occurred and, as of 2010, they are still conducting trials of those accused to be leaders in the war. While conditions have improved in Sierra Leone following the end of the war, children in 2010 are still in a compromising situation, with an estimated 250,000 refugees and 600,000 internally displaced people. History The RUF, the operators of the SBU, was established as a strategy by the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as a way of spreading revolution across Africa. RUF leader Foday Sankoh was trained in Libya at the secret military academy, World Revolutionary Headquarters. He trained along with Liberian President Charles Taylor, who further helped with the founding and solidification of the RUF. Recruitment Most of the recruitment of children to the army was forced. Commonly, RUF members would raid local villages and capture children. After their capture, it was not uncommon to force the children to witness or participate in the torture and killing of their relatives. For some children, participation in the SBU became viewed as an opportunity. Children were considered ideal candidates by the SBU, as they were seen as "easily malleable and in times of conflict, additional factors can contribute to their recruitment as soldiers including poverty, education and employment, family and friends, politics and ideology, and culture and tradition." One girl noted that she came to like the RUF who captured her, as she said, "They offered me a choice of shoes or dresses. I have never had decent shoes before." For others, benefits included a limited education that had long been diminished in their home towns. They were able to use scraps from textbooks and receive training in the art of bush-warfare. This presented an opportunity for educationally starved children to exert themselves and show off their skills. Actions of the SBU During training, children were taught how to mutilate people. One common technique was the cutting off of civilians' limbs. Children were instructed to get the subject on the ground and shove the gun barrel to the back of the person's neck. Once he was helpless, another boy takes the victim's arm and lays it on a piece of wood then brings the machete down on it to make an amputation. After this step, the child soldier was free to cut anything else, including lips, nose and removing internal organs and making the victim eat them. As of 2010, Sierra Leone has an