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SIERRA LEONE
>> AFR Regional Overview >> Sierra Leone Overview
Development Challenge Summary Tables
Program Summary
Previous Years' Activities
200149
Introduction
The Lome Accord of July 1999 was supposed to end eight years of civil war in Sierra Leone. It collapsed because Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels refused to disarm and demobilize. In May 2000, RUF fighters suddenly seized hundreds of newly arrived United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers as hostages and threatened the capital, Freetown. They were turned back by the timely arrival of British marines and paratroopers, assisted by pro-government militias. Since then, the United States Government has worked with the United Nations to strengthen UNAMSIL. UNAMSIL's concept of operations has been revised. UNAMSIL now plans to assist the Government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) in progressively extending state authority throughout the country. UNAMSIL's troops have the authority to use force, including deadly force, against any individual who impedes the freedom of movement of UNAMSIL personnel.
The USG objective is to assist in ending the insurgency in Sierra Leone. This conflict has already spilled over into Guinea, creating even more instability and human suffering. Continued instability and a continuation of the regional humanitarian crisis the instability has spawned could have serious long-term effects on political stability throughout the sub-region and on its economic development.
In the November 2000 Abuja Agreement, the Revolutionary United Front again committed to disarm and demobilize. UNAMSIL will play a key role in that process. Once the process of disarmament and demobilization is completed, the sustainability of peace within Sierra Leone and the region will largely rest on the form and content of the relief to recovery process. Development assistance will support creation of conditions for a lasting peace, mainly through civil society organizations. It is in the U.S. national interest to provide humanitarian assistance and promote the national reintegration of Sierra Leone, thereby promoting regional stability in West Africa
The Development Challenge
The conflict has affected the political, social and economic context for development in Sierra Leone. It has devastated the national economy and caused large-scale social disruption. Public infrastructure has been destroyed or debilitated, food security threatened, administrative and institutional capacity disrupted, and earning capacity reduced. USAID began a program in Sierra Leone in 1991 to promote reconciliation. In 1999, USAID supported implementation of the failed Lomé Peace Agreement, broken by the RUF in May, 2000. Since then USAID has continued assistance to civil society to enhance dialogue, build confidence among stakeholders and create an environment for reintegration and reconciliation. USAID has provided technical assistance to the Government of Sierra Leone for commissions described in the Lomé Agreement. Finally, USAID has supported the development of a nationwide, non-formal education campaign for disenfranchised youth to support demobilization, reintegration and reconciliation.
Despite these efforts, during and following the January 1999 rebel attack on Freetown, an estimated 5,000 people were killed, and 700,000 to 1,000,000 Sierra Leoneans became internally displaced (out of a total population of 4.7 Million). At present, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are 470,000 Sierra Leonean refugees in neighboring countries. United Nations sources have documented that nearly 4,000 children are missing. Relief assessments are confirming earlier fears that the humanitarian situation is dire in areas which were inaccessible, sometimes for more than a year. The United Nations estimates a million people in these areas will require humanitarian assistance. Widespread destruction of housing means the crisis will continue for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) well beyond the cessation of conflict despite assistance for rebuilding and food aid in Freetown.
The United Nations reports that health delivery services are adequate in accessible areas but needs are critical in areas just becoming accessible. Malaria tops the list of reported illnesses, and there is a growing problem with chloroquine-resistant malaria. UNICEF considers cholera the second-highest health risk in Sierra Leone, although there has been no major recent outbreak. Measles has also been a persistent problem.
Development Assistance funds will go beyond humanitarian relief to help start recovery. With improvement in access to zones now free of conflict, private voluntary organizations can now expand agricultural programs in order to revitalize farms and communities throughout the South and East. Internally displaced persons, refugees, former combatants and people who remained in place during the war need access to funds, services and materials to rebuild communities and generate income. Post-harvest losses must be reduced to help return Sierra Leone to a food secure situation.
Democratic practices, systems and values also need to be re-established. For decades preceding the fighting, Sierra Leone experienced a series of coups d'état, and governance broke down at both the national and local levels. Efforts are needed to rebuild a sense of nationhood and to reconcile estranged groups.
Other Donors
The U. S. Government remains the leading bilateral provider of humanitarian aid to Sierra Leone and Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea and Liberia. The U.S. Government was the largest single donor of food and non-food aid to Sierra Leone in FY 1999 providing $34.8 million, and again in FY 2000 providing $42.8 million of food and non-food humanitarian assistance. As the fighting has waned, the United Kingdom has been providing assistance across a number of sectors. These include humanitarian relief, democracy and governance, and the Government of Sierra Leone's disarmament and reconstruction processes. The World Bank has established a Multi-Donor Trust Fund for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process. A number of bilateral donors have contributed relief and development assistance, including Canada, Sweden, Japan and Germany
FY 2002 Program
A three-year USAID transition strategy will guide U.S humanitarian and development assistance for the FY 2001-2003 period. The strategy bridges the provision of emergency food and shelter (except for the most vulnerable groups) to reintegration assistance for ex-combatants and returnees into their communities and basic child health concerns, including vaccination programs.
Reintegration is the theme one of two Special Objectives (SPO) of this Transition Strategy, which calls for a community-based approach that addresses food security and agriculture, basic primary health care, and income-generating opportunities for ex-combatants, resettled refugees and internally displaced persons and community residents. The initial geographic focus will be in the south, which is secure and is home to Civil Defense Forces (CDF) and some ex-combatants from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). As the government increases control over RUF-held territories, the geographic focus will be expanded to the north. Support for reintegration will be designed to dovetail with on-going emergency and transition efforts supported by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Response (BHR), such as a non-formal education for peace activity, seeds and tools programs, and community health initiatives.
The second Special Objective of the transition strategy addresses issues of democracy and governance in Sierra Leone. The SPO calls for assistance in three main areas- 1) facilitating truth and reconciliation through the rule of law and the pursuit of human rights, 2) strengthening local civil society organizations, and 3) assisting electoral and political processes.
Support to civil society cuts across both Special Objectives. Civil society organizations will play an important role in the truth and reconciliation process (evidence gathering, documentation and preservation) and the electoral process. Reintegration activities will also incorporate the tenets of citizens' empowerment and involvement in the decision-making process at grassroots levels.
Activity Data Sheets
- 636-001, Advancement of the Reintegration Process for the War-torn Populations in Targeted Communities
- 636-002, Democratic Institutions Capacity Strengthened
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
