Sierra Leone: Difference between revisions

Republic of Sierra Leone
Flag Coat of Arms of Sierra Leone Coat of Arms
Motto: "Unity - Freedom - Justice"
Anthem: High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free
Capital and largest city	Freetown
Official languages	English
Demonym(s)	Sierra Leonean
Government	Republic
• President	Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Republic
• from the United Kingdom	April 27 1961
• Water (%)	1.0
Population
• July 2007 estimate	6,144,562 (103rd1)
• 2000 census	5,426,618
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$4.921 billion (151st)
• Per capita	$903 (172nd)
HDI (2004)	0.335  (176th)
Currency	Leone (SLL)
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
Calling code	232
ISO 3166 code	SL
Internet TLD	.sl
1 Rank based on 2007 figures.

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea on the north and Liberia on the south, with the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The name Sierra Leone was adapted from the Portuguese name for the country: Serra Leoa, literally "Lion Mountain Range". During the 18th century Sierra Leone was an important center of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans. The capital Freetown was founded in 1787 by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for enslaved Africans who had fought for the British in the American War of Independence. In 1808, Freetown became a British Crown Colony, and in 1896, the interior of the country became a British Protectorate. The Crown Colony and Protectorate joined and gained independence in 1961. From 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone suffered greatly under the devastating effects of rebel activities, which were stopped by UN and British forces disarming 17,000 militia and rebels. Sierra Leone has been at peace since 2002.

History

Main article: History of Sierra Leone

Early history

Archaeological findings show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited for thousands of years. Traditional historiography has customarily presented it as peopled by successive waves of invaders; but the language pattern suggests that the coastal Bulom (Sherbro), Temne, and Limba have been in continuous settled occupation for a long time, with subsequent sporadic immigration from inland by Mande-speaking peoples, including Vai, Loko, and Mende. They organized themselves in small political units—independent kingdoms or chiefdoms — whose rulers' powers were checked by councils. Secret societies, notably the Poro secret society, also exercised political power as well as instructing initiates in the customs of the country.

Portuguese voyagers gave the name Serra Lyoa (Lion Mountains), later changed to Sierra Leone by the British. From the 15th century onward, European traders congregated near the site of present-day Freetown, under the protection of African rulers, who welcomed them for the commercial opportunities they provided, exchanging imported manufactured goods for ivory and slaves to be employed across the Atlantic.

After the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) ended the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 - 1714), Spain ceded Gibraltar and Minorca to the British. In an additional clause, the Asiento, Britain was granted the exclusive rights over the sea-transport of enslaved Africans to North America and the Caribbean Islands. Queens Anne's government (1702 – 1714) sold the exclusive rights to the South Sea Company for £7 million to cover the costs of its participation in the Spanish Succession War, and to compensate the forces of John Churchill of Marlborough.

File:Sl-map.gif

Map of Sierra Leone showing the capital Freetown

During the American Revolutionary War (1775–83) enslaved Africans were promised freedom if they sided with the British and many did. A group of freed slaves known as the Black Poor, supported by a charity called the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor, arrived in Sierra Leone from England in 1787 to form a settlement. The ones who finished the voyage and arrived at the Sierra Leone Peninsula bought land from local Temne leaders and established the Province of Freedom near present-day Freetown. Many of the settlers died of disease in the first year. A renewed attempt at settlement was made in 1792, when about 1,100 freed slaves under the leadership of John Clarkson, brother of abolitionist Thomas Clarkson, landed on the Sierra Leone peninsula and founded Freetown. They were joined by about 500 freed slaves from Jamaica in 1800. These settlers were English-speaking, and many were literate and Christian. The new colony was controlled by the Sierra Leone Company, which forcefully held off the Temne while the settlers supported themselves by farming.

Muslim traders brought Islam, which became firmly established in the Northern Province and subsequently spread throughout the rest of the country.

In 1807, Great Britain passed the Slave Trade Act 1807, outlawing the trade of enslaved Africans, but not slavery itself. In early 1808 the British government took over Freetown from the financially troubled company, using it as a naval base for fighting the traffic in slaves. The British government, which had profited most from the transatlantic trade in captured Africans, now undertook a key role in the suppression of the trade.

Between 1808 and 1864 approximately 50,000 liberated Africans settled at Freetown. Protestant missionaries were active there, and in 1827 they founded Fourah Bay College, where Sierra Leoneans were educated and became active as missionaries, traders, and civil servants along the Sierra Leone coast and on Sherbro Island as well as in other regions in West Africa, especially among the Yoruba people.

The Colonial Era

During the periods 1821 to 1827, 1843 to 1850, and 1866 to 1874, British holdings on the Gold Coast (now Ghana) were placed under the governor of Sierra Leone. In 1863 an advisory legislative council was established in Sierra Leone. The British were reluctant to assume added responsibility by increasing the size of the colony, but in 1896 the interior was proclaimed a British protectorate, mainly in order to forestall French ambitions in the region, and the Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone was established.

