Sierra Leone Civil War: Strategies and Battles
The RUF (Revolutionary United Front) was a very violent group of rebels that often cut off the limbs of their victims no matter how young. When they captured children to fight for them they carved the initials "RUF" into the chest so that they could identify them. The RUF focused mostly on staying hidden. They fought to control of as much land as possible, especially land with villages and towns. Early in the war the RUF relied on roads to move weapons and machinery, but as the war progressed they began to move away from using vehicles and heavy weaponry. They realized if they moved through the dense forest, they would be safe from motorized enemy. The majority of Sierra Leoneans had a hatred for the rebel cause, but to turn this opinion in the other direction, RUF soldiers dressed in the Government military uniforms and tags. When the RUF raided villages in Government drab people thought that they were fighting for the Government cause and thus a strong hatred for the Sierra Leonean military grew. On the other hand, the Government’s military shared very similar strategies to the RUF. They fought in the woods and tried to maintain as much power over large amounts of land as possible. One of the major differences between the RUF and the Government was that the Government strived to be well liked by the common people. The RUF didn’t need support like the Government did because their main source of income had nothing to do with civilians. . The only thing a rebel group needs to be able to fight is money, and the RUF had plenty of money. However, the Government’s main source of funding came from the Sierra Leonean people, thus they needed the support from the majority of the society.