Foday Sankoh was a Sierra Leonean military leader and politician, best known for founding the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in the 1990s. The RUF was involved in a brutal civil war in Sierra Leone, which lasted from 1991 to 2002, marked by widespread violence and human rights abuses. Sankoh aimed to overthrow the government and claimed to fight for the rights of the marginalized. In 2003, Foday Sankoh was arrested and later faced charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He died in 2007 while awaiting trial. His actions and the RUF's tactics have left a lasting impact on Sierra Leone's history and recovery.