SIERRA LEONE-CRIME: Government Fights Rebels and Robbers

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Oct 30 1996 (IPS) - The seven-month-old civilian administration of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah is not only locked in a protracted war with the Revolutionary United Front rebels, but also with renegade soldiers who have turned to crime.

Armed robbery is increasing in this West African country and analysts attribute the burst of crime to the proliferation of arms and ammunitions.

“Guns and ammunitions are all over the country as a result of the continuing war. In order to put an end to armed robbery, the authorities would need to disarm all the renegade soldiers who carry guns that are unaccounted for,” said Ibrahim Sillah, a military analyst here.

Sierra Leone has been engulfed in a five-year civil war which has left over 10,000 dead and about a quarter of the country’s 4.5 million people displaced internally and in neighbouring countries.

Disarming renegade soldiers has been a big headache for President Kabbah’s government.

At the height of the war, the government recruited hundreds of youth between the ages of 10 and 18 to fight against the rebels. Now that a cease-fire has been called, many of these youths have abandoned the war and turned to a life of crime.

This new crime wave is posing a serious threat to the country’s fledgling democracy.

“We can’t be fighting a war on two fronts,” said a senior government official. “While the rebels keep massacaring innocent civilians, bandits too have been making life a living hell for the people.”

James Legg, a retired civil servant, told IPS that his entire family was held hostage by armed robbers.

“They broke into our house at 4am and terrorised the entire household,” Legg said. “My electronic organ, two gold wrist watches and lots of jewelry belonging to my wife were stolen by the gunmen who were dressed in military combat fatigues.”

No one has managed to escape the bandit’s net. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and prominent businesspeople have also been terrorised.

A French NGO, International Action Against Hunger, last week lost thousands of U.S. dollars and a project vehicle to an armed gang.

The thieves also have extended their robberies to commercial cities like Bo and Kono, Southern Province. “Life in Kono is now a hell. We live in constant fear of a possible rebel attack, while the armed robbers seem to have taken over the dastardly antics of the rebels,” said Kono resident Sahr Brima.

President Kabbah’s government has attempted to disarm many of the renegade soldiers, but with little effect. “The constraint facing us (the police) now is lack of adequate logistics, such as vehicles,” said Sisco Koroma, head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) here.

According to Koroma, there are only six patrol vehicles to police the crime areas. The vehicle patrols are complemented by dozens of foot patrol units.