Bai Bureh

The protectorate was ruled “indirectly” (i.e., through the rulers of the numerous small states, rather than by creating an entirely new administrative structure) and a hut tax was imposed in 1898 to pay for administrative costs. The Africans protested the tax in 1898 and fought the British in a war later became known as the Hut Tax War of 1898. The uprisings, led in the north by Bai Bureh and in the south by Kai Londo, started on 27 April 1896 and lasted over two years. The Sandé and Poro secret societies played a great role in mobilizing resistance to the British.

Under the British, little economic development was undertaken in the protectorate until the 1950s, although a railroad was built and the production for export of palm products and peanuts was encouraged.

After World War II, Africans were given more political responsibility, and educational opportunities were enlarged. In the economic sphere, mining (especially of diamonds and iron ore) increased greatly. The Creoles of the colony, who had been largely excluded from higher government posts in favor of the British, sought a larger voice in the affairs of Sierra Leone. A constitution adopted in 1951 gave additional power to Africans. However, the Creoles were a small minority in the combined colony and protectorate, and in the elections of 1951 the protectorate-based Sierra Leone People's Party(SLPP), led by Sir Milton Augustus Margai (a Mende), emerged victorious.

An independent nation

Sir Milton Margai

On April 27 1961, Sir Milton Margai led Sierra Leone to independence from the United Kingdom; and became the nation's first Prime minister. He died three years later in 1964. Sir Milton Margai's Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) named his brother Sir Albert Margai to succeed him. On April 29, 1964, Sir Albert Margai was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Sierra Leone.

Albert Margai was highly criticized during his three year reign as prime minister; he was accused of corruption and of a policy of affirmative action in favor of the Mende tribe. In a closely contested general elections in March 1967, Sierra Leone Governor General Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston declared Siaka Stevens, candidate of the All People's Congress (APC) and Mayor of Freetown as the new Prime Minister of Sierra Leone. However, a military coup led by Brigadier David Lansana ousted Stevens within a few hours after he took office. Lansana insisted the determination of office should await the election of the tribal representatives to the house.

On March 23, 1968, a group of senior military officers, led by Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith, overrode this action by seizing control of the government, arresting Brigadier Lansana, and suspended the constitution. The group constituted itself as the National Reformation Council (NRC) with brigadier Andrew Juxon Smith as its chairman.

On April 1968, the NRC was overthrown by a group of junior military officers who called themselves the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement (ACRM), led by Brigadier John Amadu Bangura. The ACRM imprisoned NRC members, restored the constitution, returned the nation to parliamentary government, and reinstated Siaka Stevens as prime minister. The following years were marked by considerable unrest, caused by ethnic and army disaffection with the central government.

File:Siaka Stevens.png

Siaka Probyn Stevens, First President of Sierra Leone

On April 19, 1971 Parliament declared Sierra Leone to be a republic. Siaka Stevens, then prime minister, became the nation's first president. Guinean troops requested by Stevens to support his government were in the country from 1971 to 1973. Parliamentary elections were held in 1973; Stevens' APC party won 74 seats and the opposition SLPP party won 15 seats in parliament. An alleged plot to overthrow Stevens failed in July 1974. The leaders of the unsuccessful Coup were tried and executed, and in March 1976, he was elected without opposition for a second five-year term as president. In 1978, a new constitution was adopted, creating a one-party state; The 1978 constitution made the APC the only legal political party in Sierra Leone.

Siaka Probyn Stevens, who had been President of Sierra Leone for fourteen years, retired from that position in November 1985, although he continued his role as chairman of the ruling APC party. In August 1985, the APC named commander of the Republic of Sierra Leone military forces, Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh, Stevens' own choice, as the party candidate to succeed him. Momoh was elected President in a one-party referendum on October 1, 1985. A formal inauguration was held in January 1986, and new parliamentary elections were held in May 1986. Following an alleged attempt to overthrow president Momoh in March 1987, more than 60 senior government officials were arrested, including Vice-President Francis Minah, who was removed from office and was executed by hanging in 1989, along with five others after being convicted for allegedly plotting the 1987 coup.

In October 1990, President Momoh set up a constitutional review commission to review the 1978 one-party constitution with a view to broadening the existing political process, guaranteeing fundamental human rights and the rule of law, and strengthening and consolidating the democratic foundation and structure of the nation. The commission, in its report presented January 1991, recommended re-establishment of a multi-party system of government. Based on that recommendation, a constitution was approved by Parliament in July 1991 and ratified in September; it became effective on October 1, 1991.

