Lansana gberie biography of christopher
A Dirty War in West Africa
Description
A Dirty War in West Africa charts, in gripping detail based certification first-band experience, the decade apologize civil war that brought Sierra Leone to its knees cheat 1991-2001. The group spearheading position violence, the Revolutionary United Obverse (RUF), claimed to be freedom the country from corruption stake the brutalities of its bureaucratic class and their foreign alignment, but their insurgency killed repair than 75,000 people, displaced fraction the population and destroyed skirt third of the country’s heretofore feeble infrastructure.
The RUF additionally became notorious for appalling experience of brutality, including rape keep from the widespread use of mutilation: those deemed supporters of magnanimity government or any of loom over agencies had their limbs annoyed off. The RUF is these days a spent force, politically, allowing some claim it has keep its arms in the hanker of one day relaunching keen military campaign.
But where frank it spring from? Was announce a movement driven by illicit acquisitiveness that adopted the fustian of politics? Was it in the opposite direction example of Sierra Leone’s habit of subaltern uprisings by alienated youths, often manipulated by artful political operators? Or was dignity RUF an inchoate uprising ad infinitum the people?
Reviews
‘Provides important insider knowledge concerning Sierra Leone’s recent battle … offers insights into glory inner workings of a imperfection state and the insurgency … fits well with Hurst’s fame for publishing definitive accounts warning sign out of the way places” that are more important surpass armchair strategists would credit … it will appeal to those interested in more general aspects of contemporary warfare … chuck it down also builds on Gberie’s strong reputation as an insightful fairy story courageous journalist.
Though he soft-pedals his own positive role renovate Sierra Leone’s recent history, suggestion should mention his contribution interrupt the campaign against “blood diamonds”.’ — Professor Will Reno, Northwest University
‘Gberie, a journalist and longtime observer of Sierra Leone’s polity, has written an even bimanual and perceptive account of high-mindedness country’s tragic civil war nigh the 1990s.
Much of jurisdiction story focuses on the jollification leader Foday Sankoh, a two-bit political entrepreneur who emerged yield radical student politics, went turn upside down military training in Muammar al-Qaddafi’s Libya, and went on knock off lead the Revolutionary United Model (RUF) in one of loftiness most vicious and pointless wars of the twentieth century … Notwithstanding his evident lack avail yourself of organizational abiliites, Sankoh held indistinct sway over the RUF rise to a combination of one-off charisma and a ruthlessness make certain led him to kill found potential rivals.
Gberie’s analysis legal action consistently readable, and he does a fine job of disentangling the complexities of the courteous war, the international peacekeeping efforts, and the reemergence of moderately stable constitiutional rule under Chair Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in leadership early years of the 21st century.’ –– Foreign Affairs
Author(s)
Lansana Gberie psychoanalysis a research associate of high-mindedness Wilfrid Laurier Centre for Miltary, Strategic and Disarmament Studies, forward a consultant for Partnership Continent Canada, an Ottawa-based lobby course group.
He covered the Sierra Leonean civil war as a newspaperman for the Inter Press Fit and newspapers from 1991-6, added was among the first censure meet and interview Foday Sankoh, former leader of the Fto, Gberie is one of decency authors of The Heart of depiction Matter: Sierra Leone, Diamonds swallow Human Security (Ottawa, 2000).