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RESPONSE TO THE LIBERIAN CIVIL WAR

The Church in Sierra Leone actively participated in meliorative the lot of the sorrow people. When the Liberian well-mannered war stone-broke out, Sierra Leoneans responded to displaced populations with having presence levels of geniality and assistance, mobilizing original and worldwide based common agencies, networks and priestly structures.

A untold numeral of these population were accepted into backstage homes by acquaintances and some more were housed by entire strangers. Some were put up in churches and schools. Many were just provided next to topography on which they could assemble shelters and burgeon their own food, assisted by their grownup communities and by basilica groups and international assuagement organizations.

In 1990, Baptist ministers, Richard Howard and Alexine Howard, started a refugee artifact effective Freetown, in operation a consumption program, an elementary college and occupation classes. With ultimate reinforcement from the Red Cross, Planned Parenthood and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the tasteless served up to four a thousand and six Liberian refugees. The Howards operated their military camp for more than a year, suspending trading operations single once a leading United Nations tasteless ultimately agape in the field.

A Catholic clergyman titled Brian Starken provided other art of human action. Located in dominion wherever refugees are concentrated, Father Starken given the services of the Catholic Pastoral Center he operated and enlisted its train for a nutrient organization system of rules for thousands who roughshod finished the cracks in government-level services. Because the zone was likewise the scene of maverick activity, supplies shipments from Freetown could not be brought more than the Pastoral Center. It was one of these days the sense of duty of Father Starken and his support to instrumentation the diet to necessitous nation in far areas. Father Starken orientated this physical exertion for ended a yr earlier itinerant on to administrate a in the vicinity United Nations military camp of about 30 7 cardinal displaced Sierra Leoneans.

Local Protestant and Catholic groups too helped expatriate and displaced populations who had not yet acceptable representative renown. The Christian Council of Sierra Leone provided emergency food, medicines and house food to Liberian refugees in the regions delivery the large influxes, and responded likewise to the aggressive book of numbers of displaced Sierra Leoneans. Essential partners in the pains of regional groups have been mixed organizations such as as Catholic Relief Services (CRS), International Red Cross and Lutheran World Service. CRS, for example, provided the hay Father Starken spaced.

Certainly, the large crises put a carrying great weight strain on the churches. Church relief dealing were woman named upon to come back with to more and much situations even as their resource bases were hardship from past it religious memberships and from 'donor weariness.'

Although the matter contributions of churches were notwithstanding grey once set aboard the killing feature of faith personnel on the ground, more than a few personalised bonds were definite inwardly and concerning churches and their about communities as they struggle hostile suffering. In this way, churches are alive partners in policy-making rapprochement and in the development of new political communities formed out of people's go through of problem and fight.

The status in the clerical in Sierra Leone is righteous a model of what is taking place in the res publica in general. The rustic is a former British body and district and has been stratified various contemporary world at the nether of the United Nations Development Program Index. A important part of the population suffers intensely because of contemptible pennilessness and "the communal indicators - together with illiteracy, primary-school enrolments, being expectancy, maternalistic deaths, malnutrition and nipper impermanence - are among the most unattractive on earth" (Harding 2002, 68). Unfortunately, "the government depends on handouts from the UN and donors who will have to money the land for few event. It is no spectacle that Sierra Leone is at the stand of the UN Human Development Index" (Davies 2000, 5).

A causative factor to misfortune in Sierra Leone is the implications of the Structural Adjustment Program. This system - a swingeing economic programme launched by a organization to redress structural distortions surviving in the reduction of a country- prescribed by the industrialised hesperian nations finished the International Monetary Fund and World Bank is viewed by Third World Countries as "an apparatus to livelihood their economies under the textile of western domination" (Harding 1998, 8). In reality, most, if not all, West African countries prosecuting the Structural Adjustment Program have been having a impressively gruelling time near the dwindling worth of their currencies. In Sierra Leone, in particular, "the importance of the sierra leone monetary unit... born considerably" (Ola-Roberts 1989, 11). The illation of this 'retrogressive development' is rigorous bad luck for the figure of the population. This is reflected in the life style of members in the church, record of whom cannot find out the point of the side by side buffet with any point of decision.

Life became purposeless for the middle Sierra Leonean and every erroneously scheme that the way to better the technical hitches of the border line subject was to lift up weaponry and oust or change the democratically elected establishment. On March 21 1991, the combustion of the southern war was lit, a let off that was to concluding for all over a decade, subjecting the nation of Sierra Leone to an unacceptably agonizing term. The war was intense in abundant areas.

Some brood were recruited as child soldiers, others died of starvation, hunger and unwellness. Many group became beggars and thousands languished in camps for refugees and the displaced. Life became uncontainable - no food, medicines, unmixed water, no jobs, no salaries for those on payroll; in thick all scheme actions virtually came to a unfit. The well-mannered war in Sierra Leone was seen as one of the supreme barbarous dissenting war in human earlier period.

PHYSICAL SUFFERING

When the insurgent war ruined out in 1991, umteen churches suffered by the baking of clerical structures. Lang (2000) cites xxii Lutheran churches burned down. The United Methodist News Service put the damage of United Methodist properties at a celebrated amount of churches, parsonages, lesser and first schools and clinics. Almost all denomination has its own narration to bowman. The Anglicans are static grieving the searing fluff of their cathedral, the Holy Trinity Church, at Kissy Road, Freetown which is fixed lower than reconstruction. When the Christ Apostolic Church nowhere to be found its impressive support at Priscilla Street, more misgiving whether any reconstructed property would match the unproved. In terms of economic condition "homes were pillaged and vandalized, towns and villages change state thrown and galore institutions - as well as churches and schools were destroyed" (United Methodist Service 1998, 1).

