Torturous Path to Peace

1 `Hopeless Africa', The Economist, 13-19 May 2000, p. 17.

2 See Médecins Sans Frontières, Multilations of Civilians in Connaught Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone, 26 April-23 May 1999 (Los Angeles: Médecins Sans Frontières, June 1999); Human Rights Watch, Sowing Terror: Atrocities against Civilians in Sierra Leone (New York: Human Rights Watch, July 1998); Human Rights Watch, Getting Away with Murder, Mutilation, and Rape: New Testimony from Sierra Leone, (New York: Human Rights Watch, January 1999).

3 The Kamajor militias are part of the pro-government Civil Defence Forces.

4 Ian Smillie, Lansana Gberie & Ralph Hazleton, The Heart of the Matter: Sierra Leone, Diamonds & Human Security (Ottawa: Partnership Africa Canada, January 2000), available at http://www.Sierra-Leone.org/heartmatter.html. See also Abdel-Fatau Musah & J. `Kayode Fayemi, eds, Mercenaries: An African Security Dilemma (London: Pluto Press, 2000) for a discussion of the link between diamonds and Sierra Leone's civil war.

5 Marrack Goulding notes that Zartman `defines the moment of ripeness as “a mutually hurtful stalemate between specific parties, with a way out”, the “way out” being the outlines of a possible settlement'. See Marrack Goulding, `The United Nations and Conflict in Africa Since the Cold War', African Affairs, vol. 98, no. 391, April 1999, pp. 155-166, on p. 160.

6 Press release, Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone, 15 March 1997.

7 See, for example, David J. Francis, `Sierra Leone in ECOWAS: Political and Economic Implications', unpublished PhD thesis, University of Southampton, 1998.

8 International Alert, Abidjan Peace Accord: Sierra Leone (London: International Alert, 1998).

9 Conakry Accord - Report of the Sixth Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Committee of Five on Sierra Leone, 23 October 1997, Conakry, Guinea, available at http://www.sierra-leone.org/conakryaccord.html.

10 Christina Lamb & Philip Sherwell, `Sandline Boss Blames Blair for Carnage in Sierra Leone', Sunday Telegraph, 14 May 2000.

11 Barbara F. Walter, `The Critical Barrier to Civil War Settlement: Demobilization, Democratization, and Commitments to Peace', International Security, vol. 24, no. 1, Summer 1999, pp. 127-155.

12 UNOMSIL estimated that up to 5,000 people were killed, while the Ministry of Health put the figure at over 6,000, in addition to 1,500 children who were abducted; see Sierra Leone web, 2-4 March 1999, available at www.sierra-leone.org/slnews.html.

13 The Commission was established in 1994 as a government-supported NGO to promote the transition to pluralistic democracy in Sierra Leone. It is primarily funded by international donors, with the UNDP sponsoring specific peacebuilding programmes.

14 Sankoh, after his arrest in Nigeria, was extradited to Sierra Leone, and tried and convicted for treason by the Kabbah government in 1998. He was awaiting an appeal hearing when the Lomé talks began.

15 Peace Agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (Lomé Accord), Lomé, Togo, 7 July 1999; available at http://www.sierra-leone.org/lomeaccord/html. The nine new institutions were the Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development; Joint Monitoring Commission; Commission for the Consolidation of Peace; Committee for the Release of Prisoners of War and Non-Combatants; Committee for Humanitarian Assistance; National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration; National Commission for Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction; Human Rights Commission; and Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

16 UN Security Council Resolution 1270 created a new UN mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to take over the functions of UNOMSIL and replace ECOMOG. The resolution created the UN's largest peacekeeping force, totalling 11,100.

17 Caroline Hartzell, `Explaining the Stability of Negotiated Settlements to Intra-State Wars', Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 43, no. 1, February 1999, p. 3.

18 Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone, Lasting Peace in Sierra Leone: The Revolutionary United Front (SL/RUF), Perspective and Vision (Freetown: Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone, 1999).

19 See, for example, Andrew Mason, `Justice, Contestability and Conceptions of the Good', Utilitas, vol. 8, 1996, pp. 295-305.

20 Human Rights Watch, `U.N. Must Clarify Position on Sierra Leonean Amnesty', press release from 12 July 1999, available at http://www.hrw.org/hrw/press/1999/jul/s10712.htm.

21 Reuters, `US Defends Amnesty Aspect of Sierra Leone Peace', 15 July 1999; Sierra Leone web, 10 July 1999 (see note 12 above).

22 Sierra Leone web, 18 May 2000 (see note 12 above).

23 Christopher Lockwood, `Problem That Keeps Coming Back', Daily Telegraph, 9 May 2000, p. 4.

24 Rev. Jesse Jackson illustrated the selectivity in media coverage and disparity in the response of the international community to crises in Africa and in Europe with the glaring example of Sierra Leone and Kosovo. See Jesse Jackson, `A Tale of Two Countries: Sierra Leone and Kosovo: Why Isn't America Paying More Attention to the War in Africa?', Newsweek, 7 June 1999, p. 4.