It’s exactly twenty-six (26) today, January 6th 1999, when renegade soldiers of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and their Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel counterparts swept into the capital Freetown and drove away the combined ECOWAS military outfit, ECOMOG and the loyal Sierra Leonean troops.

ECOMOG and its allied forces had earlier led a successful operation that defeated the forces of the defunct Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) military junta led by Major Johnny Paul Koroma who overthrew President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of blessed memory in a coup on Sunday May 25th, 1997 barely a year when he assumed power and forced him into exile in Guinea.

ECOMOG had hoped to have its grip on the city for the possible return of Pa Kabbah as the latter was popularly called. But that expectation was shattered when the defeated and disgruntled junta sobels emphatically returned to the capital after regrouping at their Westside hideout.

During the initial battle to kick out Major Johnny Paul’s junta forces, the latter didn’t put up any strong resistance against ECOMOG knowing that they lack both manpower and the military might to withstand the pressure. They instead tactically retreated back into the bush and decided to hold out at Okra Hill which they named as Westside” where they used to carry out their diabolic activities including the kidnap of the UN peacekeepers and other foreign forces.

From Westside where they gained notoriety and growth in strength, these marauding and disgraced military renegades who were referred to as ‘sobels’ because of their suspicious relationship with the RUF rebels at the height of the war, sprung another surprise attack and braved back into the city on January 6th, 1998 forcing ECOMOG who had occupied it for a brief period to retreat, although their stay was short-lived this time around.

Again knowing that they were not going to have any breathing space, the sobels then resorted to wreaking unforgettable havoc including but not limited to indiscriminate killings and destruction both public and private property.

After enough preparation including the mobilization of manpower and sufficient weapons, ECOMOG and government troops made one final attempt to dislodge the recalcitrant rebel soldiers in the capital.

The successful operation however, marked the start of the demise of the junta rebels and led to the eventual return of President Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah into the country and have him reinstated.