In Sierra Leone’s civil war, thousands of children were abducted and trained to kill. For these child soldiers, the war was a struggle for individual survival. Eric Beauchemin traveled to Sierra Leone in 1999 to hear their stories.

According to official estimates, 5,400 children fought in Sierra Leone’s civil war, but UNICEF stresses that these are just estimates. A local group, Children Affected by War, believes the figure is probably closer to 10,000. One rebel group admitted in late 1999 that 30% of its combatants were children.

The children, some as young as seven years old, tell horrifying stories about how the war affected them. Many were turned into killing machines through drugs, alcohol, and sheer fear. The children often say they didn’t know why Sierra Leoneans were killing Sierra Leoneans. The rebels’ explanations didn’t make sense.

Drug-fueled atrocities

The primary method of recruitment of children was abduction. “Children make very effective combatants,” says Corinne Dufka of Human Rights Watch. “They don’t ask a lot of questions. They follow instructions, and they often don’t understand and aren’t able to evaluate the risks of going into war. Victims and witnesses often said they feared the children more than the adults because the child combatants had not developed an understanding of the value of life. They would do anything. They knew no fear. Especially when they were pumped up on drugs.”

Children were among the most vicious combatants in the war. Taken at such a young age that they didn’t know right from wrong. Drugged and in constant fear of being killed by the enemy or their own forces for making a mistake, the children committed some of the war’s worst atrocities. Their names bear witness to their violent past: General Bloodshed, Killer, Cut Hand, Mohammed Youngest Killer or just Blood.

“I don’t want to go back to my village because I burnt all the houses there,” says 16 year old Ibrahim. “I don’t know what the people would do, but they’d harm me. I don’t think I’ll ever be accepted in my village.”

Guilt and remorse

Many of the former child soldiers express deep remorse about the deeds they committed during the war. “Some of them don’t even remember what they did,” says Dufka. “With time and as they get off the drugs, the memories start to come back, and they feel terribly guilty. Others have no sense or remorse or guilt.”

Local groups try to make parents and other adults realize that no matter how heinous the crimes, the children did not commit in a vacuum. Sierra Leone’s war, and the economic, political and social conditions which sparked it off, caused these children to become killing machines. “These children need to be loved,” believes Edward Kome who works with CAW, Children Associated with the War. “They need to share their experiences with people they can trust.”

Innocence Lost was produced and presented by Eric Beauchemin, with sound engineer Ronald Hofman. The documentary was originally broadcast in February 2000.