There was freedom of choice. However, there were Sierra Leonean citizens who were too young to understand their own need to make a choice. So it was their mothers who cast a vote for each of them. Of course choosing the least functional limb was not an exact science. A truly gifted hand might have been cut off to satisfy Charles Taylor or Foday Sankoh.
Life is tough enough with both hands.
Tougher still with one limb cut off without the backing of any lawful authority. As long as that Sierra Leonean girl, whose hand is cut off, will never wear a diamond ring, or as long as that Liberian boy will never kick a soccer ball, let alone shoot a winning goal, we will never forget that we too have a choice. We choose to end Charles Taylor tenure prematurely before we lose another limb, and we have chosen to let Foday Sankoh spend the rest of his life in prison. If we are angry, let no one be so quick to ask for our forgiveness. We only ask for the understanding of the incredulous world.