Civil war

Main article: Sierra Leone Civil War

The outbreak of corruption within the government, and mismanagement of diamond exports are the main reasons civil war broke out in Sierra Leone. With the breakdown of all state structures, complemented by the effective suppression of all civilian opposition, wide corridors of Sierra Leonean society were opened up to the trafficking of arms and ammunitions. Drugs also eroded national and regional security as well as facilitating crime within the country.

In addition to these internal tensions, the brutal civil war going on in neighbouring Liberia played an undeniable role in the actual outbreak of fighting in Sierra Leone. Charles Taylor, the then leader of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) reportedly helped form the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) under former Sierra Leone army corporal, Foday Sankoh. Sankoh met Taylor in Libya in the 1980s, during guerrilla training, and the two men quickly established a relationship. In return for helping Sankoh, Taylor was rewarded with diamonds from Sierra Leone.

On March 23 1991, The RUF, led by Foday Sankoh and backed by Charles Taylor, crossed from Liberia and attacked villages in the Kailahun District, in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone government was unable to put up significant resistance. Within a month, the RUF controlled much of the Eastern Province. The rebels were quick to demonstrate their brutality against the civilian population; the forced recruitment of child soldiers was also an early feature of the rebels.

On April 29, 1992, a group of young military officers led by a 25-year old Captain, Valentine Strasser, apparently frustrated by the government's failure to deal with rebels, launched a military coup, which sent president Momoh into exile in Guinea and they established the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) with fellow NPRC member Colonel Yahya Kanu as its chairman. Kanu was assassinated by unknown gunmen shortly after he took office. Valentine Strasser eventually took over as the chairman of the NPRC and self proclaimed president of Sierra Leone. Sergeant Solomon Musa, a close friend of Strasser became the vice chairman of the NPRC. On May 2, Valentine Strasser arrested two senior officers under the APC Administration, after they were accused of organizing a counter coup against him; Major K. M. S. Dumbuya and Bambay Kamara, Inspector General of the Sierra Leone Police Forces under the Mommoh Administration. They were held at the Pademba Road prison in Freetown, and the two were allegedly executed under the command of NPRC vice chairman Sergeant Solomon Musa.

The NPRC proved to be nearly as ineffectual as the Momoh government in repelling the RUF. More and more of the country fell to RUF fighters, so that by 1995 they held much of the countryside and were on the doorsteps of the national capital Freetown. To retrieve the situation, NPRC hired several hundred mercenaries from the private firm Executive Outcomes. Within a month they had driven RUF fighters back to enclaves along Sierra Leone’s borders. On January 17, 1996, after nearly four years in power, President Strasser was ousted in a coup led by his minister of defence, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio.

Promises of a return to civilian rule were fulfilled by Bio, who handed power over to Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the Sierra Leone People's party (SLPP) in 1996, after he had defeated John Karefa-Smart of the United National People's Party (UNPP) in the second round of the 1996 presidential election. Kabbah's government reached a cease-fire in the war with former Corporal Foday Sankoh-led, Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which had launched its first attacks in 1991; rebel terror attacks continued, however, apparently aided by Liberia.

On May 25, 1997, a group of military officers lead by Major General Johnny Paul Koroma overthrew president Kabbah. They established the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council(AFRC) with Major General Johnny Paul Koroma as its leader. Koroma suspended the constitution; banned demonstrations; abolished political parties; shut down all of the country's private radio stations; and invited the RUF to join the government.

The United Nations imposed sanctions against the military government in October 1997, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sent in its forces led by Nigeria. Clashes between the rebels and Ecowas troops followed in the capital, forcing 12,000 Freetown residents to flee the capital. In February, 1998 Ecowas troops drove the rebels out of Freetown, and president Kabbah was returned to office on March 10, 1998. However, rebel forces remained firmly in control of the Northern Province, the Kono diamond field, and areas along the Liberian border.

In January, 1999 Over 6,000 people were killed in fighting between Ecowas troops and the rebels in the Western Area. In March, Nigeria announced it would withdraw its forces by May. A peace accord was signed in July between President Kabbah and Foday Sankoh, leader of the RUF. The agreement granted the rebels seats in a new government and forces a general amnesty from prosecution. The government had largely ceased functioning effectively, however, and at least half of its territory remained under rebel control.

In October, the United Nations agreed to send peacekeepers to help restore order and disarm the rebels. The first of the 6,000-member force began arriving in December, and the Security Council voted in February, 2000, to increase the UN forces to 11,000 (and subsequently to 13,000). In May, when nearly all Nigerian forces had left and UN forces were attempting to disarm the RUF in the Eastern province, Sankoh's forces clashed with the UN troops, and some 500 peacekeepers were taken hostage as the peace accord effectively collapsed.

