Blood diamonds and boy soldiers

We’ve already received updates on the road from Geoff from his experiences in China and Turkmenistan, the trek to Tibet, his time in war torn Ukraine and his introduction to Africa.

In this latest two-part article from ‘the road’, he shares more experiences from West Africa.

His story is supported by photos from fellow traveller Sam Attwood.

Last week we ran part one of the update, and following is part two.

•••

The broad smile on our tour guide to Bunce Island, along with his excellent grasp of English, hide a story behind his mask.

His name is Peter Momoh Bassie, born in Maken Teki Village, Sierra Leone.

This is his story.

From the foothills of the Loma mountains in the north to the rainforests of the east, a brutal civil war was raging for 10 years from 1991 to 2002.

If the black betty was the evil face of slavery, so too was it to return in another form, but this time placed not in the hands of the slave masters, but the small innocent hands of young boy soldiers.

Peter was 11 years old and held captive by the WEST END BOYS for seven years, a notorious group of thugs fighting with rebel forces.

Lying face down naked with hands tied in front of him, he was whipped 36 times by the black betty reincarnate.

Having replaced the leather straps from the sticks with foam to not inflict wounds to his other boy soldiers, he was made the head of discipline in his unit.

This was his punishment for his compassion.

He was caught telling the boys to cry out in pain when being flogged to hide the deception.

Now he was the one crying out in pain, but there was nothing to gain from crying.

So, he drew on his faith to deliver his fate as black betty strikes for the 36th and final time.

During a raid on his village, his mother was shot dead along with many others.

Peter smeared the blood of his dead mother over his body and lent against a wall to play dead.

This courageous act from a young boy of 11 years of age is the reason he survived the war.

There were many other stories of equal brutality told at the ‘Truth and Reconciliation Trial’ which took as long as the war itself.

Many lost their lives. Luckier ones, only limbs.

Peter lost his father, his mother and one of his 12 siblings at the hands of the gun during the civil war.

He showed us his scars at the beating of the black betty.

As the last sun rays paint the red Sierra Leonian soil, I could only reflect on the resilience of these former boy soldiers who had to find purpose in life after a decade of turmoil and their families dismembered forever.

Are their fates as lucky as Peter’s, or are some blows just too hard on the mind of a child?