Suchergebnisse

This book investigates the important role of local actors in Sierra Leone in helping to foster peace and provide for the needs of vulnerable populations following the end of the civil war. Despite severe economic, political, and in some cases security challenges, local civil society organizations in Sierra Leone have expanded rapidly over the last 20 years, incorporating their local knowledge and traditions into their work to cater to the needs of war- affected populations. However, the preference of international development donors for funneling resources and technical assistance through civil society groups at the expense of central government has also created some resentment and backlash. This book examines this intersection between civil society, donors, and government in Sierra Leone, considering both the relevance of civil society activities, and their limitations, and what this means ultimately for human security in the country. Highlighting the importance of African civil society actors as proactive agents of change, this book will be of interest to researchers and stakeholders across the fields of African peacebuilding, development, and conflict resolution.

1. Introduction: Human Security, Oil Revenues, and Conflict -- 2. The History and Geology of Petroleum in West Africa -- 3. External Stakeholders and the Geopolitics of Oil -- 4. Oil Revenues and the State -- 5. Oil and Community Agitation -- 6. Civil Society and Global Frameworks -- 7. Managing Disputes in West Africa's Petroleum Industry -- 8. Conclusion: Implications for the Field of Conflict Resolution. .

The Sierra Leone peace process following the country's 1991–2002 civil war between the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) benefited immensely from the energetic involvement of an eclectic mix of donors. Traditional inter-governmental financial institutions and relatively new private funding foundations all channelled aid money and technical expertise through various multilateral and bilateral mechanisms for rebuilding the country. Without a doubt Sierra Leone's recovery from the debilitating 11-year war would not have come to pass in the time and manner it did without the robust intervention of such funders. Based on fieldwork conducted in Sierra Leone at the height of the peacebuilding process, this article outlines the role played by international donors in rebuilding post-war Sierra Leone. It posits that understanding the modus operandi of the assorted mix of donor agencies in creating the country's aid architecture is key to grasping the nuances of the Sierra Leone peace process. This is partly because the aid largesse, though well intentioned, was injected into a barely functioning system that lacked a coherent recipient regime. The article concludes that though donors were critical to Sierra Leone's rebuilding efforts, their lack of emphasis on a needs-centred funding mechanism created an inadequate model to address the country's complex post-war reconstruction challenges.