On March 23 of 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) invaded Eastern Sierre Leone. With the support of then-Liberian president Charles Taylor, they attempted to overthrow the government ruled by Joseph Momoh. While Momoh was not considered a dictator, but he allowed the spread of corruption and weakly controlled the economy, causing the currency and economy to collapse. Despite many natural resources, Sierra Leone became one of the poorest countries in the world.
The rebellion by the RUF would lead to an 11 year civil war, finally ending in 2002 with a government victory and the defeat of the RUF with the assistance of UN forces. In total, over 500, 000 civilians were killed. Thousands of child soldiers were recruited by both the rebels and the government, Ishmael being one of them.
I believe that people will always complain about their governments, and this is unavoidable. However, while I believe they can express their dissatisfaction by protesting, but I believe violence should never be used. The rebels started by pretending to listen to people's voices, but in the end used their voices for their own gain. It was simply an attempt As Ishmael mentions in the beginning of the book: "I had heard from adults that this was a revolutionary war, a liberation of the people from corrupt governments. But what kind of liberation movement shoots innocent civilians, children, that little girl?"
In the end, however, I believe both sides share the same blame. Both sides resorted to violence, and the recruitment of child soldiers and fought only for their own gain. All war does is make matters worse.
More information about the history of Sierre Leone can be found in the Chronology at the back of the book.
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