Last modified: 2013-11-25 by rob raeside
Keywords: sierra leone | cdf | kamajors="" |
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image by António Martins-Tuválkin,
27 May 2008Same colours than national
tricolour (green, blue and white)
are used in this flag. Two crossed blue rifles in the center of a plain
white background. Some green letters distributed in four positions (as
the four main cardinal points). CDF stands for Civil Defense Forces and
SL stands for Sierra Leone
Santiago Tazón, 17 November 2004
CDF stand for Civil Defense Forces. The CDF were a
paramilitary group who fought in the civil war (1991-2002) of Sierra
Leone supporting elected Government against the rebel group of RUF
(Revolutionary United Front). They were mostly known like the
"Kamajors" because the CDF were formed mainly with members of the
Kamajors sect. The sect was composed by people of the Mende ethnic
group. The Kamajors was a kind of "mystical" battle force because they
believed that using magical water and rituals could obtain a
bulletproof skin. Since Government forces won the civil war, the
Kamajors are now considered as national heroes, and a monument as
tribute to the Kamajors have been proposed, despite of most of them
committed severe war crimes and they have been accused in the Sierra
Leone Special Court, including the leader Sam Hinga Norman.
Main Sources: BBC reports and AFRIBLOG (http://tazon.org/iblog),
my website about African conflicts.
Santiago Tazón, 17 November 2004