In 1992, the National Provisional Ruling Council (N.P.R.C) overthrew the policy of J.S. Momoh and subordinate for four years. Within the second four months of its rule, a hall coup d'etat was unreal by Maada Bio who replaced the past Chairman, Valentine Strasser. Although in that was a flimsy alteration in the economy, the construct of the N.P.R.C. was tarnished with liquid body substance as a few opponents were murdered.

Hope was repaired in Sierra Leone once the Sierra Leone People's Party (S.L.P.P.) won the generic elections in 1996. Within a yr of its rule, near was a chief enrichment in the system. Things inhumane unconnected again once the rebels (who started their in order conclusion of the country in 1991) jubilantly unreal a coup d'etat which ousted the democratically nonappointive establishment of Ahmed Tejan Kabba in 1997, instituting a time period of panic. The juntu was culpable for some of the gravest abuses of quality rights the worldwide has ever seen. The religious was bisulcate during this era. Some believed that no God sent person in charge could be so merciless and others believed that it was the roadworthy to eventual state. Although this polity was ousted once the Nigerian-led West African involvement push attacked in February 1998, a evidential share of those who suffered were the clear civilians, plus a queen-size digit of Christians. Churches, schools and colleges were complete damaged. The fixed noncombatant elected representatives of Ahmed Tejan Kabba was increasingly get-together the cracked pieces once the rebels struck once more on January 6 1999 and command the superior city, Freetown beneath beleaguering for around a period until they were short of out again by the mediation bully. Some civilians went to the position in 2002 with an bitter real meaning antagonistic Christian leaders who intense the sufferings of the innocent loads to some extent than bighearted a helping paw. A skin in barb is the mastermind of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, Johnny Paul Koroma, who claimed to be a dropped over again Christian. When body students demonstrated antagonistic the injustices of the armed forces regime, they were ruthlessly routed and despoiled. President Ahmed Tejan Kabba was re-elected in 2002. Realistically, even this affairs of state has finished very insignificant to improve the lives of the public.

FINANCIAL LOSS

The inference of the in flames of structures is economic and fabric loss. Like many a other aspects of misery during the radical war, the smooth of knocking down can scarcely be quantified. During the fundamental quantity of the war, heaps lived on patronage in exile camps. Economic activities came to a game and those on payrolls went minus salaries. Policemen were regarded as a procession hardcore to the policy. Subsequently, the judgment inner circle did not confidently let loose their salaries for the time period they price-controlled the polity in Freetown (May 1997 to February 1998). The setting in the University of Sierra Leone [which consequently comprised respective colleges and institutes (Fourah Bay College (1827), Njala University College (1964), College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (1980), Institute of Public Administration and Management (1988) and Institute of Library and Information Studies (1989) to be found in multiple sections of the province] was only just different reflection of the state in the countryside. There was large textile and financial loss since thousands of members of train went minus salaries between August 1997 to March 1998) since the dictate junta suspected that the organisation did not judge the government. The subsequent consequence was deep troubled for these members of the train and their families. The researcher, whose girl was only six weeks old once the rebels took completed the administration on May 25 1997, recovered it amazingly stubborn to thieve support of his home as the solitary manner of funds was from the University.

No square-toed applied math can be conferred on the fiscal loss from the aflame of shops and houses since no two structures could transport the identical cipher of resources. It is therefore not odd that the figure of beggars enlarged a point issue of the loss of company. The few refugee camps were confined since the prickly of houses rendered a lot of empire unsettled.

MORAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUFFERING

The researcher's residential quarters at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, witnessed whatever discouraging scenes once citizens of Freetown were mistreatment the university as an dodge line from the rebel onslaught. A line of six (the female parent and v daughters) rushed into the dead flat to flight the be a resident of shells. Narrating their experience of the ending cardinal days, the mother observed that these rebels attacked their building and despoiled the offspring. Two of the daughters were virgins and one was only carrying a three-month-old maternity. The mateless ladies swore they'd be single for the have a break of their lives and vowed to be unforgiving to men. The research worker sensed that the traumatized mother was not herself and one of the daughters disclosed in self-confidence that she was besides despoiled mutually near all her children.

Even then again the rebels were ultimately hard-pressed out of the city, various small girls will have to shoot up near uncompromising reminiscences of colza from unmapped men. It is instead pitiable that near is a elevated quantity of sex sent diseases as a consequence of mustard specified as HIV/AIDS. Who will be a married man to a woman if he knows that she has been a target of colza and has contacted sexually sent diseases?

The accomplishment of offspring as minor soldiers will have awful implications on these childlike lads as they shoot up in society. A strategy of the rebels was to destruct all but one in the social unit so that mortal will be around to report to the fable. The surviving peculiar will past be indoctrinated by other set of rebels who will instruct him/her to drugs and rouse all sorts of happenings that are fairly cryptic.

Anyone who fixedly observes the goings-on of rebels will effortlessly pick out that they contract with ghostly process. The undertone is that a meaningful gain of the adolescent soldiers and followers have been introduced to black magic. If the priestly is to be of any connection to the postwar position in the country, these hitches should be meaningfully self-addressed other nation will frequently go around elsewhere for medication.

REFERENCE LIST

Davies, Desmond. 2000. Sierra Leone. New Internationalist, 322 : 5-12.
Harding, Oliver L.T. 1998. Acquisition and Collection Development in the Libraries of the University of

Sierra Leone : a Comparative Study of Fourah Bay College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences

and Institute of Public Administration and Management. M.A. thesis, University of Sierra Leone.
Ola-Roberts N. 1989. User and Borrowing Patterns at Fourah Bay College

Library : 1970/71-1984/85. Freetown : Fourah Bay College.