Title: Between Democracy and Terror: The Sierra Leone Civil War
Abstract: Between Democracy and Terror: The Sierra Leone Civil War. Edited by Ibrahim Abdullah. Dakar: CODESRlA, 2004. Distributed by Africa Books Collective, Oxford, UK. Pp. x, 263; 3 maps and 5 tables. $29.95 paper. As search for a more durable peace continues in West Africa following recent outburst of subregion's volatility with Cote d'Ivoire becoming another arena for armed combat, need for a better understanding of conflicts such as Sierra Leone civil (1991-1999) has become more imperative than ever before. Moreover, a cursory glance at historiography of postcolonial Sierra Leone reveals a paucity of books dealing comprehensively with war, arguably one of most complex and brutal in history of contemporary Africa. Indeed an intensely debatable conflict in both academic and non-academic discourses, in Sierra Leone became a laboratory for scholars to experiment with various theoretical paradigms, which may have worked elsewhere, to explain peculiar circumstances under which evolved. This problematic has long been part of a larger issue about Africanist discourses and studies on Africa, which scholars have engaged in every so often. Given this historiographical backdrop, Between Democracy and Terror, edited by Sierra Leonean historian Ibrahim Abdullah, brings together a team of West African scholars and researchers in fields of history, political science, and journalism, whose research interests converge on democratization, peace and conflict resolution, corruption and good governance, and youth culture in West Africa, among other matters. This timely compilation builds upon previous discussions on Sierra Leone civil war, which began on Internet in May 1996 and spilled over into subsequent scholarly publications that generated a lot of debate. By dialoguing with each other, most of studies allowed scholars and researchers across disciplines to discuss various approaches and theoretical frameworks employed in analyzing war. In this connection, this volume reflects an interdisciplinary conversation focused on the genesis of crisis; contradictory roles of different internal and external actors; civil society and fourth estate; regional intervention force; demise of second republic; and numerous peace initiatives to end war (p. 1). The book's twelve chapters, following an introduction by editor, fall into three parts. Part I, comprising five chapters, introduces context of by examining origin of rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), role of students in crisis, and complicity of state in prolonging and thus assisting in inflicting violence on people of Sierra Leone. Part II consists of four chapters covering resumption of parliamentary multiparty politics in 19% as well as coup d'etat that brought military junta, Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), to power, albeit briefly. …
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 7
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