Uncle Kelfala,
I do appreciate your generous offer to teach me chiefdom politics and your desire to end the discussion about democratization and security.It never occured to me--and you were not too clear about this--that what you were advocating was an immediate measure, that you believe, would bring an end to the war.No wonder you naively welcomed the NPRC on cyberspace, hoping against hope,that their presence would usher in what you optimistically dubbed "democracy in cyberspace". Uncle, how meaningful would such a democracy be when our people are dying by the hundreds in refugee camps all over the place? Would it not be more meaningful for NPRC to do something in salone than welcome their presence in the information autobahn?
I do not have to go to Baoma koya or any of the refugee camps to realize the enormity of the calamity that has enveloped our nation.If you sincerely believe that your chiefdom militia would end the conflict in Salone why dont you, for heaven sake, make the trip after the democratic process in cyberspace might have secured for you the possiblity of experimenting with your pet militia and, observe first hand (with a scud missile,Uncle, not an AK47)what damage your anarchic proposal would have wrought for your beloved chiefdom compatriots.Advocating the creation of a militia in a situation where banditry is widespread in the countryside, where guns are easy to come by,where people are anxious and impatiently waiting to settle scores, would only lead to total chaos and disaster for our people. The example of Chad, Mozambique, Angola,and Uganda, where conlficts of a similar nature have occured, are too fresh in our minds to forget.The state has already collapsed in our country, there is crisis of legitimacy, and all you could think of is to arm uneducated peasants. This is geneocidal. People are dying every day, and the last thing we want in Salone is a chiefdom militia to end the violence, in the name of "security". The proliferation of arms in the country side would only create more Foday Sankoh's.Chiefdom militia+ wardlordism=genocide.You may have the best of intentions, Uncle,but this is what you proposal would led to. It is warming up here.Have a good one. Ibrahim