Revolutionary United Front

Last updated
Revolutionary United Front
Dates of operation1980s [1] –2002
Active regions Sierra Leone
SloganPower and wealth to the people
AlliesFlag of Libya (1977-2011).svg  Libya
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso
Flag of Liberia.svg NPFL
OpponentsFlag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Flag of India.svg  India
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan
ECOMOG

The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surviving leaders, Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon, and Augustine Gbao, were convicted in February 2009 of war crimes and crimes against humanity. [2]

Contents

Creation

The RUF initially coalesced as a group of Sierra Leoneans who led elements of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia across the Liberian border. Their goal was to replicate Charles Taylor's earlier success in toppling the Liberian government. [3]

The RUF was created by Foday Sankoh, of Temne background, and some allies, Abu Kanu, Rashid Mansaray, with substantial assistance from Charles Taylor of Liberia. [4] Initially, the RUF was popular with Sierra Leoneans, many of whom resented a Freetown elite seen as corrupt and looked forward to promised free education and health care and equitable sharing of diamond revenues. However, the RUF developed a reputation internationally for its terrible cruelty towards the civilian population during its decade-long struggle, especially its practice of hacking off limbs to intimidate and spread terror among the population, and its widespread use of child soldiers. [5] [6]

When it was first formed, the RUF put forward the slogan, "No More Slaves, No More Masters. Power and Wealth to the People." [7] While its goal was clearly to change the government of Sierra Leone, the RUF gave little indication of what sort of government would replace it. The group did not advocate Marxism or any similar leftist ideology, nor did it advocate extreme nationalism or fascism. It also did not claim to be a force fighting for a certain ethnic group or region. [8] At one point, during ongoing peace negotiations in 1995, RUF published a pamphlet entitled "Footpaths to Democracy: Toward a New Sierra Leone", which contained some rhetorical references to social justice and pan-Africanism. [7]

Coup

Foday Sankoh did not stand by his earlier promises of equitably sharing diamond revenues and used these funds to buy arms for himself. [9] With a significant area of the diamond mines under the control of the rebel party, the RUF became singularly focused on protecting its resource base. [9]

Sierra Leone's economy collapsed. Ordinary citizens became trapped between the cruelty of RUF troops and starvation. After a coup by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) in 1997, the RUF and AFRC created a joint junta to control the country before being evicted from the capital by the intervention of a Nigerian-led West African force that reinstated President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. The war is estimated to have cost the lives of about 200,000 people.[ citation needed ]

Child soldiers

Child soldiers were heavily recruited in the Sierra Leone Civil War; a total of 11,000 are thought to have participated in the conflict. [10] Most were used for attacks on villages as well as guard duty for diamond fields and weapons stockpiles. The RUF made extensive use of child soldiers. [11]

Thousands of abducted boys and girls were forced to serve as soldiers or as prostitutes, [12] [13] and those chosen to be fighters were sometimes forced to murder their parents. [14] Guerrillas frequently carved the initials "RUF" on their chests, [4] [15] [16] and officers reportedly rubbed cocaine into open cuts on their troops to make them maniacal and fearless. Before some battles and raids, the children would be given mixtures of cocaine and gunpowder. The gunpowder mixture was called "Brown-brown" and it allowed the cocaine to flow more freely through the blood stream. [6] [17] [18]

For entertainment, some soldiers would bet on the sex of an unborn baby and then slice open a woman's womb to determine the winner. [19] [20] The RUF abducted children aged 7 to 12, but were known to take children as young as 5 year olds. The children were notoriously known by captains and civilians for their unquestionable obedience and enormous cruelty.

Atrocities

In response to the immediate execution of rebels by government forces, the RUF instituted a policy of cutting off the hands of captured soldiers with the intent of sending the message: "You don't hold your weapon against your brother." [21] Brandishing machetes, RUF rebels amputated the hands, arms, and legs of tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans. [21] The RUF indicated that the reason for these actions was that amputees could no longer mine diamonds, which might be used to support government troops. [22]

The election slogan at that time was the people "had power in their hands", so the RUF would hack off hands to prevent people from voting. [22] RUF members are also said to have practised cannibalism. [23] [24] Refugee camps were set up for amputees, supported by the government and other relief agencies. [25]

Foreign pressure and intervention

In March 1997, Sankoh fled to Nigeria, where he was put under house arrest, and then imprisoned. During Sankoh's incarceration, which ended in 1999, Sam Bockarie filled in as director of RUF military operations. In 1999, after enormous pressure by the United States, the United Kingdom, the UN, and various other countries, Sankoh was forced into signing the Lomé Peace Accord on 7 July 1999. [26]

