%0 Journal Article
%T The Sierra Leone Civil War and the Remaking of ECOWAS
%A Ismail Rashid
%J Research in Sierra Leone Studies : Weave
%D 2013
%I Association of Sierra Leone Studies
%X The wars in Sierra Leone and other West African countries in the 1990s spectacularly exposed the limits of national security based on inherited colonial borders, and political considerations that regional integration could be pursued without democratic governance. While the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Nigeria, helped ensured the survival of Sierra Leone as a viable sovereign state, it also precipitated the redefinition of the vision of the organization. Rather than focusing solely on economic integration, ECOWAS reshaped its priorities, policies, and governance mechanisms to encourage democratic governance, human security, and coordination of different national security agencies in West Africa. Despite this renewed regional vision, the ability of ECOWAS to contribute to postwar reconstruction in Sierra Leone was severely retarded by lack of political will and resources. While West African troops helped strengthened the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Sierra Leone, ECOWAS lost the initiative on security reform in Sierra Leone to a British-led, International Military Assistance Training Team (IMATT).
%K Sierra Leone
%K Sierra Leone Civil War
%K ECOWAS
%K Sierra Leone Military
%K ECOWAS History
%K Postwar Sierra Leone
%U http://weavesl.org/ojs/index.php?journal=Weave&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=14&path%5B%5D=48