What is the mutilation that some civilians are forced to endure. Where did it originate?

When the rebels spared the lives of civilians, they would mutilate them by carving the letters RUF (Revolutionary United Front) on their bodies with a hot bayonet. Then they would cut off all of their fingers, leaving only the thumbs. It originated from soemthing called "one love", an expression in which people gave each other the thumbs up as influenced by reggae music.