Remove or reform? A case for (Restructuring) chiefdom governance in post-conflict Sierra Leone

African Affairs

Volumn 107, Issue 428, 2008, Pages 387-403

  Sawyer, Edward ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE   (Australia)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

BUREAUCRACY; CIVIL WAR; CRISIS MANAGEMENT; POLITICAL CONFLICT; POLITICAL REFORM; RURAL AREA;

AFRICA; SIERRA LEONE; SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA; WEST AFRICA;

EID: 46149099132     PISSN: 00019909     EISSN: 14682621     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adn039     Document Type: Article

References (71)

1. For analyses of the conflict see, among others, Ibrahim Abdullah, 'Bush path to destruction: The origin and character of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF/SL)', Africa Development 22, 3/4 (1997), pp. 45-76;
2. Richard Fanthorpe, 'Neither citizen nor subject? "Lumpen" agency and the legacy of native administration in Sierra Leone', African Affairs 100, 400 (2001), pp. 363-86;
3. Lansana Gherie, A Dirty War in West Africa: The RUF and the destruction of Sierra Leone (Indiana University Press, Indianapolis, TN, 2005);
4. Paul Richards, Fighting for the Rainforest: War youth and resources in Sierra Leone (James Currey, Oxford, 1996);
5. Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Witness to Truth: Report of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GPL Press and Truth and Reconciliation Commission - Sierra Leone, Accra, 2004).
6. For analyses see Beth K. Dougherty, 'Right-sizing international justice: the hybrid experiment at the Special Court for Sierra Leone', International Affairs 80, 2 (2004). pp. 311-28;
7. Tim Kelsall, 'Truth, lies, ritual: Preliminary reflections on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Sierra Leone', Human Rights Quarterty 26, 2 (2005), pp. 361-91;
8. Tim Kelsall, 'Politics, anti-politics, international justice: Language and power in the Special Court for Sierra Leone', Review of International Studies 32, 4 (2006), pp. 587-602;
9. Edward Sawyer and Tim Kelsall, 'Truth vs justice: Popular views on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Special Court for Sierra Leon', Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution, 7, 1 (2007), pp. 1-33, available at
10. William Schabas, 'A synergistic relationship: The Sierra Leon Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court for Sierra Leone', Criminal Law Forum 15, 1-2 (2004), pp. 3-54;
11. Rosalind Shaw, 'Rethinking Truth and Reconciliation Commissions: Lessons from Sierra Leone' (USIP Special Report 130, United States institute of Peace, Washington, DC, 2005).
12. See Paul Richard, 'Too fight or to farm? Agrarian dimensions of the Mano River conflicts (Liberia and Sierra Leone)', African 104, 417 (2005), pp. 571-90
13. and Richard Fanthorpe, 'On the limits of liberal peace: Chiefs and democratic decentralisation in post-conflict Sierra Leone', African Affairs 105, 418 (2006), pp. 27-49.
14. Note that this echoes an earlier debate on chiefdom governance in Sierra Leone, in which Richards is closer to Martin Kilson, while Fanthorpe is closer to Walter Barrows, Vincent Dorjahn, Victor Minikin and Roger Tangri. See Martin Kilson, 'Cirass-roots politics in Africa: Local government in Sierra Leone', Political Studies 12, 1 (1964), pp. 47-66
15. Walter Barrows, Grassroots Politics in an African State: Integration and development in Sierra Leone (Holmes and Meier, New York, NY, 1976);
16. V. R. Dorjqhn and Christopher Fyfe, 'Landlord and strnnger: Chnnge in tenqncy relations in Sierra Leone', Journal of African History 3, 3 (1962), pp. 391-7;
17. Victor Minikin, 'Indirect political participation in two Sierra Leone chiefdoms', Journal of Modern African Studies 11, 1 (1973), pp. 129-35;
18. Roger Tangri, 'Central-local politics in contemporary Sierra Leone', African Affairs 77, 307 (1978), pp. 165-73.
19. Richards, 'To fight or to farm?', pp. 571-90.
20. See, for examole, Arthur Abraham, Mende Government and Politics under Colonial Rule (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1978);
21. A. P. Kup, A History of Sierra Leone 1400-1787 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1962).
22. Witness to Truth, Volume 3A, p. 12.
23. Witness to Truth, Volume 3A. p. 11. Furthermore, these chiefs did not have to undergo democratic elections, ensuring even less accountability for their actions. This problem was echoed to the present day in personal communications with the author.
24. See also Christopher Clapham, Liberia and Sierra Leone: An essay in comparative politics (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1976).
25. Joel S. Nliadal. Strong Societies and Weak States: State-society relations and state capabilities in the Third World (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1988);
26. William Reno, Corruption and State Politics in Sierra Leone (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995).
27. See Paul Collier, Economic Causes of Civil Conflict (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2000).
28. Richards, 'To fight or to farm?', p. 580.
29. Fanthorpe, 'On the limits of liberal peace: Chiefs and democratic decentralisation in post-conflict Sierra Lecone', p. 40.
30. Ibid., p. 40.
31. Richards, 'To fight or to farm?', p. 582.
