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Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 13:55:15 -0800
Subject: Sierra Leone: Truth and Reconciliation Report

>
>Sierra Leone: Truth and Reconciliation Report
>
>AfricaFocus Bulletin
>Oct 31, 2004 (041031)
>(Reposted from sources cited below)
>
>Editor's Note
>
>The Sierra Leone and Reconciliation Commission issued its final
>report last week at the United Nations, culminating over two years
>of hearings of testimony from witnesses including large numbers of
>children who had been victimized by the 11 years of conflict
>between 1991 and 2002. The launch gave special prominence to a
>"child-friendly" edition of the report, the result of a process in
>which children themselves participated not only in providing
>testimony but also in the writing and editing process.
>
>This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains excerpts from UN press releases
>on the report launch, and brief excerpts from the "child-friendly"
>edition, the full text of which is available on the UNICEF website.
>See http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sierraleone_23937.html.
>
>++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>Sierra Leone Truth And Reconciliation Commission Calls for
>Reparations
>
>UN News Service (New York)
>
>October 28, 2004
>
>After the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone, the government should
>pay reparations to amputees and other wounded victims, those who
>were sexually violated, and the widows and children who suffered
>deprivation, displacement, or worse between 1991 and 2002, a United
>Nations-endorsed report on the war says.
>
>In determining payment, the seven-member Truth and Reconciliation
>Commission recommended meeting victims' needs in "health, housing,
>pensions, education, skills training and micro-credit, community
>reparations and symbolic reparations."
>
>"Providing victims with the assistance they urgently need also
>serves to restore their dignity, which, in turn, helps foster
>conditions necessary for reconciliation," the panel said.
>
>The report was launched yesterday at a UN Headquarters meeting
>chaired jointly by the Presidents of the General Assembly, the
>Security Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). They
>and other speakers pointed out the symbolic meaning of the report
>for the UN system, since the world-body is uniquely involved in
>peace-building and in tackling the problems of that process.
>
>The world body has operated the UN Mission in Sierra Leone
>(UNAMSIL) since October 1999.
>
>Introducing the 1,500-page document and its 3,500-page annex,
>Sierra Leone's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohamed Lamin Kamara,
>described it as recording his country's ugly past, while also
>shining a light on its more promising future.
>
>The commissioners, four of whom were Sierra Leoneans, were less
>sanguine. After reviewing the intensifying of ethnic divisions
>under British colonial rule, they say although the
>post-independence Sierra Leone's People's Party (SLPP) and the All
>People's Congress (APC) later claimed ideological differences, "in
>reality the politics of the two parties was all about power and the
>benefits it conferred.
>
>"Tragically, these characteristics persist today in Sierra Leone,"
>they said.
>
>From testimonies about the war in 2002 and 2003, the Commission
>concluded that Sierra Leonean children were drugged, especially by
>Foday Sankoh's Revolutionary United Front (RUF), compelled to
>become perpetrators of crimes ranging from amputating limbs, a
>favourite of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), to
>forced cannibalism, a ritual imposed by the Kamajor militias.
>
>The victims turned perpetrators lost childhood opportunities for
>education and many were rejected by their families because of their
>violent past.
>
>Meanwhile, women and girls "were raped, forced into sexual slavery
>and endured other acts of sexual violence, including mutilations,
>torture and a host of other cruel and inhumane acts," the report
>says. "Refusal often met with death."
>
>The armies accused of violating women and girls were the RUF, AFRC,
>the Civil Defence Forces (CDF), the Westside Boys and the Sierra
>Leone Army (SLA). The ground forces for all comprised
>"impressionable, disgruntled young men eager for an opportunity to
>assert themselves, either to ensure that no harm was done to their
>people, to fight against perceived injustice, or for personal and
>group aggrandizement."
>
>The report said "the international diamond industry was largely
>indifferent to the origin of 'conflict diamonds,' even when reports
>of atrocities relating to the conflict in Sierra Leone were widely
>disseminated in the global media. This indifference promoted the
>trade in illicit conflict diamonds and thereby encouraged the
>prolongation of the conflict."
>
>The present government has made progress in reducing
>diamond-smuggling under the new Kimberley Certification Process
>(KCP), but "the KCP has two major weaknesses: there is no global
>monitoring of each country member's own certification system and
>countries with no diamond resources have been accepted as members."
>
>*************************************************************
>
>Meeting to Mark Publication of Report of Sierra Leone Truth and
>Reconciliation Commission
>
>UN Press Release
>ECOSOC/6140 GA/10287 SC/8227
>
>27/10/2004
>
>....
