What is the purpose of RUF?

What is the purpose of RUF?

The RUF is a loosely organized force that fought a ten-year civil war to seize control of the lucrative diamond-producing regions of the country. The group funds itself largely through the extraction and sale of diamonds obtained in areas of Sierra Leone under its control.

What did the RUF promise?

The RUF was at first popular among Sierra Leoneans who resented the corrupt Freetown political elite which had dominated politics in that nation. Not identifying with any ethnic group or region, they initially promised free education and healthcare and an equitable sharing of diamond revenues mined in their region.

Why did the Sierra Leone war start?

The decade-long war in Sierra Leone began in 1991 as a revolt against a longstanding dictatorship. The war was fueled by wealth from diamonds located in the east of the country, where the Rebel United Front (RUF) was strongest.

Why did RUF invade Sierra Leone?

The Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002), or the Sierra Leonean Civil War, was a civil war in Sierra Leone that began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to …

What happened to the Revolutionary United Front?

The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel army that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today.

What is the connection between Charles Taylor of Liberia and the RUF?

Taylor had previously told the court that when his NPFL forces came under attack from United Liberation Movement for Democracy in Liberia (ULIMO) rebels with support from the Sierra Leone government, he established ties with RUF rebels in Sierra Leone because they both had a common enemy.

How did the RUF get money for their guns?

trade, tens of millions of dollars worth of diamonds were illicitly exported by the RUF, foreign troops, domestic and foreign smugglers. Much of the illicit diamond revenue was used to purchase small arms.

How did Ishmael Beah become a child soldier?

Beah wandered as a refugee from place to place for nearly a year, both alone and with a small group of boys who included his older brother. Shortly after his brother was killed, Beah was recruited as a child soldier in the Sierra Leonean government army when he was just thirteen years old.

Did the RUF lose?

The RUF was noted to be weakened, especially decreasing resources, and hence had to suffer several crushing defeats at the hands of the British special forces; which eventually led to the end of the revolution, hence the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone.