THE WAR IN SIERRA LEONE
Prince Godwin korieocha, Ghers Zonensain, and Jihad Hamdi*
Sierra Leone, as a country recuperating from a decade long civil war in which most of the countries neighbors played a significant role, views of this an appropriate instrument to create regional partnership that will enhance peaceful co-existence of the countries in West Africa.
In Sierra Leone, like most other countries in West Africa, the youths are a marginalized set of the population struggling to gain prominence not only in their localities but also at national level in such matters as decision-making. Consequently, it has been extremely difficult for governments of West African states to give ears to the calls of the young people with regards issues of poverty, rape, suffering, hunger, HIV.AIDS ETC.
As the fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society for the 21st century, created by the largest global consultation process ever associated with an international declaration, endorsed by thousands of organizations representing millions of individuals, seeks to inspire in all peoples a sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family and the larger living world. This is an expression of hope and a call to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history.
As an authoritative synthesis of values, principles, and aspirations that are widely shared by growing numbers of people, the youths of Sierra Leone are working and guiding instrument of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. I have also sought to inspire in the youths, opinion leaders, Community leaders, local government councilors, members of parliament and ministers, specifically the Minister of Youths, a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family and the larger living world.
Another significant shortcoming that hinders the efforts of these youth groups is the lack of adequate resources to undertake programs that will improve stake holder participation in the process of adopting good governance. There is therefore the need to support all youth‚s groups in facilitating the domestication. Also, it would be worthy on the part of fostering youth inclusion and participation if our international partners recommend that third world countries like Sierra Leone will stand to benefit from international financial assistance only after the country has accepted and domesticated that peace is the answer of all the problems in the land.
It is only after the domestication of peace that other West African countries and other parts of Africa shall see vision of globalization of justice, sustainability, and peace. This will obviously lay the foundation for political and people-oriented globalization which will eventually engender economic globalization from which the rural poor in Africa will stand to benefit. Some of the current critics of globalization say that it disadvantages third world and under developed countries with low GDP at the expense of developed and wealthy countries. Thereby, wealthy countries are given an undue advantage that frustrates the overall development of third world countries rather than facilitating economic stabilization and growth. Consequently, issues such as the arms trade that promotes wars and chaos in Africa will become a thing of the past as globalization will be based on a just and equitable leverage in accordance with the concepts of peace For Sierra Leone, and other West African countries recuperating from war and violence, this new dimension in the activities of good massages will surely foster the post war/post violence reconstruction activities by opening the windows of a kind of globalization that will prove beneficial to Africa and less developed countries rather than promote the interest of the highly developed and industrialized countries.
Indeed there ought to be a renewed concept of globalization: one that promotes peace and facilitates the socio-economic development of the rural and urban poor and largely underdeveloped countries in the world.
The future of any country in the world depends on how it treats its youths. Unfortunately in most developing countries like Africa, this is usually not the case! I feel that any national and local development planning should focus on and involve the youths because that is when we can build sustainable peace. Young people should be given platforms to participate in decision making processes at all levels. Nigerian government and other Africans leaders should give youths a choice.
*Prince Godwin korieocha, Princegodwin1967@yahoo.com, korieocha@gmail.com, African Peace Ambassador Noah’s Ark-International Peace project and & United Network of Young Peacebuilders Affiliate member, +2348023136481, Lagos Nigeria, +2348052102280; Ghers Zonensain, Director, noearca14@gmail.com, Tel; + 972-9-7655662, 972-50-6911957, Ertzel 5/14 Kfar Saba, Israel 44444; Jihad Hamdi, Director, Rahimou51@hotmail.com, + 972-4- 6310650, + 972-509800453, Noah’s Ark-International Peace project for the improvement of friendship, -Harmony and Cooperation between all the countries of the world.