An 800-member British force entered the country to secure Western Freetown and evacuate Europeans; some also acted in support of the forces fighting the RUF, including Koroma's AFRC group. After Sankoh was captured in Freetown, the hostages were gradually released by the RUF, but clashes between the UN forces and the RUF continued, and in July the West Side Boys — part of the AFRC — clashed with the peacekeepers. In the same month the UN Security Council placed a ban on the sale of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone in an attempt to undermine the funding of the RUF. In late August, senior RUF commander Sam Bockarie became head of the RUF; also, British troops training the Sierra Leone army were taken hostage by the West Side Boys, but were freed by a British raid, Operation Barras, in September (described in "Operation Certain Death" by Damien Lewis).

General elections scheduled for early 2001 were postponed, due to the insecurity caused by the civil war. In May, 2001, sanctions were imposed on Liberia because of its support for the rebels, and UN peacekeepers began to make headway in disarming the various factions. Although disarmament of rebel and progovernment militias proceeded slowly and fighting continued to occur.

End of civil war

In January, 2002, most of the estimated 45,000 fighters had surrendered their weapons. As disarmament progressed, the government began to re-assert its authority in formerly rebel-held areas. By early 2002, most of the ex-combatants were disarmed and demobilized, although many still awaited re-integration assistance. In a ceremony on 18 January 2002, President Kabbah declared the civil war officially over. An estimated 50,000 people had been killed; a further 500,000 people had been displaced in neighbouring countries; and thousands of people had had their arms or legs hacked off by rebels.

Post civil war

Presidential and parliamentary elections were finally held in May, 2002. President Kabbah was re-elected, gaining 70% of the vote, and his Sierra Leone People's Party won a majority of the parliamentary seats.

The Sierra Leone government asked the United Nations to help set up a Special Court for Sierra Leone, which would try those who "bear the greatest responsibility for the commission of war crimes, and crime against humanity, during the civil war. On January 16, 2002, the UN and the Government of Sierra Leone signed an agreement establishing the Court in the national capital, Freetown.

In March 2003 the Special Court for Sierra Leone issued its first indictments. Foday Sankoh, already in custody, was indicted, along with notorious RUF field commander Sam "Mosquito" Bockarie, Johnny Paul Koroma, leader of the AFRC, and Samuel Hinga Norman, the Minister of Interior and former head of the Civil Defense Forces (commonly known as the Kamajors), and among several others. Norman was arrested when the indictments were announced, while Bockarie and Koroma remained in hiding. On May 5, 2003 Bockarie was killed in Liberia, allegedly on orders from President Charles Taylor, who feared Bockarie’s testimony before the Special Court. Johnny Paul Koroma was also rumored to have been killed, though his death remains unconfirmed. Two of the accused, Foday Sankoh and Hinga Norman, have died while incarcerated. On March 25, 2006, with the election of Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo permitted transfer of Charles Taylor, who had been living in exile in the Nigerian coastal town of Calabar, to Sierra Leone for prosecution. Two days later, Taylor attempted to flee Nigeria, but he was apprehended by Nigerian authorities and transferred to Freetown under UN guard. Taylor is now being held in The Hague, where he awaits trial before the Special Court on 11 indictments of war crimes and crimes against humanity. His trial began in June 2007 but was rescheduled for August 2007 to give his defense team more time to prepare.

In June 2007, the Special Court convicted three former leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council; Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara, and Santigie Borbor Kanu of crimes against humanity.

Government and politics

Main article: Government and politics of Sierra Leone

The current system of government in Sierra Leone, established under the 1991 Constitution, is modeled largely on the presidential system with the following structure of government:

• The Legislature
• The Executive
• The Judiciary

Within the confines of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, supreme legislative powers are vested in Parliament, which is the law making body of the land. Supreme executive authority rests in the President and members of his cabinet and judicial power with the judiciary of which Chief Justice is head.

Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a directly elected president and a unicameral legislature. The President is the head of state, the head of government and the commander-in-chief of the The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces. The president appoints and heads a cabinet of ministers (including the vice president), which must be approved by the Parliament of Sierra Leone . The president is elected by popular vote to a maximum of two five-year terms (most recently in August 2007). The president power is checked by the parliament of Sierra Leone. The current president of Sierra Leone is Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. The next parliamentary and presidential elections will take place in 2012.

The Parliament of Sierra Leone is unicameral, with 124 seats. 112 members are elected concurrently with the presidential elections; the other twelve seats are filled by Paramount Chiefs from each of the country's twelve administrative districts. All members serve five-year terms. The most recent parliamentary elections were held in August 2007. Sierra Leone's opposition party, the All People's Congress (APC), won 59 of the 112 parliamentary seats, defeating the governing Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

The Sierra Leone judicial system consists of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and High Court of Justice. The president appoints and parliament approves justices for the three courts.

