The United Nations cannot afford to treat its mission in West Africa with levity any longer. While still pursuing the peace option, the U.N. must regard the Sierra Leone War as potentially dangerous enough as to provoke copy-cat reactions in the whole of West Africa. Many African leaders often provoke upheavals in their nations by their own intolerance to opposition, scrutiny from the press and basic freedoms. This often provides suitable alibis for soldiers and rebels to go on the rampage. Creating democratic societies and ridding West Africa of warlords must be a two-pronged approach to be pursued by the international powers, for the existence or absence of one of them will always provide fertile grounds for violent upheavals.
Many wars today have their roots in economic deprivation.
Some political analysts believe that oftentimes rebel leaders are quite innocent of the excesses of their men on the battleground for the simple fact that many fighters often have their own personal agendas. When the rebel leader is ensconced in some plush hotel in the capital enjoying all the most delicious meals imaginable while his men in the field are suffering due to the parlous economic situation in the country, it is wishful thinking to expect them to toe the line of their leader. The chain of command of the rebel army may have broken down and all these unfortunate happenstances could be the result of the hardship wreaking havoc in Sierra Leone. There is no way true and lasting peace can come to the country if the economy remains in it's present sorry state. The rebels must see that when they disarm and be re-integrated into society, they are not returning to a life of misery.