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Consolidating Peace Liberia and Sierra Leone Consolidating Peace: Liberia and Sierra Leone Issue 23 Accord 23 Issue an International Review of Peace Initiatives

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Consolidating Peace Liberia and Sierra Leone Consolidating Peace: Liberia and Sierra Leone Issue 23 Accord 23 Issue an International Review of Peace Initiatives Accord Logo using multiply on layers 23 issue issue Logo drawn as Issue editors seperate elements Accord with overlaps an international review of peace initiatives coloured seperately Elizabeth Drew and Alexander Ramsbotham 2012 Consolidating peace Liberia and Sierra Leone Consolidating peace: Consolidating peace: Liberia and Sierra Leone Liberia and Sierra issue issue 23 23 Accord issue an international review of peace initiatives Consolidating peace Liberia and sierra Leone March 2012 // Issue editors Elizabeth Drew and Alexander Ramsbotham Accord // Issue 23 // www.c-r.org Published by Conciliation Resources, to inform and strengthen peace processes worldwide by documenting and analysing the lessons of peacebuilding Published by Acknowledgements Conciliation Resources Conciliation Resources would like to give 173 Upper Street, London N1 1RG special thanks for editorial and project advice and assistance provided by Carolyn Norris and www.c-r.org Sofia Goinhas. Telephone +44 (0) 207 359 7728 In addition we extend grateful thanks to our Fax +44 (0) 207 359 4081 authors, peer reviewers, photographers and Email [email protected] all those who have contributed to the conception UK charity registration number 1055436 and production of this publication: Eldridge Adolfo, Harold Aidoo, Ecoma Alaga, Editors Natalie Ashworth, Conrad Bailey, Catherine Elizabeth Drew and Alexander Ramsbotham Barley, Abu Brima, Rachel Cooper, Lisa Denney, Executive Director Said Djinnit, Sam Gbaydee Doe, Rasheed Draman, Andy Carl Comfort Ero, Richard Fanthorpe, Lans Gberie, David Harris, Alexandra Hartman, Lindora Director of Policy, Practice and Communications Howard-Diawara, Thomas Jaye, Yusufu Kaba, David Newton Kalie Sillah, Rory Keane, Eva Kirsch, Mariama Accord Series Editor Konneh, Jon Lunn, Bronwen Manby, Mike Alexander Ramsbotham McGovern, Gary Milante, Kieran Mitton, Richard Monrieff, Chelsea Payne, Robert Pitman, Maria- Policy Analyst Guglielma da Passano, Adam Platt, Rosalind Sophie Haspeslagh Raddatz, William Saa, Tammi Sharpe, Andrew People’s Peacemaking Perspectives Sherrif, James Suah Shilue, Chandra Sriram, Project Manager Alison Sutherland. Teresa Dumasy The publication was made possible thanks West Africa Programme Director to financial support from the European Janet Adama Mohammed Commission’s Instrument for Stability (IfS), the UK Department for International Development Research & Publications Officer (DFID), the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Felix Colchester Affairs, the Swiss Federal Department of Designed and typeset by Soapbox Foreign Affairs and the Swedish International www.soapbox.co.uk Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). © Conciliation Resources 2012 This document has been produced Permission is granted for reproduction and with the financial assistance of use of the materials for educational purposes. the European Union. The contents Please acknowledge your source when using the of this are the sole responsibility of Conciliation materials and notify Conciliation Resources. Resources and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the Cover photo: Reconciliation ceremony, European Union. Sierra Leone © Nancy Quilliam/ Fambul Tok ISSN 1365-0742 ISBN 978-1-905805-17-4 This edition of Accord is part of the People’s Peacemaking Perspectives project, financed under the European Union’s Instrument for Stability. The project provides European Union institutions with analysis and recommendations based on the opinions and experiences of local people in a range of countries and regions affected by fragility and violent conflict. For more information about the project visit www.c-r.org/PPP Contents Acronyms 4 Map of Liberia and Sierra Leone 5 Foreword 6 section 1: Introduction 8 Introduction: peacebuilding in Liberia and Sierra Leone 9 Mapping conflict across Liberia and Sierra Leone 13 The UN Peacebuilding Commission and Liberia’s transition 19 Regional civil society peacebuilding in West Africa 22 section 2: Governance 25 Electing for peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone 26 Decentralisation and peacebuilding in Sierra Leone 30 Peace matters: transforming resource exploitation in Liberia and Sierra Leone 34 section 3: Justice and security 39 Human security in Liberia 40 Formal and informal justice in Liberia 44 Mediating land disputes in Liberia 48 section 4: Reconciliation and reintegration 51 Fambul Tok: reconciling communities in Sierra Leone 52 Work not war: youth transformation in Liberia and Sierra Leone 55 section 5: Conclusion 59 Conclusion: consolidating peace 60 Accord standard features 64 Chronology 65 Profiles 70 Key texts 74 Further reading 74 Key websites 76 