ABSTRACT
Since the very beginning of the process of security-sector reform (SSR) in Sierra Leone, prior to the end of the country's civil war, the UK has played a disproportionate role in efforts to transform Sierra Leonean security institutions. This has extended from assistance while war was ongoing to support for post-conflict stabilisation in a context of peace: the lead role assumed by the UK in military intervention through Operation Palliser, in May 2000, translated into an equally prominent role in the post-conflict environment as one of the leading donors within efforts to stabilise and rebuild the country. The UN peacekeeping mission, UNAMSIL, which at one point comprised 17,500 peacekeepers, 1 remained in Sierra Leone until 31 December 2005 and, together with various UN agencies and the World Bank, played a central role in the country's reconstruction. However, there was broad acceptance of the UK's position of leadership - not least in security-sector development - given its long-term commitment to the country, enshrined in the 2002 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the UK and Sierra Leone governments, 2 and its military support.
