soldier is anyone who is less than 18 years of age that is attached to armed forces or an armed group 

The revolutionary front, or the rebels, was an army that fought and lost an 11 year war in Sierra Leone that ended in 2002. The R.U.F was founded by Foday Sankoh and Charles Taylor, and their goal was to change the government of Sierra Leone. In March 1991, the R.U.F began carrying out attacks on towns along Sierra Leone’s eastern border with Liberia. Within a month the R.U.F had taken control of a sizeable region of the eastern part of Sierra Leone and was on track to overtake the government. The group later financed itself through control of the country’s diamond resources and for 11 years carried out violent attacks on civilians that claimed some 50,000 lives and displaced approximately two million people. By early 1995 the R.U.F had commandeered nearly all the country’s economic resources, and it had enlisted numerous child soldiers. The overall disarmament of R.U.F forces began in May 2001 by the capture of the rebel leaders and putting them on trial.. The end to the civil war was declared officially in January 2002.

Guns and Mercenaries
While researching common weapons, and the use of mercenary troops, in Sierra Leone, AfricaI found out there were many different different weapons obtained during the debarment. They had G3 rifles, Ak-47s, and RPGs. There were other weapons like un-exploded cluster bombs, British anti aircraft missiles, a Soviet Spigot anti tank guided weapon, two Soviet Sa-7 surface to air missiles, over one thousand light weapons, and twenty three anti aircraft guns from Eastern Europe. Some of the most common of all the weapons was the G3 rifle, the AK-47 rifle and RPGs. The G3 weights roughly 9.9 pounds, almost 40.5 inches in length, and it was mostly used with a 20 round magazine but many different size magazines are available. It was designed by Heckler & Koch a German manufacturer. Most of the children soldiers I have read about used the G3 rifle or another common but popular weapon the AK-47. It was invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov while he laid in a hospital bed healing from a shoulder wound. The AK-47 is about 35 inches long, it weighs about 10 pounds fully loaded, and a 30 round magazine was usually used. RPG stands for rocket propelled Grenade. It is a shoulder fired weapon that can be either in a single use configuration or reloadable. This weapon was mainly used by the rebels for attacking villages but they were designed to destroy armored vehicles. A series of coups, violent altercations, and eventually war led to the use of mercenaries during the war in Sierra Leone, Africa. The private company that handled these contracts was called Executive Outcomes. Executive Outcomes was a private South African mercenary firm, one of the first to submit a proposal to fight in the war for financial gain. E.O. received 1.8 million dollars per month for their contract. On top of that they also entered and agreement with Branch Energy (Diamond Works), a company E.O. was financially linked to. Their plan was for E.O. to reclaim diamond mines from the RUF and then use local labor to recover the diamonds. Diamond Works would then pay the government 37.5% of net profits in exchange for their efforts. Most locals were left with a sour taste in their mouth and no longer wished to have mercenaries in their country. Executive Outcomes pulled out of the war in 1997 and it was left to the Sierra Leone Army to take over law and order in the country.

This image captures the reality in Africa that children were implements of war. This young boy can barely hold the RPG.

Child soldier holding his G3 Rifle that is almost taller than him.

Child soldier displaying his AK-47.

A mix of soldiers in uniform and civilian clothes.

https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/OP28.pdf

                                                                 Guns and Mercenaries 

While researching common weapons, and the use of mercenary troops, in Sierra Leone, AfricaI found out there were many different different weapons obtained during the debarment.  They had G3 rifles , Ak-47s, and RPGs.  There were other weapons like un-exploded cluster bombs, British anti aircraft missiles, a Soviet Spigot anti tank guided weapon, two Soviet Sa-7 surface to air missiles, over one thousand light weapons, and twenty three anti aircraft guns from Eastern Europe.  Some of the most common of all the weapons was the G3 rifle, the AK-47 rifle and RPGs.  The  G3 weights roughly 9.9 pounds, almost 40.5 inches in length, and it was mostly used with a 20 round magazine but many different magazine sizes are available. It was designed by Heckler & Koch a German manufacturer.  Most of the children soldiers I have read about used the G3 rifle or Another common but popular weapon the AK-47.  It was invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov while he laid in a hospital bed healing from a shoulder wound.  The AK-47 is about 35 inches long, it weighs about 10 pounds fully loaded, and a 30 round magazine was usually used.  RPG stands for rocket propelled Grenade. It is a shoulder fired weapon that can be either in a single use configuration or reloadable. This weapon was mainly used by the rebels for attacking villages but the were designed to destroy armored vehicles.  

A series of coups, violent altercations, and eventually war led to the use of mercenaries during the war in Sierra Leone, Africa.  The private company that handled these contracts was called Executive Outcomes.  Executive Outcomes was a private South African mercenary firm, one of the first to submit a proposal to fight in the war for financial gain.  E.O. received 1.8 million dollars per month for their contract.  On top of that they also entered and agreement with Branch Energy (Diamond Works), a company E.O. was financially linked to.  Their plan was for E.O. to reclaim diamond mines from the RUF and then use local labor to recover the diamonds. Diamond Works would then pay the government 37.5% of net profits in exchange for their efforts.  Most locals were left with a sour taste in their mouth and no longer wished to have mercenaries in their country.  Executive Outcomes pulled out of the war in 1997 and it was left to the Sierra Leone Army to take over law and order in the country.

https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/OP28.pdf