Sankoh was then allowed to return under the conditions of the agreement. However fighting again broke out, and the UN sent peacekeeping troops in hopes of integrating the RUF into a new national army. This intervention failed as well, and by 2000 they held 500 UN peacekeepers hostage until their release was negotiated by Taylor. The UK, Guinea, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and various other nations, sent in professional forces in 2001. The RUF was noted to be weakened, especially decreasing resources, and hence had to suffer several crushing defeats at the hands of the British special forces; which eventually led to the end of the revolution, hence the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone. Sankoh was later captured by a mob [27] and handed to the British Army in Sierra Leone. He was indicted for multiple war crimes by a UN-backed special court. In 2003 Sankoh died in prison before the trial took place. [6]

Four years later, during the sessions of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, prosecutors claimed that Charles Taylor had actively participated in directing the RUF's strategy from Liberia; among the allegations was that he had arranged to transport RUF commanders to Monrovia to meet with them personally. [28]

Political party

Revolutionary United Front Party
FoundedSeptember 2001
Ideology Nationalism
Pan-Africanism
Colors  Yellow
  Green
SloganPower and wealth to the people

After peace was established, RUF was transformed into a political party: the Revolutionary United Front Party. In the May 10, 2002 general election the party won 2.2% of popular votes and no seats. Its candidate at the presidential elections, Alimamy Pallo Bangura, received 1.7% of the vote. The party received its highest voting in Kailahun, 7.8% in the parliamentary election. [29] [30] It has since drifted into near-irrelevance, only maintaining a small voter base of former rebel fighters. [31]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

ElectionParty candidateVotes%Votes%Result
First roundSecond round
2002 Alimamy Pallo Bangura 33,0741.73%—LostRed x.svg
2007 Did not contest
2012 Eldred Collins12,9930.58%—LostRed x.svg
2018 Gbandi Jemba Ngobeh12,8270.51%—LostRed x.svg
2023 Abdulahi Saccoh6,7960.24%—LostRed x.svg

Parliamentary elections

ElectionLeaderVotes%Seats+/–PositionGovernment
2002 Alimamy Pallo Bangura 41,9972.20%
0 / 124
New4thExtra-parliamentary
2007 Did not contestExtra-parliamentary
2012 Jonathan Kposowa12,5730.59%
0 / 124
Steady2.svg 0Increase2.svg 5thExtra-parliamentary
2018 Raymond Kartewu4380.02%
0 / 146
Steady2.svg 0Decrease2.svg 16thExtra-parliamentary
2023 Foday Massaquoi1,5020.05%
0 / 149
Steady2.svg 0Increase2.svg 6thExtra-parliamentary

Cultural references

Television

Film

Books

Music

See also

Related Research Articles

Sierra Leone first became inhabited by indigenous African peoples at least 2,500 years ago. The Limba were the first tribe known to inhabit Sierra Leone. The dense tropical rainforest partially isolated the region from other West African cultures, and it became a refuge for peoples escaping violence and jihads. Sierra Leone was named by Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra, who mapped the region in 1462. The Freetown estuary provided a good natural harbour for ships to shelter and replenish drinking water, and gained more international attention as coastal and trans-Atlantic trade supplanted trans-Saharan trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foday Sankoh</span> Sierra Leonean warlord (1937–2003)

Foday Saybana Sankoh was the founder of the Sierra Leone rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which was supported by Charles Taylor-led NPFL in the 11-year-long Sierra Leone Civil War, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. An estimated 50,000 people were killed during the war, and over 500,000 people were displaced in neighboring countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmad Tejan Kabbah</span> 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–97, 1998–2007)

Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was a Sierra Leonean politician who served twice as the 3rd President of Sierra Leone, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Kabbah spent many years working for the United Nations Development Programme. He retired from the United Nations and returned to Sierra Leone in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Paul Koroma</span> Military dictator of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998

Major Johnny Paul Koroma was a Sierra Leonean military officer who was the head of state of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998.

Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser is a former Sierra Leonean military officer who served as head of state of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996. He became the world's youngest Head of State in 1992, seizing power three days after his 25th birthday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone</span> United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2006

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2006. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lomé Peace Accord, an agreement intended to end the Sierra Leonean civil war. UNAMSIL expanded in size several times in 2000 and 2001. It concluded its mandate at the end of 2005, the Security Council having declared that its mission was complete.

