On the evening of the 15 th February, six leading presidential candidates for the Sierra Leone presidential elections took to the stage. Over three hours of a live broadcasted debate, each answered questions about their plans for the country. In the offices of a youth development organisation, staff enthusiastically discussed the event. What did you think of the debate?
I asked. Photo by the author. Mohamed smiled. Whilst certainly not new or unique to Sierra Leone, this he contended, meant such debates had little bearing on the electoral outcome. This emphasis has entrenched a peacebuilding discourse that presents youth as both an at risk population — vulnerable to chronic poverty and exploitation of their grievances — as well as a risk — a potential source of violence, instability, or even renewed conflict.
Election campaigns, through rhetoric aimed at youth and through violence involving youth, have reinforced both. Successive elections since have promised much but delivered little tangible change for many young people. The same old familiar faces of the establishment continue to dominate political life. During elections, fighting between supporters of rival parties took place across the country, leading then SLPP President Tejan Kabbah to declare a state of emergency.
Yet these incidents were not simply the boiling-over of pent-up frustration nor the wanton criminality of unemployed youth. In the years following, a small number of senior ex-combatants on the winning APC side had reaped the rewards of this bargain, but most others missed out. In , the situation was markedly different. In the run up, grave concerns were expressed as incidents of violence between rival party taskforces and youth groups continued to occur across the country.
Much analysis warned of turmoil on a par with , if not worse. Of encouragement was the role of civil society, including youth organisations, in actively campaigning against electoral violence. That said, opportunities for their recruitment were comparatively scarce. The SLPP was wracked by splits and Koroma enjoyed strong support, winning over the 55 percent mark required to avoid a run-off vote. It is that second round that is associated with heightened violence, with the contest close and votes of minor parties up-for-grabs.
