Liberia: Ex-child soldier wants to make up for his past
By Melissa Annan
Monrovia, Liberia, 7th Oct. 2007 - Recently, I met with an ex-child soldier who was willing to share his experience with me. I paid a visit to him and sought permission to have an interview with him in the presence of either his parents or guardians. He told me that his mother and brothers were in another county and as such he would prefer the interview in the presence of his aunt, with whom he was residing in Monrovia. We set a date and commenced the interview. In a relaxed mood, the ex-child soldier (name withheld) told me that he first held a weapon at the age of 10, in 1999 following the attack of a rebel group called Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) which tried to unseat the Charles Taylor-led Government. He is now 18 years old and presently a seventh grade student of the William V.S. Tubman High School in Monrovia.
Narrating his experience, he explained that he joined the MODEL rebels in 1999, following the death of his father who was killed by stray bullets. He said his mother and two younger brothers (6 and 4 years) had no means of survival and so, as the rebels advanced in Grand Bassa County, where they resided, he was encouraged by one of the ex-fighters to join them in order to keep eyes on their weapons.
“Even though I was afraid, I was the older son for my mother at the time. So I decided to join them in order to bring food home to my mother and younger brothers since my father was not around.”
According to him, the MODEL fighters told him that he would join the rest of the other kids that were also recruited to fetch water, wash dishes and do other tasks that would be required of them.
Photo © Tiggy Ridley / IRIN.
He further explained that as the days went by, he started gaining interest in the military business, especially when he noticed that things were in their favour; MODEL fighters were in full possession of the Free Port of Grand Bassa County.
“One day, my commander called me and said I should come and practice how to fire the gun. That was my greatest desire. He taught me how to put the bullets in the gun and all the other techniques that I needed to know at the time,” he stated.
In a rather relaxed mood, the ex-child soldier indicated that two weeks later, he made his first move on the war front: “We went as far as little Bassa and we fell into an ambush. I was so afraid and began firing. It was God that saved us that day.”
Among several other things, he explained that before the cease-fire in 2003, he fought and killed several persons, including civilians and officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): “I was also involved in looting valuable items.
“To be frank, I never used to be afraid because our commanders always gave us drugs and other things to make us brave, and so human beings used to look like animals in my eyes,” he said.
He explained that he remained with MODEL until the international community called for a cease-fire. He stated that following the cease-fire agreement that was signed in Accra, Ghana, in 2003, they were called upon to turn in their arms. “I was really tired and I was one of the first to surrender my arms and ammunition to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). After I turned in my arms, they gave us some money and other benefits to take care of ourselves. They also promised to put us on scholarship and I was very excited because I wanted to go back to school.”
According to him, before the MODEL fighters attacked Buchanan city, Grand Bassa County, he was in the 4th grade. “I felt that I was getting older and needed to go back to school. So, I took advantage of the opportunity and decided to go back to school,” he added.
He further stated that at the age of 14, he felt that he was too old to sit amongst kids in the 4th grade and so he decided to attend the night session. “Right now, I am 18 years old and I am in the 7th grade. I know that I will make it and soon be out of high school to do more for my mother and two younger brothers, and even my country.”
He later apologized for the harm he caused some peaceful citizens, as he said he didn’t know what he was doing. He now promises to make up for the damage he caused in the past.
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