Chiefs, money and politicians: rebuilding local government in post‐war Sierra Leone

There has been very little written about the interaction between the different elements of local government in Sierra Leone, finance and the diamond trade. This article draws on recent work in Sierra Leone on local government reconstruction by DFID and the World Bank undertaken by the author and draws some of these issues together. It argues that the emphasis on the prefix ‘re’ is actually dangerous in the context of Sierra Leone, and that the reconstitution of the politico‐economic networks surrounding diamond extraction outside of local government may lead to the alienation of the same groups that led the rebellion over the last few years. Local government holds the key to alleviating this alienation and the poverty that causes it, but it is in danger of being undermined by national politicians, trading networks and the local chiefs that control the land. This article analyses this situation and provides a way forward.