James Higbie

Sierra Leone: Inside the War James Higbie

-The only account of this brutal ten year war that includes first-hand narratives from a wide array of the participants themselves -One of the most brutal and tragic events in recent African history, the Sierra Leone civil war is remembered in the West for its horrific exploitation of children and its various factions' use of 'blood diamonds' to fund their vicious fight -Of interest to students of international conflict, African studies, and the informed general public In 1991 a brutal civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, a small country on the west coast of Africa. Masterminded by Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Charles Taylor of Liberia, the war engulfed the poverty and corruption-ridden country for ten years. Notorious for 'blood diamonds' and amputations, the war saw child soldiers murdering and mutilating civilians, and young people abducted to be fighters and sex slaves. Sierra Leone: Inside the War includes a detailed history of the civil war and narratives from over thirty Sierra Leoneans who witnessed or took part in the fighting, including child soldiers. Through the historical facts and the narrators' words, readers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the politics of the war, the motivations of the fighters, and the feelings and thoughts of people caught up in the tragic violence that swept through the country. Contents: Part 1: History: Country And People; Before The War; The Rebel War: 1991-2002; After The War Part 2: Narratives: The East: Rebel Territory; Kono District: Diamonds and Blood; The South: Self-Defense; Freetown and the North: Confrontations; The End of the War Appendices, Glossary, Sources, Index