Pro-Government Militias
RUF (Sierra Leone)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 432 |
| Country: | Sierra Leone |
| Date formed: | May 28, 1997 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | The RUF was a rebel army that fought during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Major Johnny Paul Koromah of the Sierra Leonean military staged a coup with the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) against President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah on May 25, 1997. Koromah subsequently invited RUF leader Foday Sankoh to join him in the government. Sankoh agreed to join on May 28, 1997. |
| Date dissolved: | March 12, 1998 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The group ceased to classify as a PGM when RUF and AFRC were evicted from the capital by an invasion of a Nigerian-led West African force that reinstated the rule of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. The termination date of March 12 in 1998 refers to the date when Kabbah returned to Freetown after nine months in exile. Subsequently, the RUF continued to exist as a rebel group fighting in the country. After peace was established in Sierra Leone, the RUF was converted into a political party, the Revolutionary United Front Party (Wikipedia). |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 532 |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | yes |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 532 |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | self-maintained; plunder and loot |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | children |
| Primary Membership: | other |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | civilians; foreign military |
| Purpose(s): | intimidation of civilians |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The RUF supported the AFRC after they gained control through the coup in 1997. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | When the RUF started to exist, they were popular with many Sierra Leoneans who looked forward to the promise of free education and health care. However, the RUF acted terribly cruel towards civilians by e.g. hacking off limbs to intimidate and spread terror among the population. They were also known for their widespread recruitment of child soldiers (Wikipedia). |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing; beating; sexual violence |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | yes |
| PGM Members Paid? | no |
| Reasons for Membership: | Initially, a group of Sierra Leoneans created and joined the RUF due to their own commitment. However, over the course of their existence, they made extensive use of child soldiers - boys and girls - who were forced to serve as soldiers or prostitutes (Wikipedia). |
| PGM Members Killed? | often |
PGM Size
| Size: | no information |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Libya, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea are reported to have helped in providing weapons to the RUF. They were also supported by Charles Taylor. Not only did Liberia provide military training, but there was a constant flow of weapons, ammunition, food and other supplies into RUF territory in Sierra Leone (Amnesty International 2006). |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The RUF was created and headed by Foday Sankoh, of Temne and Mende background. His allies were Abu Kanu and Rashid Mansaray. Sankoh was held in Nigeria from 1997-1999 (Wikipedia). |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.