Distribution of Power within Post-Conflict Reconstruction Concept (Liberian Case)

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Distribution of Power within Post-Conflict
Reconstruction Concept (Liberian Case)

• AFRICA 1960 2010 2060
• A Century (Re)visited What next?
• University of Pécs, 27 29 May 2010
• Kantarína Bajzíková, African Center of Slovakia
• katarina.bajzikova_at_gmail.com

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Structure

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Post-conflict Reconstruction (PCR)
• 2.1 Liberian Post-Conflict Reconstruction Efforts
• 2.2 Reconciliation TRC, Power-sharing Agreements
• 3 Distribution of Power within PCR
• 4 Assessments and conclusions

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1Introduction

• Concept of post-conflict reconstruction
• - new addition to post-war vocabulary, it does
  not have exact meaning and is used vaguely for
  everything that helps reinstate the good times
  (Williams, 2005, p.546 In Ismail, 2008)
• - interchangeably used as a synonym to nation-,
  state- or peace-building (in this presentation I
  consider the post-conflict reconstruction as a
  part of the more general peace-building process,
  not as its synonym)

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• Phases of PCR 3 phases
• (emergency, transition, development
• stabilisation, transition, consolidation
• initial response, transformation, fostering
  sustainability)
• Agenda of PCR
• - Security, Justice and Reconciliation,
  Socioeconomic Development, Political
  Participation, Good Governance and Rule of Law,
  Basic Infrastructure Restoration, Gender Equality
  )
• Criticism of PCR
• - Time framework, Institutional
  approach/Capacities building, Contents
  agenda,Value orientation

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2 Post-conflict Reconstruction

• 2.1 Liberian Post-conflict Reconstruction Efforts
• From 80s of 20th century focus of
  subregional/regional destabilization until forced
  resignation of Charles Taylor in 2003
• Elections in 2005 beginning of the complex
  process of stabilization
• Strategic documents 150 Day Action Plan, interim
  Poverty Reduction Strategy (iPRS), PRS Lift
  Liberia (in force from April 2008 until June
  2011), maintaining four pillar thematic structure
  as follows 1. Stabilizing Peace and Security, 2.
  Revitalizing the Economy, 3. Strengtheing
  Governance and Rule of Law, 4. Rehabilitating
  Infrastructure and Delivering Basic Services
• Four pillar agenda is more complex, including
  various actors with their own concepts of
  programs, which sometimes compete with each other
  (e.i. AFRICOM and ECOWAS)
• Transfomation of society missing crucial aspect
  within the reconstruction process (Not to limit
  only on matters like who will control the state,
  but also provide real change within society
  cause in rural Africa the national political
  society is really an incomprehensible
  abstraction Claude, Ake)

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• 2.2 Reconciliation TRC, Power-sharing
  Agreements
• Reconciliation is definitely one of the basic
  requirements of peaceful coexistence after
  violent conflicts.
• J. Galtung defines three most important processes
  through which a war-struck society ultimately has
  to go. These are reconstruction, reconciliation,
  and conflict resolution.
• Reconciliation building relationship between
  antagonists, to addresss, integrate and embrace
  the painful past and the necessary shared future
  as a means of dealing with present (Lederach,
  1997, p.34-35)
• TRC - aim to provide a forum that will address
  issues of impunity, as well as an opportunity for
  both the victims and perpetrators of human rights
  violations to share their experiences, in order
  to get a clear picture of the past to facilitate
  genuine healing and reconciliation.
  Comprehensive Peace Agreement,2003, p.14).
• - The Commission has an important input to
  building a culture of responsibility for mass
  human rights violations which need to be a
  requirement for the reconciliation.
• - Public hearings (January 2008 June
  2009), no judicial power, evolving Liberian
  diaspora in USA, Ghana, reconstruct war crimes of
  1979- 2003, ending with National Reconciliation
  Conference and by release of Final Report on 1
  July 2009.

