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...