How and when did the war begin?
The RUF launched its first campaign into eastern Kailahun (Sierra Leone) from Liberia in March 1991. Sankoh was head of the military wing of the RUF that included in its ranks NPFL members and Burkinabes. According to Sierra Leonean writer Abdul Koroma, the rebels were very fast to demonstrate their brutality, decapitating community leaders and putting their heads on stakes. Oxford University researcher Paul Richards says that the Burkinabes did attempt some politicisation, but most of the lectures to villagers were spoken in French. Forced recruitment of children was also an early feature of rebel strategy. The intellectuals in the RUF opposed the methods being used, but within the first year of the rebellion, they had been eliminated in internal purges as Sankoh took over the movement. Among the victims were Kanu and Mansaray. The rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has displayed a staggering capacity for brutality. In May 2000, the RUF overturned a fragile peace process and plunged the country back into war. Sankoh was captured on 17 May 2000, but this has not kept the RUF from continuing their fight and terror actions. It is well documented that the RUF is using terror tactics such as mass rape, torture and mutilation of civilians, abduction of children to become child soldiers or sex slaves and massive intimidation.
