ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the development and reform of the rule of law in postconflict Sierra Leone, a complex and contested process involving significant support from international actors, particularly the United Nations and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID).1
During the conflict, the majority of formal courts ceased to function, and even prior to the conflict the majority of the populace had access to non-state, informal, or traditional justice processes administered by local chiefs, but not to formal, state justice. International support for rule of law and justice programming has largely targeted the formal sector, yet it continues to be the case that most ordinary Sierra Leoneans rely upon local non-state, albeit often state-approved, mechanisms of justice, policing, and conflict resolution. They also utilize processes that are less well understood, via secret societies, and processes which are clearly not approved by the state, including youth action and occasional mob action, to control or respond to crime. While international actors promoting the rule of law increasingly recognize the prevalence and importance, regardless of legality, of many of these processes, it is as yet less clear where they can or should choose to engage and support these, work around them, or support alternative formalized structures that clearly challenge informal processes.
