Civile War

A civil war that has raged for seven years in the small West African country of Sierra Leone has turned increasingly brutal. (1, p.1) Rebels are mutilating civilians without much response from the international community. A strong Nigerian contingency has tried to suppress the rebellion, but the rebels continue to cause major trouble in Sierra Leone. The rebels overthrew President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. However, President Kabbah returned to office on March 10, 1998 to face the task of restoring order to a demoralized population and a disorganized and severely damaged economy. (2, p.1) The country of Sierra Leone is located in western Africa between the countries of Guinea and Liberia, and it borders the North Atlantic Ocean. The actual area of Sierra Leone is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population of Sierra Leone is about 5,080,000 people. Its legal system is based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes. Sierra Leone's government consists of three branches, the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was inaugurated March 29, 1996, and President Kabbah is both the chief of state and the head of government. The president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms. On May 25, 1997, disgruntled army personnel under the command of Major Johnny Paul Koroma overthrew the democratically elected government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. (2, p.1) After President Kabbah was overthrown, he fled to exile in the neighboring country of Guinea. In Guinea, President Kabbah remained in the city of Conakry. The coup leader, a relatively unknown army major named Johnny Paul Koroma, declared himself the new head of state and invited fellow rebel leader Foday Sankoh to join the government. (3, p.1) During the rebel invasion, the rebels seized the legislature, burned the national treasury, and raided the capital of Freetown. Once the coup was in control of the capital, the leaders imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew and closed the country's borders. The coup also shut down the Lungi International Airport, which was under the control of troops belonging to the West African peacekeeping force ECOMOG. The coup began the invasion Sunday, when about 20 heavily armed men stormed Freetown's maximum security prison and freed an estimated 600 inmates. Some of the inmates included soldiers jailed for plotting against President Kabbah. The rebels took over the national assembly after fighting with Nigerian troops near the presidential office complex in Freetown. The Nigerian troops were stationed in the capital to help defend the civilian government against rebels. (3, p2) Stray fire, including rocket-propelled grenades and mortar, hit the U.S. Embassy, about 200 yards from the national assembly building. The embassy suffered damage but there were no reports of injuries. Hospital officials reported that five civilians were killed elsewhere in the capital as gun battles raged most of the day. (3, p.2) From reports given by the U.S. State Department, two Americans were injured when their home was looted. A coup spokesman accused the government of introducing tribalism, and reportedly called for the return to Sierra Leone of Foday Sankoh, a leader of the rebel Revolutionary United Front, and Capt. Solomon Musa, a former deputy military leader linked to coup allegations in 1993. The coup spokesman then reported that the army had seized parliament and the government offices, as well as the radio and television stations. He said that a new government would be announced at the end of the day. (4, p.2) Mutinous soldiers who ousted the Sierra Leone's civilian government scrapped the constitution and banned political parties. But the mutineers promised that the tiny West African nation would someday return to a proper democracy. (5, p.1) After the denouncing of Sierra Leone's constitution, the American warship USS Kearsarge set sail toward the coast of Sierra Leone in case an evacuation of the estimated 400 U.S. citizens in Freetown was needed. The mutinous Sierra Leone soldiers then attempted to expand their control of the country by commanding the country's diamond region. While attempting to gain control over the precious diamond area of Sierra Leone, the rebels skirmished with a militia loyal to deposed President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. During the continued fighting, many non-Sierra Leoneans residents took refuge in beachside hotels until they could get a flight of the country. The residents were flown across a wide river estuary to Lungi airport by helicopter. The Sierra Leone faction held one end of the airport, but the Nigerians were able to gain back the opposite end of the airport. A confrontation at the airport erupted as a shot was fired by one of the Sierra Leone soldiers as 392 evacuees were boarding a Boeing 747. (6, p.2) The Nigerians did receive support as a Nigerian C-130 Hercules landed with troops and supplies. Soon after their confrontation with the Nigerian forces, the mutineers announced that they had joined forces with the Revolutionary United Front. The Revolutionary United Front had waged a five-year war against the government. The leaders of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) took command and assigned Koroma to a secondary role. Koroma had lost power to Foday Sankoh, leader of the RUF. With the use of 15 U.S. military helicopters, about 900 Americans and citizens of other countries were airlifted to the deck of the USS Kearsarge, which was about 12 miles offshore. In scenes reminiscent of the U.S. evacuation of Saigon more than 20 years ago, the evacuation was one of bedlam and near-hysteria. (7, p.3) After the last people were airlifted from the U.S. Embassy, the place was stripped and looted of anything valuable. The attempt to drive out the coup leaders continued with an increase in fighting. With heavy shelling from Nigerian gunboats, Freetown was hit extremely hard. Nigeria, Ghana and Guinea amassed many troops in Freetown and proved their willingness to use force to eliminate the rebel force. The Nigerian forces gained full control over the Lungi airport and began using it to bring in many reinforcements. Fighting was also heavy at the coup's seafront headquarters and a nearby hotel where about 1,000 people from other West African countries fled during the coup. An evacuation of the people near the hotel was completed with the aid of U.S. troops. Shortly after the increased fighting in Freetown, Koroma established a 20-member ruling council. Koroma appointed the rebel leader Foday Sankoh as vice chairman. However, Sankoh's group opposed the council and the council talks broke down before a final settlement of the 20-member council could be reached. On June 8, 1997, members of Sierra Leone's dissolved parliament met in defiance of a ban on political activity to denounce a 2-week-old military coup and called for the return