Sierra Leone Civil War: Aftermath
Even after the war was officially over, child soldiers continued to suffer. Although these children were freed, they were forced to go to rehabilitation centers. These centers allowed children who fought in the war to recover from the horrible images and events that have overtaken their lives. For some children, the rehabilitation process can take many years. Even once they are safe from the violence, the war continues for these children, they have been trained to be violent killers. That is all they remember how to do. An official from a rehabilitation center in Uganda says, “...Violence has become a part of their lives. They find it extremely difficult to recognize authority since they had power over the civilian population in their previous lives...” The children in these rehabilitation centers focus on two things: finding anyway to make money, and find anyway to get out of their counseling sessions. Children have been known to pull the boards of their doorframe off to sell the raw wood. A lot of children become discouraged when they reach the rehabilitation centers because they do not receive many of the things they are promised, for example, an education, clothing, and shoes. But, children are not the only things that the country needed to worry about after the war. During the war the average GDP per capita in Sierra Leone was only $0.38. Because of the major debt in Sierra Leone (about 100 million dollars) the threat of another violent outbreak was large. After the war was officially resolved Britain pulled out their 800 officers, and United Nations peacekeepers were sent to maintain the status of peace. However, British war ships and troops remain in Sierra Leone. Britain promised to help train a new army for the Sierra Leonean government; Sierra Leone is on its own.