8 stages of genocide in Sierra LeoneThere are 8 stages of genocide and Sierra Leone had most of them if not all of them. First, Classification- it didn't play a big role in this genocide. Second, symbolism- The rebels burn the initials RUF (Revolutionary United Front) into their skin to indentify themselves. Third, Dehumanization- The rebels tortured who they captured and called them names. Fourth, Organization- The rebels trapped people in their towns and had mass attacks made on them. Fifth, Polarization- The rebels and army only took the most fit people to fight in the war, but otherwise not much of this. Sixth, Preparation- The rebels would trap people and take them hostage to kill. Seventh, Extermination- The rebels and army would kill on sight so there was a lot of exterminating in this genocide. Eighth, Denial- Even to this day Sierra Leone denies the fact that it was a genocide, but merely a civil war.
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Where are they now? |
.During the war many young girls and boys were forcefully involved in the war. So when it was over, some 72,000 ex-combatants needed to be disarmed and demobilized. People have been recovering since then and it is a hard long road before the end. Sierra Leone has been getting better ever since, but in 2014 Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency to tackle the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. 4,000 people have died from Ebola in the past two years in Sierra Leone. 11,300 people have died from it across West Africa. People were recovering from the war and right when they thought it was over, there was another task at hand.
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Is there a ninth stage?
The last stage of genocide is Denial, stage 8. But could their be a stage 9? Possibly a road to recovery stage? Probably but it is a long hard road to recovery and Ishmael Beah went down that road and did make it to recovery. Ishmael Beah was a part of the civil war and even wrote a book about it. In his book he said that he and his friend “...had run so far away from the war, only to be caught back in it." Meaning that he and his friend Mohammed had recovered from the war and gotten away from it, but the war found them and they could end up being a part of it again. Also in his book it explained how hard it was to recover for them. “At night, some of them wake up from nightmares, sweating, screaming, and punching their own heads to drive out the images that continue to torment them even when they are no longer asleep.” The images of war were only one of the hardships survivors had to endure, there were many more. So their is not officially a ninth stage of genocide but, people who have gone through this kind of genocide and madness might say otherwise. If you know or have researched any genocide, you know how hard it is to recover. So I think there should be a ninth stage, it's only fair.
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