The 2023 Elections in Sierra Leone: Identifying Potential Conflict Flashpoints and Spoilers

Electoral violence remains a problem for many countries in the developing world. The case is more agonizing in Africa where violence in elections with varying degrees of brutality has culminated in outright national upheavals and conflicts. This article attempts to identify potential conflict flashpoints and perpetrators leading to the up-coming elections slated to be held in 2023 in Sierra Leone. The research findings catalogued some of the attributable factors responsible for electoral conflicts and violence, which include state capture, ethno-regional divide, strong-hold mentality, power of incumbency, emergence of a “third force”, state malleability, enfeebled national institutions, money politics, high levels of poverty, youth unemployment and socio-economic hardship, and lack of trust in the electoral management and security systems. It is undeniable that this is the state of play in Sierra Leone as the country prepares for the up-coming 2023 elections. We argue that identifying critical conflicts hotspots and spoilers will help national and international stakeholders articulate and design measures to fend off potential electoral conflicts and violence pre, during and post 2023 elections.