By patricia.ngevao@awokonewspaper.sl (ATJLF/MRCG Fellow 2025)
The sounds of everyday life are alive in the streets of Freetown, where children play, traders sell their goods, and life seems to be slowly returning to a semblance of normality after Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war. But as Mariama Kamara watches her children chase each other down the dusty streets, she reflects on a bitter truth: the scars of the war are far from healed, and the promises of post-conflict development remain unfulfilled for many.
“We rebuilt our homes, but we didn’t rebuild our lives,” she says, her voice tinged with both hope and frustration. “The war left us broken, and the promises from the government to help us recover have been forgotten.”
Sierra Leone’s civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002, shattered the country. The end of the conflict ushered in a period of hope and the promise of recovery. However, more than two decades later, the path to peace and prosperity remains elusive for many. While post-conflict development programs have been implemented to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, address inequality, and promote reconciliation, they have been largely insufficient, leaving vast sections of the population, especially the most vulnerable, feeling abandoned.
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