The Impact of War

Last weekend a journalism student named Alhassan took me to Kambia, which is about four hours from Makeni on a terrible excuse for an international highway, near the border with Guinea. I stayed at the Catholic mission where Alhassan used to be an altar boy, in a house with two Italian priests who have been in Sierra Leone for decades.

Kambia was completely devastated by the eleven-year rebel war. The ruins of once-beautiful homes are everywhere, as the rebels simply took over the town, stole property, then looted and destroyed everything when they left.

These kids are playing soccer in the street, with another reminder of the war in the background.

It is obvious that Kambia was once an amazing little town, with a beautiful river, rolling hills and palm trees. The rusted remains of light poles dot the now-darkened streets. It is very sad to see such wasted potential in a town like this. The destruction in Makeni was not so bad because the rebels used it as their headquarters. In Kambia, every other building speaks of the terrible things that happened there.