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• Traditional mechanisms of conflict resolutions
  used in Liberia, there are e.g. Palava Hut (so
  called roundtable), sharing the kola nut
  (providing compensation, compensatory damage),
  and sassywood (so called ordeal).
• The concept of TRC could in practice work as a
  bridge between both legal systems (traditional
  customary law and written law). The traditional
  mechanism of Palava Hut contains similar
  principles as Truth and Reconciliation Commission
  supported by international community i.e.
  dimension of truth-telling, reconciliation, and
  substitution.
• Head of the TRC, J. Verdier, confirmed similarity
  of the mechanisms and directed attention to new
  challenges which reveal huge human rights
  violations and other crimes from the civil war.
  Liberian society does not have experience with
  such settlements which on the other hand creates
  a new dynamic.
• Power-sharing Agreements - due to huge number of
  broken Peace agreements need for inclusive
  model to increase potential for lasting peace.
• - critical lines grand instable, inefficient
  coalition/ weak opposition,
• avoiding sensitive issues,
  marginalisation of certain groups in
  order to achieve overall results sooner.

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• FINAL REMARKS on RECONCILIATION
• - scheme for a process, through which society
  needs to go through after it experienced a
  violent conflict reconstruction of the past
  using attestations of victims and violators,
  reconciliation and compensation, recovery and
  reintegration
• sensitive issues reparation recovery of
  material losses, reintegration (length
  of human life, difficult to maintain individual
  approach gt community based project as solution
  in reparation process, victims/ excombattants
  integration)

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3 Distribution of Power within PCR

• 3 phases of PCR
• 1. emergency (2006) - creation of secure
  environment and humanitarian recovery.
  Involvement of external actors is in this phase
  substantial. According to NEPAD, this phase
  usually lasts between 90 days to one year
  (African Post-Conflict Reconstruction Policy
  Framework, 2005, p.7).
• 2. transition (2006 2008) - strengthens
  legitimacy and capacity of reconstructed
  societies. This phase initiates recovery of basic
  social services, economy, judicial system,
  creation of system of governance, and
  reconciliation of society. Usually, a
  transitional government is appointed for one to
  three years to create the best conditions for
  elections. Closer cooperation between local and
  external actors is expected.
• 3. development (2008 2011) - to sustain
  previously achieved accomplishments. External
  actors support local recovery, development
  initiatives, and provide much needed help,
  especially in form of technical expertise. The
  phase should last between four to ten years.
  Strategies and programs of this phase try to
  point the country in direction of sustainable
  security and development.

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• UNMIL withdrawn within 3 phases according to
  CIMIC UNMIL, the first
• phase, military phase, aims at securing general
  security and should gradually
• involve civil administration components in order
  to create stable managing
• capacities of a public character. After the
  public administration is strengthened, the focus
  should shift to local bodies Liberian
  government
• and Liberian civil society (Holshek, 2008, p.14).
• - Secretary-Generals plan counts with
  decreasing military personnel by some 2000 to
  number 8202 (15000) men till May 2010 (including
  7952 troops in Liberia and 250 at the Special
  Court for Sierra Leone) until presidential and
  parliamentary elections in 2011, the size of the
  UN police force (1318 policemen) will remain the
  same. The subjected proposal was created based on
  the evaluation of the UNs technical team which
  visited Liberia in May and June 2009.
• Inclusivness of representatives from Taylors
  regime
• Dialogue between ruling Americo-Liberian minority
  and indigenous population question of
  governance (transformation of traditional
  concepts)

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4 Assessments and Conclusions

• Post-conflict reconstruction programs are still
  predominantly externally financed. (false African
  ownership, decision making or values).
• Even though scholarly community and the UN System
  offer several agendas of state-building in order
  to create in a post-conflict country a technical
  state apparatus of Western type, in essence this
  concept does not deal with causes of society
  division which led to the violent conflict. In
  this sense it is difficult to talk about complex
  reconstruction model but rather we can underline
  its technical, i.e. institutional, variant.
• No international intervention represents a
  sustainable solution without local participation,
  decision-making, and ownership. gt the technical
  projects need a local spirit (finances from
  local budget, institution building also on county
  level - 2nd wave) .

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• Thank you for your attention!

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