Sierra Leone: Child Soldiers
by Kai Mans
Sierra Leone: Child Soldiers Child soldiers and RUF (Revolutionary United Front) in Sierra Leone must be controlled for the sake of themselves and others. In Sierra Leone diamonds have become something to kill over. They are very important to people because they are sold to western countries for high prices, RUF leaders also sell them because they can buy many mor e weapons. These diamonds can bring so much killing that they are even called “Blood Diamonds” (Gyorgy, Anna). It is even said that Diamond Buyers should remember that diamonds are a wonderful gift, but some are dipped in blood (Anonymous). Many of the RUF leaders do nothing that’s where the child soldiers come in. Many of the child soldiers dot know what they’re doing and if it is right or wrong. Some of the reason is because they are on drugs but most of it is because they are stolen from their homes and are brainwashed to kill. Most of the child soldiers don’t value life, and they find killing as a joke (Anonymous). They ask some of the people they are about to amputate if they would like long sleeves or short sleeves. Long sleeves meant cutting of your hand, short sleeves meant cutting off your arm at the shoulder. The last time Sierra Leone held an election, in 1996 it ended in failure. The RUF boycotted the election and carried on waging a civil war. To punish people for taking part in the election the RUF Guerillas sliced of the hands of the people who voted. Now that some of the wars and the fighting is cooling down they are having another election the people who have no arms will have to cast their vot e using their toes and stomping on the paper (Gyorgy, Anna). The UN and the United States should work together to stop the child soldiers and help them get onto the right track. Children kill their parents, cannibal gangs are roaming the countryside’s, chaos rules, and barbarism flourishes (The Economist). Child soldiers are killing for fun and must be controlled. They can still learn to not kill and control themselves. Most of the problem is that half of the time they are high on drugs. So they could start off by cutting off their drugs and then teach them that killing is bad and get them un brainwashed. Along with the child soldiers the RUF leaders must be stopped as well. Some of the leaders have already gotten into trouble so the UN is starting to get better. Some of the leaders have already gotten 50 through 45 years in prison. These men were put in prison for countless acts of rape, enslavement, murder, and using child soldiers. In conclusion the child soldiers and the RUF shou ld be stopped for themselves and others. If they are not they will keep on killing, murdering, and raping women and killing their families. They are so brutal they even make some people rape their sisters or mothers and then kill them.
