Issa Hassan Sesay and Morris Kallon, two accused war criminals from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in the civil war in Sierra Leone, were convicted of 16 counts of war crimes at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, including “acts of terrorism,” against the civilian population, mutilation, terrorism, rape, forced marriage, sexual slavery, and the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

The statute establishing the Special Court of Sierra Leone includes a provision prohibiting conscription of children under the age of 15 punishable under Article 4.c. of the Statute.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone is a collaboration between international and national justice, set up to try those accused of committing war crimes in the civil war in Sierra Leone. AP reports: “The court was set up in 2003 after the end of the 11-year war that began in 1992.”

The last case to be tried is against Charles Taylor and is currently underway in the Hague – the trial was moved there for security reasons. Serious funding issues due to the global economic crisis have sparked talk of a possible early end to the trial, allowing Taylor to “walk free”.