Remove or reform? A case for (restructuring) chiefdom governance in post-conflict Sierra Leone

Recent analyses of Sierra Leone's eleven-year civil war have argued that the conflict was fuelled by a crisis within chiefdom authority, with emphasis on increasing tensions between rural youth and their elders. However, a counter-argument has also emerged, emphasising that customary authority is still highly regarded in post-conflict Sierra Leone and that chiefs act as an influential barrier against bureaucratic abuses of power. This article draws on fieldwork from three districts in Sierra Leone to argue that chiefdom authority indeed continues to have considerable support. In particular, section chiefs and headmen are seen as being particularly important for settling small disputes, especially in the rural areas where contact between villagers and chiefs is most apparent.