Creating security for lasting peace in West Africa
Conciliation Resources' office in Kenema, Sierra Leone, where our Youth in Progress and Strengthening Citizens' Security Projects are based. Photo: Rosalind Hanson-Alp, 2007.
Strengthening Citizens' Security project
Security is essential for any country’s development and progress yet security matters are often shrouded in secrecy. Much of Conciliation Resources' community peacebuilding work in West Africa over the past decade has involved security issues.
The Strengthening Citizens' Security project is a 15-month pilot project in Sierra Leone that aims to make the security sector more accessible and accountable to ordinary people in the region.
Our focus is on the Kenema and Kailahun districts – areas with poor security and few opportunities to make positive contributions to peace and security.
We work in partnership with the Mano River Women’s Peace Network, Search for Common Ground/Talking Drum Studios, and the Centre for Development and Security Analysis (CEDSA). The project is supported by Britain's Department for International Development.
The project aims to improve communication and relationships between urban and rural community activists and representatives and security sector personnel. We bring these people together through dialogue sessions and generate interest within community groups to get involved in decisions affecting their security.
In May 2008 we hosted a sub-regional conference in Freetown to share experiences and learning with the other Mano River Union countries of Liberia and Guinea.Background
The project started in 2007. Early project activities centred on Sierra Leone's elections and formed part of our work with partners to reduce election-related conflict. CEDSA organized two roundtable discussions on the elections, attended by the National Electoral Commission, the formal security sector, including the Deputy Minister of Defence, Office of National Security, the UN and the International Military Assistance Training Team (IMATT), academics and trade union representatives.
In July 2007 we produced a newsletter with our partners called the Peace, Security and Development Update (pdf 6.6MB) to analyse relevant issues in Sierra Leone and the Mano River sub-region in particular. The first issue focused on preparations for the 2007 elections.