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CNN Live At Daybreak
A Look at the Child Soldiers of Liberia
Aired August 25, 2003 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The presence of American Marines in Liberia was cheered by the Liberian people, but now most of those Marines have withdrawn. One hundred fifty members of the Marine Quick Reaction Force returned to their ships off the coast. The peacekeeping mission is now completely in the hands of 1,500 Nigerian troops. About 60 Marines remain at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia for security.
Also, the Liberian government claims rebel forces continue to attack the northeastern portion of the country. The government claims rebels have burned villages, attacked government troops and killed hundreds of civilians. A peace accord between the rebels and the government was signed last week.
And many of Liberia's children have taken part in this long civil war. But with the possibility of lasting peace on the horizon, they must now learn to live without the violence.
Jeff Koinange takes a look at the child soldiers of Liberia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are the forgotten faces of Africa's endemic civil wars -- child soldiers. They are easy to recruit, easy to train and many end up as lean, mean killing machines.
GENERAL COME DOWN TO MY LEVEL: I kill a lot of enemy.
KOINANGE: He's only 16 but says he's been fighting for more than half his life. He calls himself General Come Down To My Level.
(on camera): Why do they call you that?
GENERAL COME DOWN TO MY LEVEL: Yes, because when I see my enemy, they always come down to my level. I make sure they come down to my level.
KOINANGE (voice-over): Other kids have equally colorful names. This one calls himself Colonel Bad Blood. He's only 14 years old. This is 13-year-old Captain Bush Shaking, while this is 11-year-old Lieutenant Snake in the Grass. And this little lady is 12-year-old Sergeant Theresa Baum (ph). The more flamboyant the name, it seems, the more respect they feel they'll get. They are just a very few of the many child soldiers who fought for the army of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. The rebel groups have their own vanguard of teenage warriors. On closer scrutiny, there's not much difference between the two.
(on camera): Nobody really knows how many child soldiers have fought in this Liberian conflict, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands. But what's evident is that most of these young men and women have known nothing but war, rape, pillage and plunder for most of their lives.
(voice-over): Time after time, child soldiers are usually the ones sent to the front line, perhaps because they are more malleable, less aware of the danger. But the ones who survive risk being scarred for life. To Liberia's defense minister, this goes to the heart of the country's predicament.
DANIEL CHEA, LIBERIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: Unless we demilitarize the brains of our people, the peace that we are looking for is going to be short-lived.
KOINANGE: When they're not busy fighting, these teens are busy doing what any normal teens would be doing -- dancing, laughing, growing up. Most, though, would rather be elsewhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to go to school and learn a job.
KOINANGE: First, they need to rebuild many of those schools. It'll take much longer to rebuild the lives of these teenage killers and longer still to rebuild the shattered psyche of a nation.
Jeff Koinange, CNN, Monrovia, Liberia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 25, 2003 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The presence of American Marines in Liberia was cheered by the Liberian people, but now most of those Marines have withdrawn. One hundred fifty members of the Marine Quick Reaction Force returned to their ships off the coast. The peacekeeping mission is now completely in the hands of 1,500 Nigerian troops. About 60 Marines remain at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia for security.
Also, the Liberian government claims rebel forces continue to attack the northeastern portion of the country. The government claims rebels have burned villages, attacked government troops and killed hundreds of civilians. A peace accord between the rebels and the government was signed last week.
And many of Liberia's children have taken part in this long civil war. But with the possibility of lasting peace on the horizon, they must now learn to live without the violence.
Jeff Koinange takes a look at the child soldiers of Liberia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are the forgotten faces of Africa's endemic civil wars -- child soldiers. They are easy to recruit, easy to train and many end up as lean, mean killing machines.
GENERAL COME DOWN TO MY LEVEL: I kill a lot of enemy.
KOINANGE: He's only 16 but says he's been fighting for more than half his life. He calls himself General Come Down To My Level.
(on camera): Why do they call you that?
GENERAL COME DOWN TO MY LEVEL: Yes, because when I see my enemy, they always come down to my level. I make sure they come down to my level.
KOINANGE (voice-over): Other kids have equally colorful names. This one calls himself Colonel Bad Blood. He's only 14 years old. This is 13-year-old Captain Bush Shaking, while this is 11-year-old Lieutenant Snake in the Grass. And this little lady is 12-year-old Sergeant Theresa Baum (ph). The more flamboyant the name, it seems, the more respect they feel they'll get. They are just a very few of the many child soldiers who fought for the army of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. The rebel groups have their own vanguard of teenage warriors. On closer scrutiny, there's not much difference between the two.
(on camera): Nobody really knows how many child soldiers have fought in this Liberian conflict, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands. But what's evident is that most of these young men and women have known nothing but war, rape, pillage and plunder for most of their lives.
(voice-over): Time after time, child soldiers are usually the ones sent to the front line, perhaps because they are more malleable, less aware of the danger. But the ones who survive risk being scarred for life. To Liberia's defense minister, this goes to the heart of the country's predicament.
DANIEL CHEA, LIBERIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: Unless we demilitarize the brains of our people, the peace that we are looking for is going to be short-lived.
KOINANGE: When they're not busy fighting, these teens are busy doing what any normal teens would be doing -- dancing, laughing, growing up. Most, though, would rather be elsewhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to go to school and learn a job.
KOINANGE: First, they need to rebuild many of those schools. It'll take much longer to rebuild the lives of these teenage killers and longer still to rebuild the shattered psyche of a nation.
Jeff Koinange, CNN, Monrovia, Liberia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