The Accord series 78 Consolidating peace: Liberia and sierra Leone // 3 Acronyms ACLeD Armed Conflict and Events Dataset LuRD Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy AFL Armed Forces of Liberia MIA Ministry of Internal Affairs AFRC Armed Forces Revolutionary Council MODeL Model for Democracy in Liberia CLA Community Legal Advisor MOJ Ministry of Justice CMI Crisis Management Initiative NeC National Electoral Commission CsC Country Specific Configurations NGO Non-governmental organisation CsO Civil Society Organisation NMJD Network Movement for Justice and Development DDR Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration NPFL National Patriotic Front of Liberia DO District Officer NRC Norwegian Refugee Council DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ONs Office of National Security eCOMOG Economic Community of West African States Monitoring PBC United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and Observation Group PBF United Nations Peacebuilding Fund eCOWARN Economic Community of West African States Warning PBsO United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office and Response Network Psu Police Support Unit eCOWAs Economic Community of West African States RuF Revolutionary United Front eITI Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative sFCG Search For Common Ground eRu Emergency Response Unit ssR Security Sector Reform eu European Union TRC Truth and Reconciliation Commission FPu Formed Police Unit uNAMsIL United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone GeMAP Governance and Economic Management Assistance uNIOsIL United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone Program uNMIL United Nations Mission in Liberia ICLA Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance uP United Party INGO International Non-governmental Organisation WANeP West Africa Network for Peacebuilding IPBs Integrated Peacebuilding Strategies WCPu Women and Children Protection Unit JPC Liberian Catholic Justice and Peace Commission WDC Ward Development Committee LNP Liberia National Police WIPNeT Women in Peacebuilding Network 4 // Accord // IIssue 2323 Map of Liberia and Sierra Leone Consolidating peace: Liberia and sierra Leone // 5 Foreword Ambassador Said Djinnit Ambassador said Djinnit is special Representative of the uN secretary-General for West Africa The recent history of Sierra Institution building and democratic governance are Leone and Liberia shows that critical for sustained progress, especially considering post-conflict transition is a the fact that the main causes of the civil wars in complex and long-term process, Liberia and Sierra Leone included bad governance, which requires time, resources lack of political dialogue, acute legitimacy crises, and continued commitment. human rights abuses, corruption and the inability The armed conflicts in these to deliver basic social services. countries did not only lead to the disintegration of state institutions and devastating In Liberia, although great efforts have been channelled consequences for their populations, but these tragedies into key recovery areas including security sector reform, also represented some of the gravest threats to regional infrastructural development and the expansion of state stability that the West African sub-region has ever faced. authority, the country is still confronted with numerous security and political problems. Police and justice capacity Following the end of the wars, Liberia and Sierra remains an urgent priority and youth unemployment Leone engaged in strenuous rebuilding processes, continues to be very high. Besides, the impact of the with the strong support of the international community, crisis in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, in particular the including the tremendous added value of their respective influx of refugees and ex-combatants, poses serious United Nations operations, the UN Operation in Liberia threats to Liberia’s fragile stability. (UNMIL) and the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), both working in synergy with respective UN Country Teams. This special Accord issue on Liberia and sierra Leone The results achieved so far are impressive. The two countries have made great strides towards political “ provides fresh perspectives on stability, with legitimate authorities established through the post-conflict transitions in competitive elections. This progress has further consoli- dated regional stability, while giving new impetus to these countries and on the many regional integration. challenges to their success” Despite these gains, however, the situation in the two countries remains fragile, and continues to require In Sierra Leone huge strides towards sustainable vigorous support from the international community. peace have also been registered and the country stands Liberia and Sierra Leone must overcome the numerous out today as a positive example of security sector reform political and socioeconomic challenges they face. in a post-conflict situation. The peaceful and democratic
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