Sierra Leone has been trying to come to terms with a gruesome civil war. For eleven years, drugged children armed with assault rifles terrorised the nation. So far, the war tribunal created to try the perpetrators of war crimes in Sierra Leone has meant very little to their victims. They soon lost interest when they found out the main suspects in the atrocities would not appear in court.  

By Thijs Bouwknegt

The job is nearly done for the judges and prosecutors at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in the capital Freetown. On Monday they will hand down their verdict in the appeals filed by three former leaders of the rebel movement Revolutionary United Front, or RUF. Earlier this year, the three were convicted of forcibly recruiting child soldiers and forcing young girls to ‘marry’ rebels. The only case still ongoing is the trial of former president Charles Taylor at the Court’s auxiliary branch in The Hague. He is accused of supporting the rebels.

The civil war in Sierra Leone, which raged between 1991 and 2002, left a trail of physical and psychological scars in its wake. The rebels carved their initials in the bodies of their victims while tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans were permanently disfigured by amputated arms, legs, noses and ears. At least 120,000 people did not survive the war. The torn country is searching for ways to overcome its war traumas.

Tribunal
Styled on the South African example, Sierra Leone created a truth and reconciliation commission; both victims and perpetrators met to jointly come to terms with the war. However, this proved inadequate and the government in Freetown asked the United Nations to assist in its efforts to bring the rebels to trial.

In 2004, a team of international and Sierra Leonean lawyers sat down to work in a modern complex in one of the world’s poorest cities: Freetown. Unlike the Yugoslavia Tribunal, this court was to try suspected war criminals cheaper and faster. However, the Special Court was forced to raise money abroad because it lacked adequate funding and nearly went bankrupt.

Difficult task
The court faced a difficult task. It had to try a variety of crimes including forced marriages, slavery and the use of child soldiers. From a legal point of view, it scored major successes by handing down convictions on these charges.

However, its successes did not outweigh the criticisms. A web comprised of splintered rebel groups, resistance fighters and child soldiers was active during the war. The children were kept out of it, but their recruiters were charged. To the surprise of many Sierra Leoneans, the accused included popular ‘resistance heroes’, who were prosecuted and convicted.
 

Empty seats
The court left former president Tejan Kabbah in peace, while charges were brought against Charles Taylor who never set foot in Sierra Leone. The prosecutors’ choices made the court unpopular, and the public gallery often remained empty.

The general public’s interest in the court decreased even further when the main rebel leaders could no longer be prosecuted. In 2003, the feared Foday Sankoh died in prison, rebel commander Sam Bockarie was killed in Liberia.

‘Resistance hero’ Sam Hinga Norman died in prison shortly before the court was to pass judgment in his case. And there is still no trace of strong man Johnny Paul Koroma.

Charles Taylor
The Special Court’s last major case is being tried in a special auxiliary of the Court at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Over the past two months, Former Liberian president Charles Taylor has consistently denied any ties with the rebels. But his story is hardly being heard in Sierra Leone, because, much like in Freetown, the public gallery and the media centre in The Hague remain empty when the Special Court’s in session.