Two years later, the Nigerian-led Western African Intervention Force entered Freetown to cheering crowds. The cheers died quickly when the RUF later attempted to take Freetown by force. The UN Military Observer mission in Sierra Leone evacuated its staff northward to Conakry, Guinea. Its headquarters compound was subsequently burned-out by the RUF.
The West African Intervention Force subsequently retook Freetown. The RUF returned to the bush, while maintaining control of the diamond-producing areas in the south and east of the country. The UN then arranged a ceasefire. Later, in Lomé, Togo, an UN-brokered peace agreement was signed between Kabbah’s government and the RUF. Not many in Sierra Leone believed that the peace agreement would hold. Fear was omnipresent. Nobody knew what the future might hold.
Confirmed reports spoke to many RUF atrocities. Because they had lost the previously held general election, their revenge was to cut off the hands of over 1,000 residents of Freetown. This equated in their minds to punishment for voting the wrong way.
"In the course of writing our books, there is always a fascinating piece of research that we stumble on, and it may or may not make it into our stories. Really good research should, of course, never be intrusive so here is your opportunity to let that little piece of trivia or major research point have its moment in the sun.
Robert Bruce Adolph: Understanding that my book was written entirely from my own experiences, there was really no research necessary except looking into my own memory, heart and soul. However, here is something that was not directly needed for the book that could be of interest to your readers.
The story begins in Sierra Leone, West Africa where I
conducted the evacuation of that nation’s capital when invaded by the brutal
Revolutionary United Front. Afterward, I was assigned to the isolated country
of Yemen, where I had to deal with refugee camp violence, corruption, a tribal
gunfight, and multiple kidnappings. Then I was posted as the UN Chief of
Security for Iraq. The compound we occupied was extraordinarily vulnerable to
attack. Yet, against my repetitive advice, UN-New York continued to send staff
to Iraq. Subsequently, the mission suffered a jihadist vehicular suicide
bombing in Baghdad that resulted in twenty-two dead and over one-hundred fifty
wounded. My wife was one of those wounded and evacuated. The suicide
bomber used a ton of explosive material.
I warned UN leadership often, both orally and in writing,
that Iraq was unsafe for the UN by my office. My staff and I were ignored. Our
multiple warnings fell on deaf ears. The dead and wounded were the result.
After the fact, wondering why my warnings were ignored, I wondered how common,
or uncommon, such bombings were. My research revealed that at least 12,284
civilians were killed in at least 1,003 suicide bombings in Iraq between 2003
and 2010. My studies revealed that suicide bombings killed 60 times as many
civilians as they did soldiers.
I didn't see why UN leaders would ignore my warnings. Those responsible were never held accountable. That was what drove me to write this book. I felt compelled to write the story in the hope that the same mistakes would never again be repeated.
Karen Siddall: Thank you for sharing this memory with us today. Your story is absolutely mind-boggling, and I am so sorry about your wife being wounded. Unimaginable.
Thank you so much for featuring today's book.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThis so sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting book! Thank you for the excerpt & guest post! :)
ReplyDelete