The Civil Society Movement-Sierra Leone (CSM-SL) on Thursday solemnly commemorated the 25th anniversary of the May 8, 2000 massacre, in which 22 unarmed civilians were brutally gunned down by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels during a peaceful protest in Freetown.
Held in honor of the victims and the spirit of civic resistance, the observance marked a pivotal moment in the country’s painful history—one that the movement described as a “watershed in our collective struggles to restore peace to our war-torn country.”
According to a press statement issued by CSM-SL, the tragic event occurred when thousands of Sierra Leoneans—mainly civil society actors, parliamentarians, the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, and other citizens’ groups—gathered at the Spur Road residence of RUF leader Corporal Foday Saybana Sankoh to protest the rebels’ repeated violations of the Lomé Peace Accord.
“What was intended to be a peaceful protest aimed at drawing global attention to the fast-deteriorating security situation throughout Sierra Leone turned bloody,” the statement reads, “resulting in the brutal deaths of 22 peaceful, unsuspecting, harmless, and defenseless civilians at the hands of the RUF rebels.”
The May 8 protest was a direct response to the RUF’s continued defiance of the Lomé Peace Accord, signed on July 7, 1999, in Togo between the RUF and the Government of Sierra Leone. Brokered by ECOWAS, the African Union, and the United Nations, the agreement was meant to bring an end to an 11-year civil war that claimed over 50,000 lives, displaced hundreds of thousands, and left many others maimed or amputated.
But instead of ushering in peace, the RUF’s disregard for the terms of the accord deepened public frustration and international concern. Citizens, weary of war and betrayal, took to the streets in a last-resort plea for peace.
“Twenty-five years down the line, are Sierra Leoneans today living in peace and dignity?” the movement queried, urging the nation to reflect not only on the lives lost but on the current state of governance, justice, and national cohesion.
CSM-SL warned that the same issues that led to the war—bad governance, marginalization, systemic injustice, ethnic division, mismanagement of resources, and institutionalized corruption—remain a threat to national stability if left unaddressed.
“As we commemorate this day in memory of our heroes and heroines, we urge everyone, especially our political leaders, to refrain from doing the things that led to the 11-year civil war,” the statement continued. “We owe it to this generation and generations yet unborn to uphold the tenets of democracy, human rights, and justice.”
The Civil Society Movement concluded the commemoration by reaffirming its commitment to defending the values of peace, dignity, and accountability.
“Farewell, sweet patriots. Your banners will always fly high. Long live the Civil Society Movement Sierra Leone. Long live the People of Sierra Leone.”
Are they celebrating the anniversary for the people of the victims to remember their loves one who were killed without justice?