By Prince J Musa in Kenema
In a bid to educate young minds about the civil war in Sierra Leone, the outreach officer of the Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone, Patrick Fatorma and team delivered a public lecture to students of the Eastern Technical University (ETU) on people prosecuted by the court during the 10 years conflict in the country.
During the lectures on the 3rd June, 2024, he highlighted injustice in the judiciary sector, political intimidation, youth unemployment, corruption and nepotism, economic hardship among others as the contributing factors for the brutal war in the country.
He stated that the court decided to hold public lectures in Universities to inform young people that are mostly influenced to engage in violent activities in the society especially during electioneering period and to remind them that there are laws responsible for any offences committed.
Fatorma recalled that after the war ended in 2000, the United Nations in consultation with the government of Sierra Leone agreed to establish a special court to try all those that committed the greatest atrocities in order to prevent future occurrence in the country. He mentioned militia groups like the RUF, AFRC, Civil Defense Forces (CDF) and Kamajors to have committed crimes against civilians in Sierra Leone.
He explained that after several investigations, thirteen people among the various war factions were named to be tried by the special court of Sierra Leone since they gave commanding orders to their war factions that cause the greatest human rights violations on civilians.
In his presentation, the Assistant Outreach Coordinator of the Court, Sulaiman Jabati told the gathering the reasons leading to the apprehension of those that bore the greatest responsibility in the war. He outlined the legal mandates of the special court in Sierra Leone which he said is to set precedence and therefore warned young people to reshape their minds against any riotous conduct in any society they find themselves. He said most of the current students in the Universities did not experience the war and may have limited ideas about it.
The deputy Public Relations Officer of ETU, Isha Halima Jalloh expressed delight over the public lecture especially when it hints on the causes of the civil war which devastated the country leading to the killing of thousands of people and properties destroyed. She added that it is important for young people to have awareness about the factors responsible for the under- development of Sierra Leone and to bear in mind that they have vital roles to play for sustainable peace in the country.
He encouraged students to make good use of the knowledge acquired from the public lectures and pleaded with them to share the good information to others, saying education is not only about what the tutors teach students in the lecture room, but to gain more knowledge about their country’s history.
Nasiru Deen Cole, a final year student reminded the team from the residual special court that all the contributing factors of the civil war in Sierra Leone are still happening and that as young people they consider the lectures as important and timely.
He called for the National Council for Civic Education and Democracy (NACCED, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone and other government institutions to embark on some public sensitizations and to play videos of the war for young people to see so that they will change their mindset against regionalism, tribalism and other ills that are threatening the peace of the country.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (07/06/24)
