Mono 118.indd

The research identifies a cycle of instability in the Mano River Basin driven by extreme poverty, porous borders, and the failure to effectively reintegrate ex-combatants. It highlights how natural resources like diamonds and timber are leveraged by warlords and terror networks to fund conflict, and how the lack of economic opportunities for youth makes them susceptible to recruitment as mercenaries. The document argues that sustainable peace requires coordinated sub-regional efforts in disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR), alongside the economic empowerment of youth and the regulation of the extractive industries to prevent corporate security forces from becoming new militias.

• The stability of the Mano River Basin is threatened by three interlinked themes: the movement of displaced persons, the failure to reintegrate them into society, and the influence of illicit trade.
• Extreme poverty serves as a primary motivator for youth to join armed conflicts; in Liberia, 76 percent of the population lives on less than one US dollar per day, while in Sierra Leone, approximately 70 percent are considered poor when basic needs beyond food are included.
• The reintegration phase of the DDR process in Liberia faced a critical funding gap of USD 39.5 million as of April 2005, leaving 42,000 ex-combatants without access to necessary programmes.
• Demobilisation training in Liberia was insufficient, often lasting only four to five days, which failed to provide adequate trauma counselling or psychological support for ex-combatants who had committed atrocities.
• Corporate mining interests in Sierra Leone, such as Koidu Holdings Ltd. and Sierra Rutile Ltd., have created tensions by employing private armed security forces composed of former mercenaries, which local communities perceive as a threat.
• In Liberia, the timber industry is a significant security risk because logging companies may hire armed ex-combatants for security, potentially re-arming them and threatening regional stability.
• There is a high level of sub-regional instability where fighters move across borders based on financial incentives; for example, ex-combatants may prefer to disarm in Côte d’Ivoire if the payment (rumoured at USD 900) is higher than in Liberia (USD 300).
• Youth in the region are often viewed by governments as a threat, yet they are excluded from legitimate employment and political power, making them a 'lost generation' prone to criminal activity or mercenary work.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Mono 118.indd. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/FullMono118.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Mono 118.indd. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/FullMono118.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title= Mono 118.indd |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/FullMono118.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndmono, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{ Mono 118.indd}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/FullMono118.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }