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Hear Our Voices -
Sierra Leone
Josiah returns home
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I am Josiah Bangali. I was born in 1954. I left Sierra Leone
in 1991 to escape the war in Mobai. When I left the village only a few
houses were remaining. I could not dare stay, but fled to Liberia, where I
ended up in VOA refugee camp. I met my wife Binda, in the camp. We had a
happy life and we had two children David (now 9) and Sherif (now 6). I
had a job as a cleaner. Because of my income we did not want to go back home
to Sierra Leone yet. We were trying to save money.
In June 2003, rebels came to the camp and eight refugees were caught in the
fighting between the government troops and the rebels. Among them was
Josaih's wife, who was killed. " I have to go back now, this is no life
here," he siad, "I am 50 years old and I do not even have 50 Liberian
dollars to my name. "
Josiah, like many other refugees, returned to Sierra Leone at end of August
2003 with his two children. He thinks he still has family in Mobai and hopes
to be able to get education for his sons. They don't yet know that
their mother is gone forever. Josiah says he will have to explain when they
are back home."
Josiah and his sons are among the thousands of internally displaced persons
(IDP) in West Africa fleeing rebel insurgency from Sierra Leone to Liberia.
Photo: UNHCR |
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