Impunity should not be allowed to stand. Web All Africa. Thirteen years on, we remember all those who perished in the orgy of murder, rape, pillage and mutilation even as we pray that those who survived it will be comforted by the Good Lord who has always been with the weak, defenceless and under-privileged and an over-arching supplication to Him that in the fullness of time, he will punish all those who perpetrated, aided and abetted the horror that was visited on the civilian population whose only crime was to stand up against the human rights abuses of the junta.
Thirteen years on we pray that the Good Lord in His mercy will dry the tears of the afflicted, give succour to the numerous victims of rape and torture and that one fine day, Sierra Leone will enjoy the peace and democracy, human rights and good governance as well as the rights of all citizens to rightly share in the resources of this rich but poor country - Sierra Leone.
We salute all those, gone to the great beyond and surviving, who stood up to the beasts and with a loud voice said NO to repression, suppression and tyranny. Many accounts have been written about January 6, and the awful horror unleashed by a vengeful band of killers wanting to punish civilians for not only refusing to co-operate with them while in power from May to February , but for their support for the ECOMOG intervention force that had helped push them out.
They entered Freetown - well armed and prepared and knew exactly what to do with civilians caught in their bloody nets. This excerpt from the Charles Taylor trial is a pointer Pros: What kind of weaponry did your group have at this time? Wit: We were well armed. Kindly note that apart from the area weapons - those that can cause maximum casualties when fired into civilian areas like the 60mm and 80mm mortars, they also were equipped with machetes.
The machetes were the weapons of choice for the mutilation of civilians - men and women - young and old as well as babies so thirsty were the invaders for human blood!!! Rape was another common weapon in the arsenal of the beasts and was encouraged by the two main factions of the invaders.
