TWO DECADES OF CONFLICT AND DEMOCRACY IN SIERRA LEONE
A personal experience CURTESY: I NS T I T U T E F O R S E C U R I T Y S T U D I E S
http://www.issafrica.org/uploads/12Apr12SierraLeone.pdf
"There is little doubt in my mind that international
intervention during the difficult times of the 1990s in
Sierra Leone represents a success story in ending
a brutal war that engulfed this small West African
country for over a decade. Sierra Leone bestowed
upon itself notoriety for a horrendous fratricidal
war, the trademarks of which were amputations,
the employment of child soldiers, the use of sex
slaves, and looting and burning of both public and
private properties.........."
private properties.........."
"Between the outbreak of war in 1991 and its effective end
in 2002, there were several attempts to end the conflict
through negotiated settlements. Prominent among these
were the Abidjan (1996), Conakry (1997) and Lomé (1999)
peace processes. These efforts were predicated on the
need to bring the RUF and the Sierra Leone government
to the table to reach an acceptable and sustainable
peace settlement. Regional powerbrokers were active,
international organisations like the UN played a critical role
and powerful states like the United Kingdom (UK) and the
United States (US) used their clout and leverage to impress
on the RUF in particular that a negotiated settlement
was the only path to follow........."
"The diamond industry was
also used extensively to prop
up the patronage system......"
Click this link to read the full report
http://www.issafrica.org/uploads/12Apr12SierraLeone.pdf
