Pax Britannica: New Humanitarianism in Sierra Leone

Abstract

In the previous chapter we analysed the complex nature of the war in Sierra Leone and discussed the roles of external actors and aid in fuelling or mitigating the war. Our aim was to investigate the context in which British aid was granted and to discuss its appropriateness to the case of Sierra Leone. In this chapter we discuss the application of New Humanitarianism to Sierra Leone between 1997 and 2003. We first introduce the contents and scope of the British relief intervention. We also discuss broader aspects of the British intervention to the extent they impacted upon emergency assistance. We then explore the current governance structures in Sierra Leone and their impact on, and relationship with, humanitarian emergency aid. In particular, we evaluate the level of ownership and control exercised by the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL). We conclude the chapter with a discussion of the significance of humanitarian emergency assistance operations within the overall British engagement in Sierra Leone. Our primary objective in this chapter is to establish the extent to which the British engagement in Sierra Leone drew on and promoted the concept of New Humanitarianism, as a contribution to our overall assessment of the policy’s coherence. We also assess the feasibility and effectiveness of emergency assistance in promoting conflict management and development.