Foday Saybana Sankoh (17 October 1937 – 29 July 2003) was a Sierra Leonean rebel leader who was the founder and commander of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group, which was supported by the Charles Taylor-led NPFL in the 11-year-long Sierra Leone Civil War, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. An estimated 50,000 people were killed during the war, and over 500,000 people were displaced into neighboring countries.

Biography

Sankoh, belonging to the Temne tribe, was born in to a poor farming family in Northern Sierra Leone. In 1956 he joined the Royal West African Forces and trained as a cameraman and a wireless operator reaching the rank of corporal. In 1968, Sankoh, now a student leader, was imprisoned for his part in a coup against the Siaka Stevens. In the early 1980s Sankoh arrived in Libya to train under the Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi.

Death

Sankoh died in hospital of complications arising from a stroke whilst awaiting trial on the night of 29 July 2003. In a statement by the UN-backed war crimes court, chief prosecutor David Crane said that Sankoh's death granted him "a peaceful end that he denied to so many others".

References

  • BBC obituary
  • Economist obituary