Professor Jalloh reconstructs how the Fula became one of the most successful mercantile groups in Freetown. He also examines th role of Islam in Fula commercial organisations and social relationships, as well as the connection between Fula merchants and politics in Sierra Leone. Index, b/w illus, notes, gloss, bib, xxix, 288pp, USA. OHIO U P.

Explores the genesis of the crisis, contradictory roles of internal and external actors, civil society and the media; the regional intervention force and the demise of the second republic. Analyses the numerous peace initiatives designed to end a war, which continued nonetheless to defy and outlast them; and asks why the war became so protracted and considers how non conventional actors were able to inaugurate and sustain an insurgency that called forth the largest concentration of UN peacekeepers the world has ever seen. Index, bib, 263pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA.

What were the constraints to establishing a subregional security mechanism and to promoting economic integration in West Africa between 1960 and 1990? What factors impacted on peacemaking efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau, and what factors account for the unresolved security and political processes in these countries? How successful have efforts at conflict management been in these three cases? What are the lessons for building sustain-able peace in West Africa and for institutionalising ECOMOG in West Africa? Map, notes, bib, index, 192pp, UK. RIENNER, 1588260771

Now available in paperback. A journalists' account of the terrifying human cost of the legal and illegal diamond industry and the bloody wars it funds. The author looks at the links between the DeBeers cartel, smuggling and the revel war which has destroyed Sierra Leone. Index, maps, notes, xxv, 251pp, USA. WESTVIEW, 0813342201

During the war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002), members of various rebel movements kidnapped thousands of girls and women, some of whom came to take an active part in the armed conflict alongside the rebels. Coulter draws on interviews with more than a hundred women to bring us inside the rebel camps in Sierra Leone. When these girls and women returned to their home villages after the cessation of hostilities, their families and peers viewed them with scepticism and fear, while humanitarian organizations saw them primarily as victims. Neither view was particularly helpful in helping them resume normal lives after the war. Offering lessons for policymakers, practitioners, and activists, Coulter shows how prevailing notions of gender, both in home communities and among NGO workers, led, for instance, to women who had taken part in armed conflict being bypassed in the demilitarization and demobilization processes carried out by the international community in the wake of the war. Many of these women found it extremely difficult to return to their families, and, without institutional support, some were forced to turn to prostitution to eke out a living. Coulter weaves several themes through the work, including the nature of gender roles in war, livelihood options in war and peace, and how war and post-war experiences affect social and kinship relations. 289pp, USA. CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Research paper. 33pp, SWEDEN. NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE.

Charts the decade long civil war that brought Sierra Leone to its knees from 1991-2001. The group spearheading the violence, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), claimed to be freeing the country from corruption and the brutalities of its political class and their foreign allies, but their insurgency killed more than 75,000 people, displaced half the population and destroyed one third of the country's already feeble infrastructure. The RUF also became notorious for appalling acts of brutality, including rape and the widespread use of mutilation. The RUF is today a spent force, politically, although some claim it has retained its arms in the hope of one day relaunching a military campaign. But where did it spring from? Was it a movement driven by criminal acquisitiveness that adopted the rhetoric of politics? Was it another example of Sierra Leone's tradition of subaltern uprisings by disaffected youths, often manipulated by wily political operators? Index, map, 224pp, UK. HURST.

Since 1994, TRCs have been set up in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, while one has been pro-posed for Liberia. From such a standpoint it is tempting to argue that there has emerged what we can call a one size fits all syndrome, that is, if the TRC worked for South Africa, a position that is the subject of intense debate within and outside that country, then it is good for Sierra Leone, Liberia or any other African society that is emerging from protracted violent conflict. The main purpose of this study is to draw attention to the TRC phenomenon in Sierra Leone, to stimulate discussion on the diverse questions surrounding its rationale, processes and out-comes, especially its impacts on post conflict reconciliation in the country. 56pp, SWEDEN. NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE.

An insider's account of the World Bank's political agreements and secret dealings which caused famine in Sierra Leone. Gloss, 250pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 184277185X

A study of the methods of warfare, the youths involved and the aspirations for schools and jobs that motivates them to fight. The author argues that the war can only be understood in the context of old traditions of social and technical management of the forest. Index, refs, notes, b/w illus, xxix, 198pp, UK. JAMES CURREY PUBLISHERS.

