Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication\r......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 11
Map......Page 14
Introduction: Child soldiers, iconography and the (il)logic of extremes......Page 15
Definitions and ambiguities: Defining ‘child soldiers’......Page 16
(Mis)understanding militarized children: Portrayals and representations......Page 19
Dangerous and disorderly......Page 20
The hapless victim......Page 21
The hero......Page 23
Invisible girls, emblematic victims......Page 25
Understanding militarization and reintegration......Page 28
Approach to the book: Giving voice to the marginalized......Page 30
Overview of the book......Page 31
1 Children’s involvement in war: The quandary of structure and agency......Page 34
The contemporary reality of child soldiers......Page 35
Africa......Page 38
The Americas......Page 41
Europe......Page 42
Middle East and Asia......Page 43
The changing nature of warfare......Page 47
The increase in civil conflict......Page 48
State failure......Page 49
Globalization and transnational networks......Page 50
The proliferation of small arms and light weapons......Page 51
Child soldiers and agency......Page 53
Child soldiers and the quandary of structure and agency......Page 56
‘Structure’......Page 58
‘Duality of structure’......Page 59
2 Recipe for rebellion: Civil war in Sierra Leone......Page 62
Colonial oppression and patrimonial order......Page 64
Structural violence, militarization and the politics of corruption......Page 67
Rural isolation, marginalization and the disempowerment of the young......Page 69
Traditional structures and young warriors......Page 71
The emergence of the Revolutionary United Front......Page 74
The alliance of Sankoh and Taylor......Page 75
Rebels without a cause? Understanding RUF tactics and activities......Page 77
1992–1995: The NPRC and military rule......Page 80
‘Sobelization’, the kamajors and private security firms......Page 82
Elections, Kabbah and the Abidjan Agreement: 1996......Page 84
The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council/RUF reign of terror: 1997......Page 86
Enter ECOMOG: 1998......Page 87
‘Operation No Living Thing’ and the Lomé Peace Accord: 1999......Page 88
The decline of the RUF and the brokering of peace......Page 90
On power, sensitive research and a participatory approach......Page 94
Participant recruitment, data collection and analysis......Page 98
Interviews and focus groups......Page 101
Questions of credibility......Page 103
Analysis and interpretation......Page 106
Assessing a participatory approach......Page 107
4 ‘Becoming RUF’: The making of a child soldier......Page 110
Abduction......Page 111
Physical, technical and ideological training......Page 112
Reshaping reality and ‘becoming RUF’: Solidarity, role allocation and rewards......Page 116
Solidarity and cohesion......Page 117
Severing family and community ties......Page 118
Peer mentoring......Page 119
Tattooing......Page 120
Domestic and supporting work......Page 122
Sexual violence and slavery......Page 123
Combat activities......Page 124
Rewards and promotion......Page 126
Understanding the RUF militarization process: Constructing a culture of violence......Page 128
Experiences of violence and armed conflict......Page 135
Victimization and insecurity......Page 136
Participation......Page 140
Negotiating (in)security: Power and small arms......Page 144
Negotiating (in)security: Girls and ‘marriage’ to a powerful commander......Page 146
Modes of resistance: Subverting RUF authority......Page 147
‘Being RUF’: Identity construction in the culture of violence......Page 153
Acquiescence and suspended identities......Page 154
Identifying with the RUF......Page 156
6 ‘Put dey gon don’: The unmaking of a child soldier......Page 159
Escape......Page 160
Spontaneous reintegration......Page 161
Reshaping reality and ‘becoming a civilian’: Demilitarization and the process of unmaking......Page 163
Individual identity construction: Torn allegiances and duelling identities......Page 164
Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programming......Page 167
DDR in Sierra Leone......Page 170
Children’s experiences of DDR......Page 172
Gender and DDR......Page 175
Family and community acceptance......Page 177
Economic marginalization: Education and employment opportunities......Page 184
Gender-based violence and health......Page 190
7 New battlefields......Page 194
Structure and agency in the making and unmaking of child soldiers......Page 195
Ambiguity, sweet sorrow and political action: The continued process of unmaking in post-conflict Sierra Leone......Page 198
Living with ambiguity: The triad of victimization, participation and resistance......Page 199
Post-conflict disillusionment......Page 200
Responding to individual and structural constraints: Political efficacy and collective action......Page 202
Looking ahead: The needs of former child soldiers and the integration of structure and agency......Page 206
References......Page 219
Index......Page 240