Flip-flop-wearing kids. That's the first thought I had when I saw these former militia in formation. At least they had some semblance of discipline, despite their ragtag appearance. Tattered as their clothes may be, and young as they are, the former combatants on all sides need to be taken seriously because they have used these guns to kill.

Disarmament got off to a clunky start early this month when more than 9,000 combatants showed up at Camp Schieffelin, a site outside of Monrovia designed to process 1,000. Peacekeepers scrambled to provide enough food, sanitation, and staff to process the thousands of agitated young men with guns. Losing patience, some of those former militia took the arms they had planned to turn in and started a rioting spree in Monrovia that left at least nine people dead. The United Nations postponed the disarmament process until January. According to Opande, 12,126 combatants were disarmed before the postponement, leaving as many as 46,000 yet to be processed.