| Security and developmental targets in the post-conflict states present one of the challenging issues of the conflict puzzle that political elites, policy makers, as well as other stakeholders, have to grapple with in states that have recently experienced violent conflicts. Whiles stakeholders are quick to claim success when physical hostilities ceased between the belligerents, ensuring sustainable peace has been a daunting task. In some countries in Africa, the post conflict is characterized by instituting liberal democracy and, recently, power sharing arrangements have been used as a means of ensuring sustainable security. However, underpinning conflicts in Africa has been the marginalization and deprivation of sections of the population and which has culminated in conflict or other potential conflict situations. The intensity of the marginalization and deprivation creates a threatened environment. Harff and Gurr (1994) summed up the basic reason why ethnic conflict has proliferated in a single word: threat.Policies and strategies to achieve security and developmental targets in the post-conflict era had, at best, been an extremely slow process and sometimes elusive. In Sierra Leone, for instance, though the official declaration of the end of war, and the 2002 general elections have brought physical hostilities to an end, developmental targets in the post-conflict period have proceeded at a slow pace. The country continues to rank at the bottom of most UNDP human development indicators since 2002.The objective of the research is to examine human security in the post-conflict reconstruction in Sierra Leone from 2002 to 2009. Using human security as the theoretical framework, the research employs the qualitative approach in analyzing security issues that are fundamental in ensuring sustainable peace and development in postconflict Sierra Leone.Critical to the goal of this research is the extent to which human security issues are addressed and subsequently implemented in the post-conflict reconstruction process. The research argues that post-conflict management strategies in Sierra Leone fail to secure and promote human security, thus, leading to the slow process in achieving sustainable security and developmental targets.The research findings noted that, whilst Sierra Leone has made tremendous efforts at implementing reforms to ensure sustainable peace in the post-conflict period in the areas of political sensitization, promoting civil rights and civil liberties, as well as personal security issues, the inability of the Sierra Leonean government to put in effective strategy to address the unemployment problems has greatly affected security and developmental targets that is greatly needed in the post-conflict period. |
