1.The violence of the war started when the RUF became greedy towards the diamond mines. The RUF wanted them all to themselves so they started murdering citizens and kicking citizens out so nobody would get in their way. The RUF used their newfound riches to trade Charles Taylor for weapons.
2. Charles Taylor wanted the diamond mines that the RUF occupied. In order to get what he wanted, he bribed the RUF with guns and money. This fueled the RUF and gave them the resources they needed to make their ideas a reality. After their exchange with Taylor, the RUF was ready for battle.
3. One thing that allowed the RUF to advance in the ways they did was their promises to young boys. The RUF would promise abandoned and orphaned boys that they would give them shelter, help, care, love, and food. After the unsuspecting boys agreed to join their army, the RUF numbed them with drugs, creating millions of killing machines.
The ain cause of the Sierra Leone Genocide was the diamond mines, or otherwise known as blood diamonds.
Effects of the genocide
1. After the war, Sierra Leone was thrust into poverty. Civilians are not only struggling with low income, but they also don't have easy access to necessary resources like water and food. The poverty rate of Sierra Leone is 60%. That's more than half of the population. Most families survive on as little as $1.25 per day. The unemployment rates are extremely high as well. 70% of youth in Sierra Leone struggle with unemployment or underemployment.
2. After and throughout the war, many members of Sierra Leone's youth struggle with drug abuse and addiction. Many kids had to go to center like the Center for Victims of torture to overcome their addictions. The most common drug handed out by the army and RUF was Cocaine mixed with gunpowder.