them completely unreliable and erratic and they wouldn’t think twice about killing the man standing next to them – even if it were one of their own. Eleven (11) members of the Royal Irish Regiment, who were returning from a visit to Jordanian peacekeepers based in the hills outside Freetown, were taken hostage by the West Side Boys. Alongside the 11 Royal Irish Regiment was the patrol’s liaison from the Sierra Leone Army – Lieutenant Musa Bangura. Establishing a Truth Commission (TRC) The Lome Peace Agreement provided a blanket amnesty for the RUF and other rebel groups. In the face of complete impunity, the High Commissioner argued for setting up a Truth Commission. There was limited involvement of civil society from Sierra Leone. This could have resulted in the delay in passing the enabling law. Major difficulties in the establishment of the TRC: ► Government did not really want a TRC foisted on them. ► Weak civil society process. ► The Commission was Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) driven and funded. ► It consisted of four National Commissioners and three Internationals and these lacked legitimacy in the early phase. ► Their credibility was built later. ► The public hearings were not properly funded. However, the commission scored early successes by ensuring transparency in its work and holding all sides and political groupings to account. It also dealt with child soldiers and the sensitive gender based crimes. Gender Issues The Commission in Sierra Leone became the next Commission to be established after the South African Commission. The South African Commission only dealt with the gender issue once it was 44 The Second International Conference on Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe