Demobilised and desperate
2004-01-14 14:06
Thousands of battle-hardened Sierra Leoneans have voluntarily disarmed and demobilised from their militia units - only to be left unemployed and starving.
Both former government soldiers and rebels warn that they might be forced back into a life of violence unless they are given gainful employment soon.
"I finished [government-sponsored vocational] training in 2002, but I am still unemployed - just roaming the streets," says Edward Kowa, a former rebel fighter with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)."Hundreds of my colleagues are in similar situations, and this - I think - is untenable for sustainable peace."
The warning comes as Sierra Leone wraps up its lengthy disarmament programme, which kicked off in 2000 by demobilising 45 000 soldiers drawn from various armed factions - including the RUF and the rogue Westside Boys militia.
Demobilisation programme officials insist that all unauthorised weapons in the war-torn country have been taken away from the fighters and destroyed - or recycled to make hoes, shovels and other implements.
No tools, no jobs
The demobilised fighters have also meanwhile undergone vocational training in trades such as tailoring, carpentry and masonry, but have begun publicly complaining that they do not have the specialised tools needed to ply their new trades. Even those who have everything they need to earn a living are discovering that jobs are scarce.
"I think that the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants have been a success. Nearly all the ex-combatants have got skills training, and something or other to do," insists Francis Kaikai, Executive Secretary of the programme.
Political analyst Michael Jones responds by warning that regardless of the official line, the fighters themselves are undoubtedly dissatisfied.
Potential for disaster
"This holds potential for disaster. These youths have known, for the better part of the last decade, guns and violence. If they are not properly reintegrated they may as well go back to war - because that was how they made their living," he says.
Sierra Leone's demobilisation programme has encountered obstacles ranging from the abduction of hundreds of United Nations peace-keepers by rebel forces in 2000, to delays in the handing over of guns.
Sierra Leone's civil war, which broke out in 1991, quickly became one of Africa's bloodiest - with rebels accused of amputating the limbs of civilians, and forcing children to become combatants.
Some villages are refusing to accept returning fighters, largely because of the atrocities they are believed to have committed.
"I attempted returning to my home town of Gandorhun in the eastern district of Kono, but the people there were furious to see me," says Sia Gborie, now in her twenties.
"Now, I am stuck here in Freetown with no job, and hardly any future," she adds.