Word: sierras
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Writing off Sierra Leone's malaise as some sort of inevitable "Heart of Darkness" scenario that simply confirms the futility of intervening in Africa's conflicts may be a temptation, but it's also more than a little misleading. The tragedy unfolding now as an unfathomably brutal rebel army scoffs at peacekeeping efforts and fights its way toward the capital is not a product of some collective psychosis of the Sierra Leoneans. It is, instead, a sordid tale of ruthless pursuit of a buried treasure - diamonds - in the world's poorest country, and of political calculations, miscalculations and plain wishful...
...arrived at the Cap Sierra hotel to find an almost surreal scene at the bar. At one end, you had the mercenaries, some of them legendary figure from Africa's wars, back from a day of making war and downing beers and singing "Goodnight, Irene." At the other end were the government people, not sure if they'd live till morning. And in between, a tiny band of journalists. Outside, the city was on fire, and the few people that managed to straggle through the Nigerian lines that stood between us and the rebels bore horrific tales of torture...
...rebels had a major source of income with which they could acquire weaponry and build themselves up into a serious force. As late as 1997, the British government came under fierce domestic criticism over accusations that it had given a nod and wink to the elected government of Sierra Leone's practice of using the services of a British mercenary firm. Now, though, there are rumors that the government wants to bring back Executive Outcome, the South African mercenary firm that had protected the diamond fields. There are also rumors that there may be Russian or Ukrainian mercenaries training...
...doomed peace agreement from the outset. Everybody knew that bringing Foday Sankoh and other rebel leaders into the government was a recipe for disaster. But even though Sankoh and his men had committed horrendous crimes, people in Sierra Leone were so traumatized by war that they were prepared to give up justice in order to secure peace. They'd have accepted the deal, if it was workable. The reason it wasn't, though, was because of the diamonds. This is not a civil war in the true sense. Sankoh doesn't represent the poor, or have any coherent political program...
...there was no comparison. Sierra Leone was far, far worse than Kosovo by any measure of human suffering. It was the most dangerous, bloodthirsty killing zone I've ever been...