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WritingsOur writings section features stories addressing the issue of ChildSoldiers written by youth in Sierra LeoneChild Fighterby Mohamed Sidibay, age 10, Lucisse Preparatory School, Freetown, Sierra LeoneMy name is Mohamed Sidibay presently reisding in Freetown , Sierra Leone. Formally a child soldier during the ten year cevil war in my country Sierra Leone. I was aged five (5) in 1991 in a diamond mining Town called Kono . I was preparing to go to town with my mother and father on a Saturdy. I was inside our house dressing when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels attacked . As I rushed out hearing the gun-shots , my parents were no where to be found. As a lad I ran into the crowd and was soon captured by these fierce fighters under the command of Comanding Officer(C.O) Rambo ( a great rebelfighter). I became a beast of burden carrying heavy bundles from one end of the country to another . I had to tote a very heavy load from Kono ( an eastern province) to Makeni ( a northern province) which is ninty five (95) miles within two days on bare foot. This our master C.O Rambo was killed as a result of conflict between him and his senior called C.O Issa. On our arrival in Makeni , we immediately started training to be childrebels ready to fight government and foreign troops. In all this struggles I was not the only lad to show out early mussles in the lions dens but we were captured in bunches from different places. We later finished training and were ready to tour Kailahun another distant Eastern Town on foot.In this tour we took three days and Kailahun was our national fortress. We based in this Eastern Town for three Months but was totally discarded by the raid of the Nigerian fighter jet of the Economc Community Monitory Group( ECOMOG) of West Africa. Our headquarter was forcefully bomberded and killed many child and senior fighters. We later struggled to gather and regain military might ; we ended up assemblying but with less military strength. C.O Issa who we were under at that time appealed and gathered enough human and sorphisticated weapon power ready for the big fight in Freetown the capital city of Sierra Leone. Freetown was the strongest base for the government and foreign forces. As a lad hailing amongst lions I was hard-up and was ready for a die or live fight in Freetown. We left in 1998 for Freetown and destroyed every obstacle on our way. After a four(4) day walking and fighting we arrived at the frontier part of Freetown where we met the Guinean ECOMOG troop. Unfortunately for us they over came us ,therefore we made a tarctical retreat . A day after we re-attacked and finally infiltrated into the city with full force and high man power. We entered Freetown on the unforgetable January six(6) 1999. The city was turned up-side down with alienated weapons shouting all about. We occupied the Eastern and Central Town( inclusive of State House and Parliament) for two consecutive weeks and some days. We were later pushed out by the Nigerian ECOMOG force and in our return burnt down many houses and destroyed every life we met on our way. We kept destroying until we reached Port Loko a major town in North .This was where peace talk was said between the government and our force; peace was gained for a short while. One Catholic priest called father Bethon went to receive all child fighters and be brought to Freetown and other areas for re-union with our families. |