Transitional Justice in Sierra Leone: Theory, History and Evaluation

The Sierra Leonean civil war was exceptionally brutal; during the conflict, in this small country with just over 6 million inhabitants, an estimated 70,000 people lost their lives and 2.6 million were displaced.1 The war became known for widespread atrocities, including forced recruitment of child soldiers and extensive incidents of rape, sexual slavery and amputations of limbs. In addition to the outward manifestations of violence, the conflict left less tangible but still pervasive legacies. Incidents of localised violence caused deep rifts within many communities, and, in politically marginalised areas, state violence reinforced the mistrust of political institutions and government structures. As many combatants were disenfranchised youth, the conflict featured a high degree of violence targeted against specific authority figures, made relations between generations more fraught and tore apart the social fabric.