>
>Today's meeting, chaired jointly by the Presidents of the General
>Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council,
>sought to underscore the symbolic meaning of the publication of the
>final report for the United Nations as a whole, namely, its unique
>involvement in peace-building and in tackling the problems that
>emerged in that process.
>
>Seen as a critical element on the road to recovery for Sierra
>Leone, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established by
>the Sierra Leonean Government in 2000 to create an impartial
>historical record of violations and abuses of human rights and
>international humanitarian law related to the armed conflict in
>Sierra Leone, from the beginning of the conflict in 1991 to the
>signing of the Lomé Peace Agreement in July 1999. Public hearings,
>which began in April 2003, were aimed at addressing impunity,
>breaking the cycle of violence, providing a forum for both parties
>and perpetrators of human rights violations to tell their stories
>and to get a clear picture of the past so as to facilitate genuine
>healing and reconciliation. ...
>
>
>Sierra Leone's Deputy Foreign Minister recalled that, on 23 March
>1991, the first shot of the scrimmage fired in a small village
>would develop into full-scale armed conflict and usher in 11 years
>of war. For a country that had prided itself on peace and security,
>that had been a total nightmare. As for the Commission's report,
>there was only one choice -- to learn from the nature and
>consequences of the conflict, address its causes, and create an
>environment conducive to restoring dignity and pride. It was one
>thing to produce a landmark report, and another to implement its
>recommendations. The will to implement existed; additional
>resources would ensure that the fruit of those efforts were not
>lost.
>
>....
>
>Calling the release of the report an important event for the people
>of Sierra Leone and the world, Assembly President Jean Ping (Gabon)
>said it was an example for Africa and for the entire international
>community in the aftermath of a decade-long bloody war and massive
>human rights violations. The Peace Agreement signed at Lomé in July
>1999 had put an end to one of the cruellest wars in Africa and had
>opened the way to dialogue and tolerance through the establishment
>of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Its recommendations had
>reflected the will and determination of Sierra Leone to rebuild
>unity and eradicate impunity. ...
>
>
>Also speaking today were the Executive Director of the United
>Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Carol Bellamy; Aminu Bashir Wali
>(Nigeria), on behalf of the African Union; and the Permanent
>Representative of Ghana to the United Nations and Chairman of the
>Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Nana
>Effah-Apenteng.
>
>....
>
>Statements
>
>....
>
>Carole Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, said numerous truth
>commissions had been convened in various countries over the last
>several decades. While many had addressed the experiences of
>children, never before had a report focused on children as victims
>and also profiled their role as actors in the reconciliation
>process. The child-friendly truth and reconciliation report for
>Sierra Leone was the first of its kind. During the 10-year war in
>Sierra Leone, some 10,000 children had been targeted for abduction
>and forced recruitment. They had been taken from their homes,
>drugged, threatened with death and forced to kill. Thousands more
>had been abducted for sexual slavery. Thousands had been massacred,
>raped and mutilated.
>
>The report recorded the heartbreaking stories told by children to
>the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including children's
>recommendations to prevent a recurrence of war. Children had been
>eager to play a role and give shape to a report that would bring
>about positive action for and by children. Children had been
>involved in the Commission's activities from initial preparation
>and planning, to research and investigation, to the drafting of the
>final report. Special measures had been put in place to provide
>confidentially and to conduct interviews in a safe environment.
>Initially there had been concern that children's involvement in
>reporting the horrors of war might have negative effects. In fact,
>however, the children who had participated in the hearings had
>expressed a sense of relief and even pride in their contributions.
>....
>
>Nana Effah-Apenteng (Ghana), in his capacity as Chairman of the
>Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said he had
>been gratified to note that, after several setbacks, the report had
>finally seen the light of day. He commended the Commission's
>members who, faced with grave constraints, had produced an
>insightful and illuminating report. Based on its findings, the
>Commission made a number of recommendations covering political and
>other areas, with a view to preventing a recurrence of the
>violence, addressing impunity, responding to the victims' needs,
>and promoting national healing and reconciliation.
>
>He said that ECOWAS had taken note of the Commission's findings and
>would urge their speedy implementation, especially since many of
>the causes of the conflict, such as the use of thousands of young
>people in the war, had not yet been addressed. Already,
>cross-border problems and other regional phenomena had been
>identified in West Africa. The recommendations had set out the
>essential priorities for effective reconciliation in Sierra Leone
>and West Africa and beyond. He urged the continued engagement and
>support of the international community for their implementation.
