Some problems and issues that arose from the civil war.
1. One of the serious issues that emerged from the civil war is that of the child soldier. In June of 1998, the UN resolved on the prohibition of the enlistment of youths to armies, but it is said that there were about 4000 child soldiers in Sierra Leone. In the year 2000, many have returned home and to society after receiving care from rehabilitation centers, but re-education is difficult for youths who were forced to use drugs and have experienced killing in their teens. And in addition, there are the issues of children whose limbs have been cut off, and young girls who gave birth to children of their rapists.
2. There are hundreds of thousands of refugees from Sierra Leone in neighboring Guinea and Liberia, and as many internally displaced persons. That is equal to as high as 20 to 25% of the population, and from this, first arise the issues of food, shelter, and health. Superficial humanitarian aid is like pouring water on a hot stone. Even more serious is that the process of rebuilding the country is not progressing as the intellectuals and the technological experts have become refugees. UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) is trying to prioritize the return of such skilled people, but it is made difficult due to the presence of the Rebels. And, there is always the possibility that Rebel soldiers and women are living in the refugee camps as spies, and receiving aid at the same time.
3. The finance, economy, and industry of Sierra Leone have all hit bottom. There was only $5000 worth of foreign currencies in the Central Bank in September of 1998. The government barely manages to buy petroleum and food by loaning from the World Bank and Britain. According to a World Bank report, the average annual income is $90, the lowest in the world (as opposed to Japan's $37,850, 2nd in the world.) The inflation is destructive, and even UNDP's ranking of 'quality of life,' Sierra Leone ranks as last, as opposed to Japan, which ranks 9th.
4. Starvation and sickness are covering the whole country. Lack of provisions is serious since fields were burned down, the growers of crops have been dispersed, stocks have been stolen and seed rice has been lost. The WFP and the Catholic aid organization Caristas provide seed rice for rice farming. But there is no guarantee that it won't be stolen at the time of harvest again. Other than the people who died of hunger and were killed in war, there are an infinite number of people (especially children under five years of age) who died of sickness after they escaped into the bushes. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), the average life Span of a Sierra Leonean is 26 years, the shortest in the world. Is that not a surprise? The average life span of the world population is 64.5 years, and the longest is 74.5 years, that of Japan.
5. The presence of armed forces and the influx of arms is also a big issue. The civilian regime is attempting to maintain public order with the SLA and the police, but the RUF and the ex-SLA are still holding onto their own spheres of influence, and the government still has not succeeded in bringing the whole nation under its control. Furthermore, small armed groups made up of people lacking military discipline and morals have turned into bandits and ambush and attack aid activities that are supposedly under UN protection. This means that there is no guarantee of safety. The sisters have been unable to return to Sierra Leone exactly due to this risk. The same goes for the Lend A Hand Movement activities. The situation is that in order to do anything, back up by a large institution such as the UN, the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, or Caristas is needed.
