Drugs

One way that the RUF made child soldiers fearless was giving them drugs and it was believed to give them courage during a fight (Children of Conflict). They would give them marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, brown brown and other drugs. Brown brown is a term that means cocaine mixed with gunpowder. The RUF felt that they needed to give these children drugs to make it even easier to manipulate the child's psychological views (HRW2). Giving the kids drugs would also get some of them addicted to the point where they fight because they looked forward to the reward of getting more drugs. Children would get so hooked on these drugs that they would even sneak them into demobilization camps which is where they are supposed to be weened off the drugs.

Child soldier smoking
(photo from BBC)