The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was a group of Sierra Leone soldiers that allied itself with the rebel Revolutionary United Front in the late 1990s. While the AFRC briefly controlled the country in 1998, it was driven from the capital by an international military intervention of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). It was no longer a coherent and effective organization by the elections of 2002.

The Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002), or the Sierra Leonean Civil War, was a civil war in Sierra Leone that began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. The resulting civil war lasted almost 11 years, and had over 50,000, up to 70,000, casualties in total; an estimated 2.5 million people were displaced during the conflict.

Samuel Hinga Norman was a Sierra Leonean politician from the Mende tribe. He was the founder and leader of the Civil Defence Forces, commonly known as the Kamajors. The Kamajors supported the government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah against the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which was led by Foday Sankoh. On 7 March 2003 Hinga Norman was indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He died on 22 February 2007 in Dakar, Senegal while undergoing medical treatment.

The Kamajors were a group of traditional hunters from the Mende ethnic group in the south and east of Sierra Leone. The word "Kamajor" derived from Mende "kama soh", meaning traditional hunter with mystical powers, who were originally employed by local chiefs.

The Lomé Peace Agreement was a peace agreement signed on 7 July 1999 between the warring parties in the civil war that gripped Sierra Leone for almost a decade. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah signed with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader, Foday Sankoh and granted Sankoh a position in the transitional government as well as amnesty for him and all combatants. The accord is named for Lomé, the capital of Togo, where the negotiations took place and the agreement was signed.

Samuel Sam Bockarie, widely known as Mosquito, was a Sierra Leonean politician and army commander who served as a leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Bockarie was infamous during the Sierra Leone Civil War for his brutal tactics, which included amputation, mutilation, and rape. He earned the nickname "Mosquito" for his ability to attack when his enemies were off-guard, mainly during the night. During his service in the RUF, he befriended future Liberian president Charles Taylor, and RUF commander Foday Sankoh. When Sankoh was imprisoned from March 1997 until April 1999, Bockarie served as commander of the RUF in his place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Court for Sierra Leone</span> Judicial body

The Special Court for Sierra Leone, or the "Special Court" (SCSL), also called the Sierra Leone Tribunal, was a judicial body set up by the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations to "prosecute persons who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law" committed in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996 and during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The court's working language was English. The court listed offices in Freetown, The Hague, and New York City.

Alimamy Pallo Bangura is a politician in Sierra Leone. Over the past 12 years, Bangura has played a major role in Sierra Leonean politics and was a member of the Revolutionary United Front Party, where he replaced rebel leader Foday Sankoh following Sankoh's May 2000 arrest and 2002 electoral disqualification. His posts have included: Ambassador to the United Nations from Sierra Leone (1994–1996); Foreign Minister (1997–1998); Minister of Energy and Power (1999–2001); and Secretary General of the Revolutionary United Front Party (2002–2007). He also ran for president in 2002 alongside former cabinet minister Peter Vandy, but the pair only received 1.7% of the presidential vote, while the RUF received only 2.2% of the parliamentary vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ishmael Beah</span> Sierra Leonean author and human rights activist

Ishmael Beah is a Sierra Leonean author and human rights activist who rose to fame with his acclaimed memoir, A Long Way Gone. His novel Radiance of Tomorrow was published in January 2014. His most recent novel Little Family was published in April 2020.

The Small Boys Unit (SBU) was a group of children who were forcibly recruited by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) as militants during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The war began in 1991, when the RUF desired to overthrow the government and gain control of the diamond mines, a major source of revenue for the country. In 1998, 25% of the soldiers fighting in the war were under 18, and of those, 50% were abducted and 28% were under the age of 12. The war ended with a ceasefire on 18 January 2002.

The United Kingdom began a military intervention in Sierra Leone on 7 May 2000 under the codename Operation Palliser. Although small numbers of British personnel had been deployed previously, Palliser was the first large-scale intervention by British forces in the Sierra Leone Civil War. In early May 2000, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)—one of the main parties to the civil war—advanced on the country's capital, Freetown, prompting the British government to dispatch an "Operational Reconnaissance and Liaison Team" (ORLT) to prepare to evacuate foreign citizens. On 6 May, the RUF blocked the road connecting Freetown to the country's main airport, Lungi. The next day, British soldiers began to secure the airport and other areas essential to an evacuation. The majority of those who wished to leave were evacuated within the first two days of the operation, but many chose to stay following the arrival of British forces.

