Civil Militia & The Power To Rule: A Case Study Of The Microdynamics Of War In Bo District, Sierra Leone

Abstract

This thesis presents a pilot case study of the microdynamics of war in Bo District, Sierra Leone. It presents an explanation to the actions of the disputed civil defense militia the Kamajors that sees the Kamajors not as an expression of popular will, but as the guardians of particular interests. Local civil militia arose as a consequence of the convergence of interests between local and supralocal actors, whereby individuals joined and supported the larger war effort through reasons and actions largely connected to their everyday local existence, in a manner that invited dominance and intimate violence particularly against alleged enemy collaborators. Through these alliances the Kamajors established rule over Bo District, Sierra Leone.