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Sierra Leone commemorated the 30th anniversary of the start of its civil war on March 23, 1991. 120,000 people have died during 11 years of conflict and victims of clashes between armed factions and government forces remember this traumatic time as ‘they are still struggling to rebuild their broken lives.
Civil war began in a rural part of eastern Sierra Leone when Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels launched an attack on the village of Bomaru in an attempt to overthrow the ruling All Peoples Congressional government .
Traditional chief Vandy Gbosso Kallon has vivid memories of this day.
“They burned everything, these rebels. They left nothing, ”he told Christina Okello of RFI. “They also tortured me. We have really suffered. Only our faith in God allowed us to survive.
Clashes between rebels and government forces have left thousands dead, many displaced. And thousands of child soldiers have been recruited. Among them were the two boys from Kumba Pessima.
“My two sons aged 7 and 17 were captured by the RUF rebels,” she said. “I still haven’t heard from them to this day.”
On January 6, 1999, the conflict spread to the capital Freetown. Professor Mohamed Sargo Saccoh was living in Bo, the second largest city in Sierra Leone, when war broke out and the family separated.
“My mother had gone to Kono to visit my uncle and the war had met her there. She therefore had to flee to Guinea, she did so on foot, ”he recalls. “She stayed there for ten years. It was only recently that she returned. She came back and even her last son is now a really big guy.
Fragile peace
Many families are learning to live together once again after a prolonged separation during the war; others never had that chance.
And while the civil war was officially declared over in 2002, some people fear that the factors that triggered the conflict may still be there.
“When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission finished its report, it outlined some of the causes of the war: corruption, injustice, lack of human rights in communities, poverty and very low level of education, no education. at all in some cases, ”explains Patrick Fatomah, Coordinator of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.
“And that there was not a very good distribution of national resources in the country. I asked [the women here] “So after the war, did all these signs disappear? [and they said] ‘Oh no! In fact, they are back ”.”
Memory
A decade after the war ended, Sierra Leone opened a peace museum. Standing at the site of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, he is dedicated to preserving the truth, respecting the many victims of the conflict and promoting lasting peace.
Its walls are lined with images of mutilated bodies, statues of combatants and photos of broken peace agreements.
“As you walk into the Peace Museum, we want you to know that the purpose of it all has a beginning,” says Fatomah.
“From 1991 to 2002 our nation suffered a war of the worst kind. It was a war we waged against ourselves, ”he continues. “The Peace Museum is a place to remember memory, learn to participate and build a Sierra Leone of lasting peace.”
Civil society groups welcome the museum and the way it encourages the duty of remembrance in a country lacking in monuments and memorials.
Sulaiman Jabati of the Coalition for Justice and Accountability wants to go further. “The government should declare the 23rd of March as the day of commemoration of the victims. This is the day when everything changed.
The Peace Museum goes further. He plans to open the archives room, currently closed due to Covid, to the public. And will inaugurate a memorial garden in tribute to the victims by the end of the year.
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