An anthropological study of long held paradigms of separate, bounded and unique communities, looking at how Sierra Leonean Muslims living in greater Washington, D.C. maintain intense and genuine community ties through weddings, rituals and travel across vast urban spaces and national boundaries. The author looks at Sierra Leonean's engagement with their homeland and the interaction with a diverse, global Muslim community. Index, refs, notes, 181pp, USA. UNIV. PRESS OF PENNSYLVANIA, 0812218744

Returning to Sierra Leone in 2002, anthropologist Michael Jackson relates the stories of political leaders and ordinary people trying to salvage their lives and livelihoods in the aftermath of violence. The author combines folklore, history and politics with Sewa Bockarie Marah's memories of his heritage and imprisonment as a political detainee, to create a poetic ethnography on history and violence. Index, notes, b/w illus, maps, viii, 226pp, USA. DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0822333139

To explore this condition of existential dissatisfaction, the anthropologist Michael Jackson travelled to Sierra Leone, described in a recent UN report as the least livable country in the world. There he revisited the village where he did his first ethnographic fieldwork in 1969-70 and lived in 1979. Jackson writes that Africans have always faced forces from without that imperil lives and livelihoods. Though these forces have assumed different forms at different times - slave raiding, warfare, epidemic illness, colonial domination, state interference, economic exploitation, and corrupt government - they are subject to the same mix of magical and practical reactions that affluent Westerners deploy against terrorist threats, illegal immigration, market collapse, and economic recession. Both the problem of well-being and the question as to what makes life worthwhile are grounded in the mystery of existential discontent - the question as to why human beings, regardless of their external circumstances, are haunted by a sense of insufficiency and loss. 248pp, USA. DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

In 1998, the UK adopted a policy of 'new humanitarianism' to address the shortcomings and role of humanitarian assistance in tackling conflict and furthering development. Sierra Leone became a test case. This book provides an analysis of this new approach to development, focusing on Sierra Leone, and investigates the effectiveness of policy implementation. Placing the experience of Sierra Leone in context with other countries such as Sudan and Iraq, Tanja Schumer shows how the policy dramatically impacts upon the future for international humanitarian policy. Index, bib, notes, maps, 204pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

Relates how a small country, insignificant in the strategic considerations of the world powers, propelled the United Nations to centre stage in a crisis that called its very authority into serious question; and how the UN mission in Sierra Leone was transformed from its nadir into what is now widely considered one of the most successful peacekeeping missions in UN history. Funmi Olonisakin tells the story of this experience, highlighting the key moments, and the reasoning behind strategic decisions. She also captures UNAMSIL's internal struggle as it fought to regain some honour after the May 2000 crisis, when the UN had to rely on the infamous Charles Taylor to broker the release of 500 peacekeeper hostages. 205pp, USA. LYNNE RIENNER.

In-depth analysis of the role and contribution of economic regionalism in West Africa aimed at anyone interested in the politics of developing countries and the link between regional cooperation, economic development, democratisation and conflict management. 276pp, UK. ASHGATE.

An eye-witness account of the military events which overwhelmed Sierra Leone after the coup of 1997. The author, a Nigerian officer, recounts the role of the Nigerian army and the political intrigues which characterised that dangerous time. Index, app, maps, b/w illus, xxi, 240pp, NIGERIA. HEINEMANN EDUCATIONAL BOOKS NIGERIA.

Since 1991, the small West African country of Sierra Leone has been besieged by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a guerrilla group and political party. This volume looks at the causes of this conflict and the growth of systemic government corruption in the decades following the 1961 independence. Other issues exam-ined include the control of the country's vast mineral wealth, foreign interference and the 1999 Lome Peace Accord. BNS, 160pp, UK. NOVA SCIENCE, 1590336623

The author traces Sierra Leone's downward spiral, drawing on his experience as US ambassador in Freetown in 1995?1998. Analyzes the historical, social, and economic contexts of the ongoing struggle, as well as the impact of regional and international powers. Covers the exploitation of mineral resources, the involvement of private security forces, and flawed efforts at peace negotiations. Argues that stability and a renewal of democratic institutions can only be achieved with sustained international intervention. B/w photos, app, bib, index, 175pp, USA . LYNNE RIENNER.

2000 1555876986 Paperback

A report covering the findings of Commonwealth Observer Group during the Sierra Leonean general and Presidential elections in 2002. 43pp, UK. COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT.

A national plan of action for post conflict reconstruction in Sierra Leone focusing on building equality between citizens. Tables, app, b/w photographs, 202pp, UK. COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT, 0850927747