>
>After the ravages of war visited on that sister country, he said he
>knew it would not be possible for Sierra Leone to shoulder that
>onerous burden alone. The international community, therefore, must
>come to its aid and fulfil its obligations in that regard. The
>history of the United Nations had been punctuated by "patchy
>management"; the international community became actively engaged in
>a crisis when it was on the front pages, but then relegated it to
>the back, along with the media coverage. In addition, the
>international community intervened in Sierra Leone at a very late
>stage; it would be sad to all if the international community failed
>to take measures to deal with the prevailing conditions in the
>country and then witnessed a relapse into conflict.
>
>He added that his feelings were mixed on recent developments. While
>he had appreciated the continued support of the development
>partners and welcomed the Security Council's decision to extend the
>drawdown of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to
>June 2005, he had been disheartened by the fact that a recent
>United Nations inter-agency appeal for funds for Sierra Leone's
>recovery and rehabilitation had yielded only 10 per cent of the
>funding goal of $60 million.
>....
>
>***************************************************************
>
>Truth and Reconciliation Report:
>Children's Version produced by UNICEF
>
>Full 62-page report at
> http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sierraleone_23937.html
>
>Excerpts:
>
>The child-friendly version of our Truth and Reconciliation
>Commission Report for Sierra Leone is unprecedented. No truth
>commission in the past has produced such a report. This report is
>ground breaking in other respects, including the participation of
>representatives of children's groups in its content, language and
>design. The Commission hopes that it will be widely distributed,
>both in Sierra Leone and in other countries.
>
>Children first charged the Commission to prepare a child-friendly
>report so that the children of Sierra Leone would be able to read
>and understand it, and others outside Sierra Leone might better
>comprehend what the children of Sierra Leone experienced during the
>war. This report is a response to that charge.
>
>The Commission deeply thanks all the children of Sierra Leone who
>have participated in our processes, either individually or through
>their respective organizations. These stories and experiences are
>shared with the wider community in the hope that, through united
>action, other children might be spared the horrors of war.
>
>The Commission takes primary responsibility for the contents of the
>report. While it is addressed mostly to children, the Commission
>wholeheartedly commends it to all Sierra Leoneans and to members of
>the world community. ...
>
>Methodology
>
>Children contributed throughout the process, helping to give shape
>to a report that would bring about positive action, for and by
>children. Children's participation in the drafting process came
>from three children's networks: the CFN, the Voice of Children
>Radio and the Children's National Assembly. Over 100 children were
>involved in the drafting, of whom 15 worked closely with the
>Commission. Discussions of the childfriendly report, led by
>children, were also aired on the Voice of Children Radio. During
>the first-ever Children's National Assembly, held in Freetown in
>December 2003, meetings were convened to discuss the child-friendly
>report, which brought children together from all districts around
>the country. Excerpts from the discussions on the child-friendly
>report that took place at the Children's National Assembly were
>broadcast on national television and radio.
>
>Introduction: Remembering the war
>
>There was a very big war in the country of Sierra Leone. It started
>in 1991 and lasted for 10 long years. Everyone in the country
>suffered, and many people including many children lost their lives.
>Many who survived the war lost their loved ones, their homes and
>their belongings. Everywhere there was grief, and children were
>crying.
>
>"Let us sign a peace agreement," the people said, "Together we can
>create a better and more peaceful future." All the people of the
>country came together and agreed to live in peace. Nobody wanted
>another war, especially the children. But how could they make sure
>that the war would not return?
>
>"We will create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission," the people
>said. ...
>
>"They will speak to people everywhere, including children, and they
>will collect hundreds and thousands of stories about what happened.
>The people who suffered, and those who caused suffering, will tell
>their stories. The stories will be collected, and together they
>will become part of the final report of the Truth and
>Reconciliation Commission."
>
> ...
>
>"Each person's story is part of the truth," she said. "Each story
>is like a piece of a very large puzzle. Nobody can tell the truth
>alone. At first, when you collect the stories from many different
>people, it is only a jumble of separate pieces. But when the pieces
>are arranged together and put into place, then the whole picture
>can be seen. Do you understand?" she asked. "Yes," the children
>said.
>
>"But wait," the children said. "Don't forget about us. We don't
>want to be left out. We want to tell our stories too. We want our
>stories about the war to become part of the future of our country,"
>they said.
>
>Chapter One: How did it happen?
>
>We are the children of Sierra Leone. The war was targeted against
>us, our families and our communities. It was a brutal conflict,
>which we did nothing to cause, but we suffered terribly because of
>it.
>
>Every child in this country has a story to tell a heartbreaking
>one. Unfortunately only a handful of these stories have been told
>and made known to the world. The memories continue to weigh on our
>minds and hearts. We, the children of Sierra Leone, witnessed the
>worst possible human ruthlessness and terror.
