In Our Opinion...

Maintaining Peace in Sierra Leone

By Vanessa Hooper

Peace has been accomplished in the wake of a ten-year civil war that began in 1991 in Sierra Leone. The question now is whether this so-called peace will last. With a corrupt government and the Revolutionary United Front, (RUF), a rebel war began, killing an estimated 50,000 while displacing over one million people.

Although the casualties are astounding, it wasn’t until the United Nation’s intervention that international media started to cover the devastation in Sierra Leone and things started to change for the better. In 1999, a peace deal, the Lome Peace Accord, was developed, although heavily criticized. The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMISL) was established later that year to help in the implementation of the agreement. In 2000, with the understanding that diamonds were both fueling conflict and preventing sustainable peace, an 18-month ban was placed on their exportation.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone was instituted to “try those who bear greatest responsibility,” for the travesty of their country. By 2005, the UNAMISL completed its mandate of supporting Sierra Leone in its efforts to reach and maintain peace. Now a new United Nations Peacebuilding Commission has taken the place of the UNAMISL. It hopes to further the maintenance of long-term peace in a post-conflict world.

In a country where more than half of the population is under 35, the mission of this UN commission is to provide youth empowerment, guidance in good governance and the promotion of human rights. As of 2008, the strides made to keep the peace in Sierra Leone have been consistent and reachable. With one foot in front of the other, and the continuation of international support from the United Nations and the rest of the world, the goal of long-term peace seems not only possible but probable.