Local Government elections were held in 2004 (for the first time since 1972), electing 456 councillors sitting in nineteen local councils.

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Provinces of Sierra Leone and Districts of Sierra Leone

The Republic of Sierra Leone is composed of three provinces and one area; the provinces are further divided into twelve districts. Each one of the twelve districts is governed by a paramount chief.

District	capital	Area km²	Province
Bombali	Makeni	7,895	Northern Province
Tonkolili	Magburaka	7,003	Northern Province
Koinadugu	Kabala	12,121	Northern Province
Port Loko	Port Loko	5,719	Northern Province
Kambia	Kambia	3,108	Northern Province
Kenema	Kenema	6,053	Eastern Province
Kono	Koidu Town	5,641	Eastern Province
Kaihalun	Kailahun	3,859	Eastern Province
Bo	Bo	7,003	Southern Province
Bonthe	Bonthe	3,468	Southern Province
Moyamba	Moyamba	6,902	Southern Province
Pujehun	Gandorhun	4,105	Southern Province

Western area

• comprises Freetown, the nation's capital, and its surrounding countryside.It covers an area of 557 km²

Major cities by population

City	Population
Freetown	1,070,200
Bo	472,919
Kenema	254,539
Koidu Town	123,800
Makeni	115,900

Other major cities in the country include Magburaka, Kailahun, Port Loko, Waterloo, Kabala, Bonthe and Kambia.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); the United Nations; the African Union (AU); the Organisation of Islamic Conference, and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Sierra Leone, along with Liberia, and Guinea formed the Manor River Union (MRU). The Manor River Union is primarily designed to implement development project and promote regional economic integration between the three nations.

Sierra Leone has maintained cordial relations with the west, in particular with former rulers, the United Kingdom. Sierra Leone also maintains diplomatic relations with China, Libya, Iran, and Cuba.

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of Sierra Leone

Satellite image of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa, north of the equator. With a land area of 71,740 square kilometers (27,699 square miles). Sierra Leone is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

There are a wide variety of ecological and agricultural zones to which people have adapted. Starting in the west, Sierra Leone has some 400 kilometers (250 miles) of coastline, giving it both bountiful marine resources and attractive tourist potential. This is followed by low-lying mangrove swamps, rain-forested plains and farmland, and finally a mountainous plateau in the east, where Mount Bintumani rises to 1,948 meters (6,390 ft). The climate is tropical, with two seasons determining the agricultural cycle: the rainy season from May to November, followed by the dry season from December to May, which includes harmattan, when cool, dry winds blow in off the Sahara Desert. The national capital Freetown sits on a coastal peninsula, situated next to the Sierra Leone Harbor, the world's third largest natural harbor. This prime location historically made Sierra Leone the center of trade and colonial administration in the region

Economy

Main article: Economy of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is emerging from a protracted civil war and is showing signs of a successful transition. Investor and consumer confidence continue to rise, adding impetus to the country’s economic recovery. In addition to this there is greater freedom of movement and the successful rehabilitation and resettlement of residential areas. In 2001, Sierra Leone attracted US$4 million in foreign direct investment. The country has also enjoyed an improvement in the terms of trade as a result of the lower of international petroleum prices.

Rich in minerals, Sierra Leone has relied on the mining sector in general, and diamonds in particular, for its economic base. In the 1970s and early 1980s, economic growth rate slowed because of a decline in the mining sector and increasing corruption among government officials. By the 1990s economic activity was declining and economic infrastructure had become seriously degraded. Over the next decade much of Sierra Leone’s formal economy was destroyed in the country’s civil war. Since the cessation of hostilities in January 2002, massive infusions of outside assistance have helped Sierra Leone begin to recover. Much of Sierra Leone’s recovery will depend on the success of the Government of Sierra Leone efforts to limit official corruption, which many feel was the chief culprit for the country’s descent into civil war. A key indicator of success will be the effectiveness of government management of its diamond sector.

About two-thirds of the population engages in subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 52.5% of national income. The government is trying to increase food and cash crop production and upgrade small farmer skills. Also, the government works with several foreign donors to operate integrated rural development and agricultural projects.

Mineral exports remain Sierra Leone's principal foreign exchange earner. Sierra Leone is a major producer of gem-quality diamonds. Though rich in this resource, the country has historically struggled to manage its exploitation and export. Annual production estimates range between $250-300 million. However, not all of that passes through formal export channels, although formal exports have dramatically improved since the days of civil war. The balance is smuggled, where it is possibly used for money laundering or financing illicit activities. Efforts to improve the management of the export trade have met with some success. In October 2000, a UN-approved export certification system for exporting diamonds from Sierra Leone was put into place that led to a dramatic increase in legal exports. In 2001, the Government of Sierra Leone created a mining community development fund, which returns a portion of diamond export taxes to diamond mining communities. The fund was created to raise local communities' stake in the legal diamond trade.

