In 2003, the reconciliation process in Sierra Leone was at an impasse. Sierra Leoneans – still in shock from the war, willing to make sacrifices for peace, consumed with the struggle to survive economically, and wanting to see their brothers, sisters and children back home – were quick to say they would reconcile with and forgive excombatants. However this only meant that they were willing to coexist peacefully and without ostracism. People's declarations of forgiveness and reconciliation were riddled with phrases like “We have no choice,” “What else can we do?” “We want peace,” and “We forgive because the government (or religion) says we must” that reflect, in Musa's words, a spirit of sacrifice and helplessness rather than heart-felt reconciliation.

This raises the question of whether post-conflict reconciliation is as smooth as the word ‘process’ suggests. Is there a point at which reconciliation becomes stuck or resistant to moving forward towards its deeper, sentient forms? If this is so, why does it happen? Let us review what we know.

This research found that the four main conciliatory needs in post-war Sierra Leone are:

• 1. Intra-individual reconciliation: Individuals need to reconcile (heal or come to terms) with what happened to them or what they did during the war;

• 2. Individual-community reconciliation: Perpetrators, collaborators and beneficiaries need to re-earn the trust of the community and victims need to regain trust in the community;

• 3. Intra-group reconciliation: Fighting factions – the RUF, Sierra Leone Army, and the CDF – need to come to terms with their responsibilities for war atrocities. The public also needs to acknowledge what these forces did.

• 4. Individual reconciliation with political leaders and government: Citizens need to trust their political and governing leaders and institutions at national and local levels.

The first three conciliatory needs are products of war – although the issue of marginalized youth long preceded the fighting and this will also have to be resolved. The fourth relates to the war's root causes that are commonly associated with government mismanagement, corruption and discriminatory social and legal structures. Notably, all four involve sentient reconciliation.