Sierra Leone: Inside the War: History and Narratives, Paperback

In 1991 a brutal civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, a small country on the west coast of Africa. Masterminded by Muammar Qaddafi of Libya and Charles Taylor of Liberia, the war engulfed the poverty and corruption-ridden country for ten years. Notorious for "blood diamonds" and amputations, the war saw child soldiers murdering and mutilating civilians, and young people abducted to be fighters and sex slaves. Sierra Leone: Inside the War includes a detailed history of the civil war and narratives from over thirty Sierra Leoneans who witnessed or took part in the fighting, including child soldiers. Through the historical facts and the narrators' words, readers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the politics of the war, the motivations of the fighters, and the feelings and thoughts of people caught up in the tragic violence that swept through the country.

About author(s):James Higbie was born in Michigan and educated at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and the University of Hawaii. He worked in Sierra Leone for ten years, first in the Peace Corps in the early 1970s and again after the war in education programs in Kono District. He has also worked in Hawaii, Thailand, Laos, and South Sudan, and has published books on the Thai and Lao languages. Bernard S. Moigula is from Moyamba District in Sierra Leone. He holds a Higher Diploma in Community Health and Clinical Sciences and a BSc (Hons) in Public Health, both from Njala University. He has worked in Kailahun, Bo, and Moyamba Districts in clinical and community medicine.