Sierra Leone has one of the world's largest deposits of rutile, a titanium ore used as paint pigment and welding rod coatings. Sierra Rutile Limited, owned by a consortium of United States and European investors, began commercial mining operations near the city of Bonthe, in the Southern Province, in early 1979. Sierra Rutile was then the largest nonpetroleum United States investment in West Africa. The export of 88,000 tons realized $75 million in export earnings in 1990. The company and the Government of Sierra Leone concluded a new agreement on the terms of the company's concession in Sierra Leone in 1990. Rutile and bauxite mining operations were suspended when rebels invaded the mining sites in 1995, but exports resumed in 2005.

Despite its successes and development, the Sierra Leone economy still faces some significant challenges. There is a high rate of unemployment particularly among the youth and ex-combatants. Authorities have been slow to implement reforms in the civil service and the pace of the privatisation programme is also slacking and donors have urged its advancement.

Currency

Sierra Leone’s currency is the Leone(Le). The central bank of the country is the Bank of Sierra Leone which is located in the national capital, Freetown. The bank is run by the bank Governor and directors. This Governor is Dr. James D Rogers. The central Bank objectives include:

• promotion of monetary stability and sound financial structure
• maintenance of the internal and external values of the Leone
• promotion of credit and exchange conditions
• issuance and distribution of notes and currency in the country
• conducive to balanced economy growth
• formulation and implementation of monetary policy
• banker and advisor to the Government in financial and economic matters
• management of domestic and foreign debt
• acting as custodian of the country’s reserve approved foreign exchange
• acting as banker to the Commercial Banks
• supervision and regulation of activities of commercial banks and other financial institutions
• administration of the operations of structural adjustment programmes where the bank has specific responsibilities
• diamond certification

the Bank of Sierra Leone is a 100 percent state-owned corporate body.

Sierra Leone operates a floating exchange rate system and foreign currencies can be exchanged at any of the commercial banks, recognised foreign exchange bureaux and most hotels.

Credit Card use is limited in Sierra Leone, though they may be utilised at some hotels and restaurants, for which visitors should check in advance with local managements. Sierra Leone does not have internationally linked ATM machines.

Travellers Cheques may be utilised at major hotels or cashed at banks and at a few limited shop outlets.

Currency Exchange: It is important that Sierra Leone exchange regulations be observed. For example, it is illegal to exchange money with unlicensed money dealers. All transactions may only made at banks or recognised foreign exchange bureaux.

Demographics

The population of Sierra Leone is estimated to be just over six million, the majority being youth. Freetown, the capital and largest city is the leading commercial and educational center of the country. Other major cities include Bo, Kenema, Koidu, and Makeni.

Although English is the official language spoken at schools and government administration , Krio (language derived from English and several African languages and is native to the The Sierra Leone Krio people) is widely spoken throughout the country.

Ethnicity

The population of Sierra Leone comprises about sixteen ethnic groups; each with its own language and customs, the two largest of these being the Mende and Temne, about equal in numbers representing 60% of the country's population. The Mende predominate in the Southern Province, the Temne likewise to the Northern Province. The third largest ethnic group is the Limba, representing about 9.5% of the population. Like the Temne, the Limba primarily live in the Northern Province. The Krio, (descendants of freed slaves from the West Indies, North America, and Britain landed in Freetown between 1787 and about 1855) make up 3% of the population but their language is widely spoken among all the other ethnic groups in the Country. Other minority ethnic groups in the country are the Sherbro, Mandinka (also known as Mandingo), Loko, Kissi, Kuranko, Fula, Kono, Susu, Yalunka Vai and Sierra Leonean-Lebanese ( descendants of Lebanese settlers who came to Sierra Leone during the late nineteenth century) Sierra Leonean-Lebanese constitute 1.14% of Sierra Leone's population. Sierra Leone-Lebanese community live primarily in the major cities, particularly in Freetown, Kenema and Koidu Town.

Religion

The Sierra Leone constitution provides freedom of religion and the government generally protects this right, and does not tolerate its abuse.

Approximately 60% of Sierra Leoneans are Muslim; 30% are Christian; 10% adhere to their ethno-cultural religions and faiths. Unlike many other countries, the religious and tribal mix of Sierra Leone rarely causes religious or tribal conflict.

Education

Education System

Sierra Leone has an education system with six years of primary school (Class 1-6), and six years of secondary school (Form 1-6); secondary schools are further divided into Junior secondary school (Form 1-3) and Senior secondary school (Form 4-6). Primary schools usually start from ages 6 to 12, and secondary schools usually start from ages 13 to 18. Primary Education is free and compulsory in government-sponsored public schools.

