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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The May 25, 1997 coup and the burden of democratic survival in Sierra Leone |
Author: | Juldeh Jalloh, M. |
Year: | 1999 |
Periodical: | L'Afrique politique |
Pages: | 161-178 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Sierra Leone |
Subjects: | democracy coups d'état 1997 |
Abstract: | The May 1997 coup d'état which sent Sierra Leone's democratically elected President Tejan Kabbah packing was a bad omen for democracy in the country and in Africa in general. The coup shattered the hope raised by the brief return to democracy after the 1996 elections. The restoration of Kabbah by the Nigerian-led Ecomog (ECOWAS Monitoring Group) intervention force renewed that hope, but the need to balance socioeconomic development with political stability remains the fundamental challenge to the prospects for constructing a stable democratic polity in Sierra Leone. This article analyses the background to the coup, discussing the dynamics of neopatrimonialism in Sierra Leone's politics and history. Then it looks at the coup and its implications, especially for military disengagement from politics. Finally it assesses the prospects and challenges of democratic consolidation in Sierra Leone. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English and French (p. 13). |