Retribution for Leaders of Sierra Leone's Civil War

Carina Gibson

April 11, 2009

1:32 P.M.

Several rebel leaders of Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war during the 1990s are now undergoing persecution for the war crimes committed during that time. Issa Hassan Sesay, Morris Kallon, and Augustine Gbao were sentenced to varying amounts of time ranging from 25 to 50 years. Out of surviving leaders of the Revolutionary United Front, they are considered the most senior and major in the civil war.

The conflict became well known because of the brutality of the crimes. The atrocities that had been committed during this time of civil war included the use of child soldiers, digging for diamonds in order to pay for ammunition and guns, hacking off the limbs of civilians and countless other awful acts of violence. Sexual violence was a large part of the conflict, and mass rape and forced marriages for women were common forms of violence. The court's American prosecutor, Stephen Rapp, says that "...using the women was part of the strategy of terrorizing the population...". Sesay, Kallon and Gbao are the first senior leaders to be convicted for crimes of sexual violence.

I think it is good to see that these men are being persecuted for the awful crimes that have committed and fueled. Even though it did take some time to bring these people to justice, the fact that it is happening and they will pay for what they have done is a sign of retribution. Hopefully it will prevent others from doing such harmful and destructive acts. At least these sentences will bring some show of the consequences of such horrible acts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/africa/09leone.html?ref=africa