From 1991 to 2000, one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars raged in Sierra Leone. During the conflict, government troops battled with rebel soldiers of the Revolutionary United Front, RUF, resulting in tens of thousands killed and millions displaced. From the killing of entire civilian families to the recruitment of child soldiers, the RUF committed atrocities still very much felt today. One of their most abominable exploits was the systematic dismemberment of civilians, resulting in thousands of innocents losing hands, arms, legs, and feet from the swing of a machete. VII photographer Marcus Bleasdale photographed inside a Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF, medical facility in the Murray Town neighborhood of the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown. The facility is dedicated specifically to provide artificial limbs, rehabilitate, and educate amputees. Many of the victims were peasant farmers and now do not have the ability to sustain themselves. This area is now known as "Amputee Camp," where thousands of amputees continue the struggle of life.



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