The Lungi Lol confrontation was a confrontation between British forces and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone on 17 May 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leone–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Sierra Leone–Turkey relations are the foreign relations between Sierra Leone and Turkey. Turkey has an embassy in Freetown since February 2018 and Sierra Leone has an embassy in Ankara since January 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Sierra Leone : A Political History [PDF][vcq9k0dnb5o0]".
  2. ↑ "S Leone war crimes trio convicted". Al Jazeera English. February 25, 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  3. ↑ Adekeye Adebayo, Liberia's Civil War, 2002, p. 90, citing Paul Richards, Fighting for the Rainforest: War, Youth, and Resources in Sierra Leone, (Oxford, James Currey, 1996) and papers presented by Ibraham Abdullah, Patrick Muana, and David Keen at University College London, 21 October 2005. Full bibliographical information is at Adebayo, p. 98.
  4. 1 2 David M. Crane "Indictment proceedings of the special court for Sierra Leone Case No. SCSL - 2004-15-PT". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27., Special Court for Sierra Leone (February 5, 2004)
  5. ↑ John Quiñones (January 7, 2006). "WNT:Sierra Leone Amputees - ABC News". ABCNews.go.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 David M. Crane "Terrorism Knowledge Base". Archived from the original on 2007-10-18.
  7. 1 2 "Footpaths to Democracy". Archived from the original on 2007-06-14.
  8. ↑ "GlobalSecurity.Org".
  9. 1 2 Taylor Baines, "When Crime Pays: West African Leaders' Brutality Reaps Rewards"., Global Policy Forum, (February 1, 2001)
  10. ↑ "What's Going On: Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone"., UN
  11. ↑ "Brutal child army grows up". BBC News. May 10, 2000. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  12. ↑ Peter Takirambudde, "Sierra Leone Rebels Forcefully Recruit Child Soldiers". 31 May 2000., Human Rights Watch (May 31, 2000)
  13. ↑ "The child soldiers of Sierra Leone"., BBC News
  14. ↑ Joseph Opala, "What The West Failed To See In Sierra Leone"., Washington Post (May 14, 2000)
  15. ↑ "UN: Sierra Leone should widen control". BBC News. September 19, 2001. Retrieved January 4, 2010., Washington Post (September 19, 2001)
  16. ↑ Douglas Farah "Children Forced to Kill"., Washington Post (April 8, 2000)
  17. ↑ Mar Roman, Roman, Mar (April 19, 2007). "Former Child Soldiers Seek Redemption". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2010., The Associated Press (April 19, 2007)
  18. ↑ "Sierra Leone - Childhood - a casualty of conflict" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2007-07-05., Amnesty International (31 August 2000)
  19. ↑ "Foday Sankoh, an African revolutionary". The Economist. 7 August 2003., The Economist (August 7th, 2003)
  20. ↑ "Evidence of torture and human rights abuses Sierra Leone". Archived from the original on 2006-10-07., Medical Foundation for the care of victims of torture
  21. 1 2 Sorious Samura, "Return to Freetown". CNN. February 7, 2001. Retrieved May 22, 2010., CNN (December 23, 2001)
  22. 1 2 "Diamond trade fuels bloody wars". CNN. Archived from the original on January 16, 2007., CNN (January 18, 2001)
  23. ↑ Brown, Derek (May 17, 2000). "Who is Foday Sankoh?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  24. ↑ "The rebels advance in Sierra Leone". The Economist. January 7, 1999., The Economist (January 7th, 1999)
  25. ↑ "Sierra Leone - Building the Road to Recovery". Archived from the original on 2012-09-07., Monograph, No 80, (March 2003)
  26. ↑ "Crimes of War". Archived from the original on 2007-02-11.
  27. ↑ "'I am the scorpion. I captured the lion'". The Guardian. London. May 18, 2000. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Alleged Taylor-RUF Racket Detailed".[Monrovia] New Democrat, 14.96 (2007-06-06): 1, 10.
  29. ↑ "Sierra Leone Web - Election Coverage". www.sierra-leone.org. Archived from the original on 2002-08-06.
  30. ↑ "As RUF Merges with APC, Youth Groups Say 'Ernest Koroma is Salone's Saviour: Sierra Leone News". Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  31. ↑ Söderberg Kovacs, Mimmi (April 2021). "The Legacy of a Revolution that Never Happened: The Post-War Politics of Former Rebel Party RUFP in Sierra Leone". Government and Opposition. 56 (2): 245–259. doi:10.1017/gov.2019.23. ISSN   0017-257X.
  32. ↑ Beah, Ishmael (February 13, 2007). A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier . Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN   978-0-374-10523-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.