Sam (SL)
"During the war we were attacked by the rebels on the 21st March 1991, friday morning. So I was thinking about how to save my life and family and other relatives. The attack was very serious with heavy gun shots and bomb sounds. So I saw people coming with guns telling me that unless I move to the next village,
they are killing people seriously. We ran far away, more than the next town we were thinking about. So we meet some vehicles with soldiers on the highway. They told us that all of us should get back home. They have flushed the rebels out of the town. Then, we started returning back home. So unexpectedly we fell in an ambush . There they killed many people, soldiers, burned cars and houses. There they killed some of my family members, so I escaped to the bush until I entered the forest. I reached near a river, there I met a town with many people. When they saw me, all of them started running.
I told them ‘please do not run, I’m looking for my people. After I explained myself, some of the people came back just to have information from me about my escape from the rebels and the ambush. So beofre 300 hours the rebels attacked and arrested some of us and they put heavy load on my head and gave me one bodyguard closer by my side for me not to escape again. When we arrived at the next town, they started telling us that if we tried to escape they must
kill us. So I decided to ask for permission; ‘Please I want to go and search for my people at the next town’. They replied to me that if I move anywhere they must kill me. So they arrested some prostitutes, they cooked plenty food, and eat and play music for the rest of the day and they got sexual intercourse with themselves.
So the government of Sierra Leone allowed the ECOMOG intervention, and they killed many rebels and innocent civilians. There I ran away from the rebels and go to the next town. After some time we heard news from the radio that the ECOMOG had deployed in the town. We returned back and lived with ECOMOG peacefully and strong security. …
After the war I was living in Freetown for me to begin my schoolgoing, which lead to some materials problem because of financial problem. But I stay with my nephew who is staying far from where I’m living because of the job he is doing and he is not responsible for my schoolfees, transport and other charges from the school. Even shoes, uniform and textbooks, I provide it for myself. I am very disgruntled and discouraged because I live like an orphan. So I please need a helper or sponsoring. Let them not misuse me. In Sierra Leone the suffering is plenty. The kind of way I live now is strainful."