Freetown, Sierra Leone
West African amputees got to cheer on their own this week at the first All-African Amputee Football Championship. Thousands of West Africans had their arms or legs hacked off by rebels during Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war, which drew in militias from neighboring countries and spread across the region before ending in 2002. Angola’s civil war, which also ended in 2002, left thousands of buried land mines that continue to maim civilians. Amputee soccer teams from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and Nigeria are competing. Each team consists of six one-legged players and a one-armed goalie.
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