POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION IN FAILED STATES: THE CASE OF SIERRA LEONE
By Abdul Kamara
Introduction
Bosnia, Angola, Cambodia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and other conflicts have posed challenges to peacemaking and policymaking agents alike, seeking to end such violent conflicts: How can the opposing warring factions be brought to a settlement? How has a peace agreement to be formulated to enhance a successful implementation thereof? How can the prospects of a stable peace be enhanced? One of the most challenging problems is the reassurance of the warring factions that the opposing party or parties will not renege the agreement. The security situation is most precarious immediately after the signing of a peace agreement, and there is a high risk of a renewed hostilities. The successful implementation of a peace agreement lays the groundwork for a long-term peace-consolidating process to set in: A comprehensive peace agreement is a first step towards peace consolidation but it does not guarantee lasting stability as long as no mid- and long-term peace-consolidating measures have been put in place, which take into account and/or remove the underlying causes of the armed conflict.
The focus of this study lies on the post-war reconstruction phase of a peace process: Post-war reconstruction is the fragile stage of the peace process when war has ended but peace is not yet secure (Ramsbotham et al. 2005: 185). It can involve short-term tasks such as the demobilization and disarmament of the warring factions as well as mid- and long-term tasks such as rebuilding of state institutions and infrastructure, and reconciliation processes. Post-war reconstruction is especially challenging in a failed-state environment: the absence of a functioning state-apparatus has to be factored into the planning and implementation of the post-war reconstruction programmes. It implies that a traditional peacekeeping approach with a focus on the securing and monitoring of cease-fire provisions is not appropriate in dealing with a post-war reconstruction in a failed state.
In Chapter One, the concept of failed states is introduced with the emphasis on Sub-Saharan statehood. The literature review encompasses definitions of main terms concerning statehood and its failure, and Sub-Saharan statehood, and provides factors associated with state failure.
Chapter Two presents a theoretical framework that provides the basis for understanding the trends of civil wars and for the evaluation of peace processes. It seeks to systematically address aspects of conflict resolution from the causes to conflict management up to post-conflict reconstruction.
Chapter Three of the dissertation seeks to explain the cause of Sierra Leone’s conflict, addressing both the political history and economic factors leading to state failure, and presents an outline of the conflict and the attempts at conflict resolution, involving various actors. Viewing intrastate conflicts from a political economy perspective, for instance, can improve understanding of the key dynamics of a civil war. It can also lead to a more systematic understanding of how these dynamics impact on conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction.
Chapter Four focuses on the methodology of the dissertation, including the outline of the research design, the relevance of the study and the chosen research method for the content analysis of the case study. The research methodology adopted a protocol approach to conducting interviews and distributing related questionnaires. Due to the sensitive nature of the civil war with respect badly victimised communities and or communities that played a vital role in the conflict, and considering the level of literacy, face-to-face interviews of representative communities and strategic groups were conducted in the key areas (northern and western) of Sierra Leone. Where appropriate, survey questionnaires were handed out. Target interviewee groups included planning donors, implementing and evaluating donors, strategic organisations, politicians, ex-combatants, internally displaced persons, community members and leaders, and security forces. In order to extract the emergent evaluative impressions and themes, a Content Analysis—a scholarly methodology used by researchers in the social sciences to analyse recorded transcripts of interviews with participants—was performed on the coded data based on 40 valid transcripts.
Chapter Five combines the theories and concepts presented in Chapter Two with the results of the field work conducted in Sierra Leone, focusing on the role of the DfID-funded Community Reintegration Programme (CRP) during post-war reconstruction.
The causative factors and the impact of DfID post-war reconstruction programmes in Sierra Leone are analysed in Chapter Six. The book rounds up with concluding comments and recommendations for further research.
The dissertation seeks to address the following questions in its analysis:
Why have post-war reconstruction programmes marginalised the poor?
To what extent is the civil war in Sierra Leone linked to national politics?
To what extent is the civil war in Sierra Leone linked to foreign influences?
What are the effects of the conflict on Sierra Leone’s democratization process?
Answers to the research questions provide the basis for addressing the main hypothetical statement that: donor-led post-war reconstruction programmes tend to reinforce earlier social structures and a return to the status quo rather than create opportunities for the previously marginalised. Sierra Leone is used as a case study, and the role of the United Kingdom, including its Department for International Development and the British Army, in Sierra Leone’s post-war reconstruction serves a specific focus of paramount interest. To order a copy click this link http://ark.flowersbooks.com.