>
>Children of this country were forced to fight for a cause we could
>not understand. We were drugged and made to kill and destroy our
>brothers and sisters and our mothers and fathers. We were beaten,
>amputated and used as sex slaves. This was a wretched display of
>inhuman and immoral actions by those who were supposed to be
>protecting us. Our hands, which were meant to be used freely for
>play and schoolwork, were used instead, by force, to burn, kill and
>destroy.
>
>We do not believe this is the end of our story. Rather, it is the
>beginning. We, who survived the war, are determined to go forward.
>We will look to a new future and we ourselves will help build the
>road to peace.
>
>The story of the war
>
>After independence there was peace in Sierra Leone, but there were
>also problems. The people could not agree on what was best for the
>country. By the 1970s, a small group of people controlled the
>government and made all the decisions. They did not have the best
>interests of children at heart. Many important needs such as
>schooling, health care, clean water and safe roads were neglected.
>
>Because of these problems the people were poor and unhappy. They
>saw injustice all around them. Some of them especially the youth
>began to speak together and organise, with the idea that they would
>start a revolution and create a fair and just society.
>
>They travelled to other countries to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and
>later to Liberia where they hoped to find support. Their ideas
>became confused, and they turned more and more violent. A group of
>fighters emerged. They called themselves the Revolutionary United
>Front of Sierra Leone or the 'RUF'. The leader of these rebel
>forces was Foday Sankoh. In Liberia, members of the RUF joined
>forces with Liberian fighters under the command of Charles Taylor.
>In March and April of 1991, they launched an attack on the Kailahun
>District and the Pujehun District of Sierra Leone.
>
>What began as a quest for justice became a terrible and brutal
>conquest, slaughtering innocent civilians. The rebel forces
>targeted children for recruitment and forced them into battle.
>
>The war continued to rage in the east and south of the country.
>Diamonds did not cause the war but they helped pay for the guns and
>other expenses of war. The fighting forces struggled to control the
>diamond mines, and many of them used children to wage their battles
>and to search for gems or "blood diamonds" as they were called.
>
>In 1992, spurred by the chaos of the war, the Sierra Leonean army
>overthrew the Government and took control as the National
>Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC). During the NPRC rule, corruption
>and fighting continued. In 1996, elections were scheduled but
>without the support of the army or the rebels. People cast their
>ballot with a thumbprint and, in order to prevent the people from
>voting, a brutal campaign of amputation was waged. Not only hands
>but arms and legs were cut off by rebel forces. It was a period of
>unspeakable horror.
>
>Villages were unprotected from attack, and so the local communities
>formed armed groups, which became known as the Civil Defence Forces
>or CDF. During 1996 and 1997 they gained government support.
>
>Peace talks were first held in Abidjan in November 1996 but both
>sides violated the ceasefire, and so no progress was made.
>
>In 1997, the government was overthrown a second time by the
>military. Those forces formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary
>Council (AFRC) but their rule was not accepted by the people and
>caused more misery. The AFRC joined with the RUF and found a common
>enemy in the CDF forces and a small number of loyal government
>forces. Greater brutality was unleashed. Girls were targeted for
>rape by all sides, and even young children had limbs amputated.
>
>To the great despair of the innocent civilians and children, the
>war had lost all reason and become a campaign of destruction and
>madness. People were massacred, homes burned, properties looted. No
>one knew any more what the war was about.
>
>In 1998, ECOMOG (the Monitoring Observer Group of the Economic
>Community of West African States) and the Allied Forces drove the
>RUF and the AFRC out of Freetown. But in January 1999, the rebel
>forces attacked Freetown and burned and looted many parts of the
>city. ECOMOG fought to regain control of Freetown. Their efforts
>succeeded, and in 1999 a peace agreement was negotiated and signed
>in Lomé (Togo). This agreement became known as the Lomé Peace
>Accord. In 1999 and 2000 peacekeeping troops arrived under the flag
>of the United Nations. Everyone thought the war was over but
>attacks continued. In the Provinces 500 United Nations soldiers
>were taken hostage.
>
>By the time the end of the war was officially declared, on 18
>January 2002, thousands and thousands of people had lost their
>lives, their families, their homes and all their possessions.
>
>The children of Sierra Leone were targeted for attack and suffered
>unimaginable violations. Many were brutally killed, mutilated and
>raped.
>
>Now we, the children, look back at the wreckage. We have lost so
>many dear family and friends. The Truth and Reconciliation
>Commission is helping record our experiences and our memories so
>that we can try to understand what happened and the horrors of war
>can be put into the past.
>
>We must learn to make sense out of our survival, in order to
>transform our lives and create a new dream for the future.
>
>....
>
>*************************************************************
>AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
>providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with
>a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
>Bulletin is edited by William Minter.
>
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>
>************************************************************

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