32. For a similar analysis, see Paul Richards, Khadija Bah, and James Vincent, 'The social assessment study: Community-driven development and social capital in post-war Sierra Leone' in Community Driven Development Group (World Bank and National Commission for Social Action of the Government of Sierra Leone, Washington, DC, 2004).
33. Joseph Hanlon, 'Is the international community helping to re-create the pre-conditions for war in Sierra Leone?' The Round Table 381 (2005), pp. 459-61.
34. See also Paul Jackson, 'Chiefs, Money and politicians: Rebuilding local government in post-war Sierra Leone', Public Administration and Developments 25, 1 (2005), pp. 49-58.
35. Richard Fanthorpe, 'On the limits ofliberal peace', p. 36;
36. Paul Jackson, 'Reshuffling an old deck of cards? The politics of local government reform in Sierra Leone', African Affairs 106, 422 (?007), pp. 95-111.
37. Richards, 'To fight or to farm?', p. 585.
38. Fanthorpe, 'On the limits of liberal peace', p. 36.
39. Richards, 'To fight or to farm?', pp. 584-5.
40. See Kris Hardin, The Aesthetics of Action: Community and change in a West African town (Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1993)
41. and Mariane Ferme, The Underneath of Things: Violence, history and the everyday in Sierra Leone (University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 2001).
42. Fanthorpe, 'On the limits of liberal peace', pp. 36-8.
43. Richards, 'To fight or to farm?', p. 587.
44. Fanthorpe. 'On the limits of liberal peace', pp. 44-5.
45. Fanthorne, 'On the limits of liberal peace'. p. 45.
46. Vivek Maru 'Between law and society: Paralegals and the provision of justice services in Sierra Leone and worldwide', Yale Journal of International Law 31, 2 (2006). pp. 427-76.
47. See also Ahdulai Sheikh Fofanah, 'Customary law and customary law courts in the Sierra Leone Jurisdiction' (Report for Department for International Development, Law Development Project, Freetown, 2004/5).
48. See Owen Alterman, Aneta Binienda, Sophie Rodella, and Kimyia Varzi, 'The law people the status of dispute resolution in the provinces of Sierra Leone in 2002' (occasional publication. National Forum for Human Rights, Freetown, 2002)
49. and, for an ethnographic snapshot, Tim Kelsall, 'Law and Iegal institutions in an upcountry Sierra Leonean town' (occasional publication, National Forum for Human Riahts with Timap for Justice. Freetown. 2006).
50. For a full list of the institutions, see Table 2 onwards. An 'other' option for alternative potential conflict resolution institutions was also available in the questionnaire, but produced few important trends for this analysis.
51. Such categorization is not without its problems; first in defining the age boundaries of youths, and second, since some of the discussion is analysing rural involvement in the conflict, by the time of this study many 'youths' involved in its early stages had ultimately dropped out of this category. Nevertheless, such categorisation is essential for determining whether reported grievances amongst rural youths still remain today.
52. Richards. 'To fight or to farm?', p. 588. Note that the data do not completely undermine Richards's aragument, since we did not ask about Paramount Chiefs, who are arguably the worst culprits when it comes to cases of abuse.
53. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leonean, Hastings, Western Area (21 July 2005).
54. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leonean, Magbass, Tonkolili District (6 August 2005).
55. Interview with anonvmous Sierra Leonean, Talia Makayia, Kenema District (16 August 2005).
56. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leonean, Rogbesseh, Tonkolili District (9 August 2005).
57. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leoneans, Freetown, Western Area (22 July 2005); Hastings, Western Area (26 July 2005); Kenema, Kenema District (12 August 2005).
58. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leonean, Freetown, Western Area (20 July 2005).
59. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leonean, Magburaka, Tonkolili District (18 July 2005).
60. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leonean, Kenema, Kenema District (11 August 2005.).
61. Interview with anonymous Sierra Leonean, Talia Makayia. Kenema District (16 August 2005).
62. Department for International Development, 'Sierra Leone: Justice sector development programme' (Project Memorandum, Freetown, 2005), p. 4. Throughout the report Witness to Truth, weaknesses in the judiciary are acknowledged as a driver of the war.
63. Witness to Truth, Volume 3A. pp. 509-10.
64. I thank Paul Jackson for this piece of information.
65. See, for example, United Nations Development Programme. 'Decentralisation in Sierra Leone: Development concepts and summary of international assistance', (20 March 2006)
66. 'World Bank, 'Sierra Leone - strategic options for public sector reform' (Development Assistance Coordination Offlice, Sierra Leone), , (21 March 2006). Note that the SLPP government was removed at the polls in August 2007.
67. Jackson, 'Reshuffling an old deck of cards?', p. 106.
68. Ibid., p. 107.
69. Witness to Truth, pp. 30-2; Jackson, 'Reshuffling an old deck of cards?', p. 105.
70. Jackson, 'Reshuffling an old deck of cards?', p. 105.
71. Fanthorpe, 'On the limits of liberal peace', p. 45.