What advice does Islam give a country torn by civil war, such as Sierra Leone?

Those who stir up a civil war for their own ends rarely listen to advice. So everyone with real influence should work seriously for lasting peace, and believers should pray for it, because no worldly effort succeeds without God’s help.

A civil war destroys more than houses and roads. It tears families apart and robs people of all security. Those who lead such a war and burn down towns and villages are usually serving nothing but their own ego. What becomes of the country means nothing to them. People like this do not listen to advice from outside.

True freedom therefore begins within. A people is only truly free when it breaks out of bondage to its own selfishness. Whoever simply follows his desires is not free, even if he holds weapons and power.

Advice makes sense where it will be heard. Many countries in Africa are still shaped, through diplomatic and economic means, by powerful states. Those states therefore bear responsibility too. They need to be told that enough is enough, and that out of compassion they should act to bring about a real and lasting peace. The first verse above makes it a duty to make peace between those in conflict and to remain just in doing so.

There is also a power that cannot be seen. Unless God brings about a change, no worldly measure succeeds. Every sincere effort for peace therefore needs prayer. It happens quietly, unseen and unheard. Yet God hears it, as the last verse above says. In this way everyone who suffers under such a war can contribute to peace, even if there is little else they can do.