Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone.

• Author: Safran-Hon, Daniel
• Position: Brief article - Book review

PEACEKEEPING IN SIERRA LEONE

Funmi Olonisakin

(Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008), 205 pages.

Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone is the fascinating story of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), the peacekeeping force that played a key role in ending the extreme violence in Sierra Leone at the beginning of this decade. Many lessons are learned from this concise account. Some lessons concern the management of a peacekeeping mission; others deal with the complex political situation in Sierra Leone and how UNAMSIL successfully coped with it. This success was the consequence of the political will of the major parties involved and the UN's understanding that stopping the violence necessitated a multidimensional approach.

The humiliation UN forces suffered at the hands of local rebel forces in May 2000 increased the political will of the major parties. This dramatic event brought the international community to the understanding that without a robust commitment of military power, as well as civilian support, the situation would fall into total mayhem. As a result, the small contingent of...