Social Contracts and Security in Sub-Saharan African Conflict States:

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and SomaliaDavid K. Leonard (Institute of Development Studies, UK)

Ferdinand Mugumo Mushi (Catholic University of Congo)Mohamed Samantar (Puntland State University, Garowe)

& James Vincent (Freetown, Sierra Leone)

State Reconstruction & the Social Contact

• Internationals jump too readily to Hobbes, Rousseau & Kant

(1) Contract w/ individuals v. communities(2) 1 contract v. 2 contracts + 2 bargains– Families w/ community governance structure– Community governance w/ state– Military w/ regime– Internationals w/ state

(3) Militaries can predate instead of protect(4) Tensions between contracts & bargains

States do not necessarily = security & development

• Somalia under Barre• Sierra Leone in 1990s• Zaire under Mobutu from 1980s

Nor does statelessness necessarily = economic collapse

• Somalia• DRC artisanal mining (but not agriculture)• But Sierra Leone

Contracts v. Bargains

• Contacts and bargains both are based in exchange,

• but contracts come to be valued for their own sake and thus create stable obligations,

• whereas bargains exist only so long as they produce immediate benefits for all parties.

The Community Contract

• Mamdani’s ‘subjects’• Land & justice as the foundation

Community-State Contract

• Support for local governance• Development services (education; health &

roads)

Military-Regime Bargain

• In most (but not all) African states this is a bargain, not a contract. Is largely based in material incentives, is instrumental, and has limited stability. Little sense of obligation or legitimacy.

• Contrast with close historical identity in Europe between officer corps and the state elites.

Internationals with State

• Despite huge presence of donors and NGOs they do not compete with state for legitimacy. (Jen Brass on Kenya)

• Donors do not necessarily show sufficient time-commitment nor sensititivity to local priorities.

• Also citizens do not know how to access donors & NGOs save through the state, politicians and churches.

• AND donors have their own interests.

Priorities for State Reconstruction

• Much less on the institutions of the centre.• Rebuild from what has best survived the stress

of conflict – the local. Sometimes the state follows from this and sometime not. So be it.

• But recognize that the local too has changed during conflict.

• Attend to the mediation and resolution of local conflicts, as most often these are sustaining the conflicts at a higher level.