The Westside Boys  The story of the West Side Boys is one of the darkest chapters in the history of Sierra Leone. The group emerged during the country's brutal civil war and became notorious for violence, abductions and attacks on civilians. Their eventual confrontation with British forces in 2000 became one of the most dramatic episodes of the conflict. The Sierra Leone Civil War Sierra Leone's civil war began in 1991, when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led by Foday Sankoh, launched an armed rebellion against the government. The conflict lasted for almost a decade and involved several armed groups, including the RUF, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), the Sierra Leone Army and various civilian militias. Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission later concluded that deep problems including poor governance, corruption, weak institutions and violations of human rights had contributed to the condition...

  Daniel had a good wife. That was something everyone around him knew except Daniel himself. Her name was Grace. She was not a perfect woman, but she was patient, loving, hardworking, and loyal. She stood beside her husband through difficult seasons when many women would have walked away. When Daniel lost his job, Grace never insulted him. She encouraged him. When money became difficult, she learned to stretch whatever little they had. She would sometimes go to bed without eating enough just so that Daniel and their children could have something on the table. When Daniel was sick, she stayed awake beside him. When he was discouraged, she reminded him that life could change. “You will rise again,” she often told him. “Just don't give up.” Daniel loved Grace, or at least he believed he did. But Daniel had one dangerous weakness. He was never satisfied. Even when he had something good, he kept looking at what someone else had. At first, it was small things. He would see another man...