Refugees in Trans-Border Conflict: The Case of Sierra Leone, 1991–2002

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Abstract

The victimization of refugees in the recipient communities has been broadly explored, especially in the context of West African civil wars, however the role refugees had in armed violence against local population and in the maintenance of the regional conflict economy requires further research. In this article, the author examines matters of refugee involvement in a civil war ravaging the recipient country based on the case of Sierra Leone conflict (1991–2002) and role that Liberian refugees played at the outset and different periods of war. The primary aim of this study is to determine the extent to which the role refugees played in the Sierra Leone conflict went beyond the traditional perception of refugee victimhood, the transformation of their involvement in war and the influence of the various regional and extra-regional forces. The existing academic literature on conflict in Sierra Leone is evaluated in accordance with the topic in focus and the extent to which this national experience can be applied to a broader set of regional wars. The role of refugees in trans-border economy is appraised in the theoretical framework of conflict support networks elaborated by William Reno and Jennifer Hazen using the functional analysis methodology treating civil wars as dynamic, with shifting intentions and roles of parties considered. Overall, the article provides additional angle in appraisal of the conflicts in West Africa and the cases of refugees’ involvement in these wars. The Liberian refugees had a changing active role in the conflict, gradually getting entangled in hostilities, illicit actions and violent entrepreneurship, turning from the victims of regional wars with their grievances into the destabilizing force for the recipient state of Sierra Leone and the entire region. The article is based on the materials of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, reports of international humanitarian organizations and documentation of the relevant state structures.

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Alexander Yu. Shipilov

Institute of World History Russian Academy of Sciences; RUDN University

Author for correspondence.
Email: alexmo1994@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7308-8638
Scopus Author ID: 57219593281
ResearcherId: C-7080-2018

Cand. Sci. (Hist.), Senior lecturer at IR Theory and History Department

Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

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