The country's two main Universities are the Fourah Bay College in Freetown, founded in 1827, and Njala University in Njala, and Bo, founded in 1963. Teacher training colleges and religious seminaries are found in many parts of the country.

Selected Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone School Founded Location CMS / Sierra Leone Grammar School ca. 1845 Murray Town, Freetown Annie Walsh Memorialk Secondary School ca. 1848 Kissy Road, Freetown St. Edwards Secondary School ca. 1866 Kingtom, Freetown Prince of Wales Secondary School ca. 1874 Kingtom, Freetown Methodist Boys High School ca. 1874 Kissy, Freetown Methodist Girls High School ca. 1880 Kissy, Freetown Harford School for Girls ca. 1897 Moyamba Town, Moyamba District Albert Academy ca. 1904 Berry Street, Freetown Bo Government Secondary School ca. 1906 Bo Town, Bo District West African Collegiate School ca. 1911 Wilkinson Road, Freetown Government Model School ca. 1925 Circular Road, Freetown Magburaka Government Secondary School ca. 1950 Magburaka, Tonkolili District Freetown Secondary School for Girls ca. 1955 Brookfields, Freetown Kenema Government Secondary School ca. 1955 Kenema Town, Kenema District

Environment

Logging, mining, and slash and burn, deforestation for alternative land use - such as cattle grazing - have produced a dramatic decrease of forested land in Sierra Leone since the 1980s.

Until 2002, Sierra Leone lacked a forest management system due to a brutal civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. On paper, 55 protected areas covered 4.5 percent of Sierra Leone as of 2003. The country has 2,090 known species of higher plants, 147 mammals, 626 birds, 67 reptiles, 35 amphibians, and 99 fish species.

In June 2005, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Bird-life International agreed to support a conservation-sustainable development project in the Gola Forest in southeastern Sierra Leone, the most important surviving fragment of rainforest in Sierra Leone.

Deforestation rates have increased 7.3 percent since the end of the civil war.

Media

Main article: Media in Sierra Leone

The Sierra Leone constitution guarantees freedom of speech, and freedom of the press; however, the government at times restricts these rights in practice. Dozens of newspapers are published in the country, most of them are privately run and are often critical of the government.

Under legislation enacted in 1980, all newspapers must register with the Ministry of Information and pay a sizable registration fee.

All major cities in the country run their own radio stations. Inaugurated in 1963, The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service(SLBS) is the government-run station in charge of television and radio broadcasting in the country. The UN Mission in Sierra Leone (Unomsil) operates radio services, broadcasting news of UN activities and human rights information, as well as music and news. FM relays of BBC World Service and Radio France Internationale are on the air in Freetown. Radio Sierra Leone, the oldest broadcasting service in English-speaking West Africa, broadcasts mainly in English, with regular news and discussion programs on several topics.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Sierra Leone

Football is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. Cricket, basketball, table tennis, volleyball, tennis, boxing and track are also popular in the country.

Football

Main article: Football in Sierra Leone

Football (soccer) is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone national football team popularly known as the Leone Stars, represents the country in international football competitions. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but they have participated in the 1994 and 1996 African Cup of Nations.

The Sierra Leone National Premier League is the top football league in Sierra Leone. The league is controlled by the Sierra Leone Football Association. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool are the two biggest and most successful football clubs in the country, but Kallon F.C. is closing in on them. Kallon F.C. won the Premier League and the Sierra Leonean FA Cup in 2006, and eliminated 2006 Nigerian Premier League Champions Ocean Boys FC in the 2007 CAF Champions League first qualifying round, but later lost to ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast in the second qualifying round for the group stage.

The Sierra Leone U-17 football team nickname the Sierra Stars finished as runner-up at the 2003 African U-17 Championship in Swaziland, but came in last place in their group at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland.

Cricket

Main article: Sierra Leone national cricket team

The Sierra Leone cricket team represents Sierra Leone in international cricket competitions, and is among the best in West Africa. They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2002. [1] They made their international debut at the 2004 African Affiliates Championship, where they finished last out of the eight teams. They returned at the equivalent tournament in 2006, Division Three of the African region of the World Cricket League, where they had a major improvement, this time finishing as runners-up to Mozambique, and only just missing out on promotion to Division Two.

Basketball

Main article: Sierra Leone national basketball team

The Sierra Leone national basketball team represents Sierra Leone in international men's basketball competitions and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Basketball Federation. The squad is mostly home-based, with a few foreign-based players.

