Restorative Justice in Sierra Leone: Promises and Limitations

Abstract

Ten years since the end of its 11-year civil war, Sierra Leone has become an important case study for students and practitioners of transitional justice (TJ). The parallel establishment of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) brought new attention to the merits of restorative and retributive approaches operating simultaneously. While William Schabas argues that Sierra Leone is a successful model of the ‘two-track approach’, Sierra Leone has also become the focus of a large critical literature, which questions the legitimacy of external practices and ideas.² Growing concerns in Sierra Leone that international transitional justice undermined internal restorative justice and communal structures have generated intense debates over what a comprehensive TJ process should entail. These debates tie into a politics of legitimacy between international and national justice mechanisms. Members of Sierra Leonean civil society — including members of the TRC — have argued that the international influence on TJ practices has sidelined local culture, civil society and authority structures. While traditional practices of reintegration preceded the TRC in some communities, criticisms of the TRC also led to the rise of new actors and grassroots TJ processes within the country.

I would like to thank Kirsten Ainley, Chris Mahony, Chris Brown, Laura Martin and Kristine Behm for their helpful comments on this chapter, and the research behind it.