June 2001

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

A Voice from Civil Society: The Way Forward for Peace in Sierra Leone

Amy Smythe is a member of the Harvard University Global Network of Women Waging Peace, and works as a Gender, Development, and Education Consultant, based in Freetown, Sierra Leone

It is now widely accepted by us in Sierra Leone, as well as by people in the Diaspora, that Sierra Leone cannot enjoy a harmonious life if there is instability and insecurity in the neighboring countries of Liberia and Guinea.

We have all learned that war is at every nation's doorstep, and that one should never criticize the other and ask: How could they allow that to happen to them? In this sub-region, within a very short space of time, we have seen They become We and Them become Us. People in all three countries have suffered so much that we all must see it as our responsibility to address the situation and try to ensure that we all enjoy lasting peace.

On May 8, sanctions started biting the Government of Liberia, for its on-going support of the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone. The same date was also the first anniversary of the killing of twenty-three Sierra Leoneans, members of civil society. They had marched peacefully to the residence of former RUF leader, corporal Foday Sankoh, to demand compliance with the Accords that had been signed and the release of a group of 500 abducted UN Peacekeepers.

Parliamentarians in the three countries--referred to as the Mano River countries for the river flowing across all three--have set up a network to monitor actions in the various countries and advocate for peaceful resolution of the conflicts. The question is: What impact have their actions had on the ordinary citizens and how have they influenced the actions of the various governments?

It is my fervent opinion that ordinary people in the trade unions, teachers' unions, the business community, market women, school groups, the religious institutions, and other civil society groups have to be part of the peace process. Everyone in all our countries must understand that he or she is an important stakeholder, and strategies have to be put in place to involve all fully.

We must bring the process down to the level of the citizens. The process has been too highly pitched for nearly ten years and the results have not been visible to the ordinary citizen. It is not about a job; rather it is about the life and day-to-day existence of the ordinary citizen, many of whom still cannot identify with the strategies put in place so far.

The political solutions at government and UN levels have been going on for so long, not to mention the military option. It is high time we came down to the level of the ordinary citizen and got them involved in the solution of sustainable peace. We need to identify the various (civil society) networks in the sub-region, get to know each other, discuss intervention strategies, especially traditional methods of conflict resolution and peace building that have worked, and share them as well as advocate for their use within the framework of the peace process in the various countries in the sub region.

Many of us are ready and willing and are doing what we can, but we need to be even more involved. There is expertise in the sub-region that must be harnessed in love to bring this sad chapter in the history of the West African sub-region to an end. We need to mobilize the efforts of everybody. It is not about competition but sincere collaboration to rebuild all that has been destroyed starting with the ability to work together for the good of all.

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