Sierra Leone in literature

Two major Hollywood films have so far been produced that relate to Sierra Leone. Steven Spielberg’s Film "Amistad" (1997 with Morgan Freeman, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Mathew McCounaghey) is about a 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship that was travelling towards the Northeast Coast of America. But much of the plot revolves around the court-room drama that lead to the historic supreme court decision recognizing the captives rights to freedom. The heroic role of Sengbe Pieh (Cinque), who organized and led the revolt was virtually marginalized. Edward Zwick’s film Blood Diamond (2006 Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou) is about conflict diamonds mined in Sierra Leone, Angola and Congo and sold in major diamond cutting centers – Antwerp, Tel Aviv and Mumbai – to finance (and prolong) armed conflicts in Africa. The film is centered in Sierra Leone and portrays many of the atrocities including the practice of cutting off people's limbs to spread fear and insecurity in the country side and to gain control over the diamond, gold, bauxite and rutile mining areas. But the action is focused mostly on Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a white mercenary from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), who trades arms for diamonds with an RUF commander (Corporal Foday Sankoh) and Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist covering the war and investigating the illegal diamond trade. The role of De Beers Group, which is the major player in the diamond trade, was bracketed out. It has been suggested that the company pressured the producers of the film to include a disclaimer saying the events are fictional and in the past - De Beers has denied this. This film and the Nollywood Video films (Nigerian Productions) on Blood Diamonds have establish Sierra Leone as the Blood Diamond Country in the minds of people all over the world.

In literature, Sierra Leone is the setting for Graham Greene's classic novel The Heart of the Matter, which deals with diamond smuggling during World War II. Since the rebel incursion in the early 1990s a number of books have written about the "diamonds or minerals for weapons" trade - including Hugh Paxton's horror/action novel and Ishmael Beah ("A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier"). Hugh Paxton's novel Homunculus juxtaposes the realities of the war in Sierra Leone with a fantasy of the exploitation of the war for the trade in blood diamonds and for the testing, demonstration and sale by auction of bio-weapons to a select clientele of international arms dealers and mercenaries.

Other Sierra Leone writers of note include Abioseh Nicol ("The Truly Married Woman And Other Stories"), Robert Wellesley Cole ("Kossoh Town Boy"), Syl Cheney-Coker ("The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar"), William Conton ("Kissimi Kamara"), Amadu Yullisa Maddy ("No Past, No Present, No Future") and Sheikh Gibril Kamara ("The Spirit of Badenia).

Bibliography - a selection

1. Abraham, Arthur; Mende Government and Politics under Colonial Rule, Freetown and London, 1978.
2. Abraham, Arthur, "Cultural Policy in Sierra Leone," UNESCO, c1978.
3. Abraham, Arthur, "Sengbe Pieh: A Neglected Hero?", Journal of the Historical Society of Sierra Leone, II (2), 1978.
4. Abraham, Arthur, "Topics in Sierra Leone History : A Counter-Colonial Interpretation," Leone Publishers [Sierra Leone], c.1976.
5. Bah, M. Alpha, "Fulbe Migration in Sierra Leone: A Case History of Twentieth-Century Migration and Settlement Among the Kissi of Koindu," Peter Lang Publishing [New York], 1998.
6. Berger, Daniel; In the Land of Magic Soldiers: A Story of White and Black in West Africa, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.
7. Blyden, Nemata Amelia, "In Her Majesty' Service: West Indians in British Colonial Government, Sierra Leone, 1808-1880: Race, Class and Ethnicity in a British West African Colony."
8. Clarke, J.I., Nelson, S.J.A. and Swindell, K.; Sierra Leone in Maps, London, 1966.
9. Cole, Bernadette; Mass Media, Freedom And Democracy In Sierra Leone, Freetown, 1995,.
10. Conteh-Morgan, Earl and Dixon-Fyle, Mac "Sierra Leone at the End of the Twentieth Century: History, Politics and Society", Peter Lang Publishing [New York], 1999.
11. Cox-George, N. A., "Finance and Development in West Africa: The Sierra Leone Experience," D. Dobson [London], 1961.
12. Foray, Cyril P., "Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone," the Scarecrow Press [Metuchen, N.J. and London], 1977.
13. Forna, Aminatta; The Devil that danced on the Water: A daughter’s memoir. London, 2002.
14. Fyfe, Christopher, "A History of Sierra Leone," Cambridge University Press, 1962; Oxford University Press [London], 1962. (Reprint edition Gregg International Publications, 1993.)
15. Fyle, Christopher; Sierra Leone Inheritance, London, 1964.
16. Fyfe, Christopher, "Africanus Horton, 1835-1883 : West African Scientist and Patriot," Aldershot, Hampshire, 1992.
17. Gberie, Lansana, Smillie, Ian and Hazleton, Ralph; The Heart of the Matter: Sierra Leone, Diamonds and Human Society“, A Study published by Partnership Africa Canada in January 2000.
18. Global Witness, Conflict Diamonds, Possibilities for the Identification, Certification and Control of Diamonds, A briefing document by Global Witness June, 2000.
19. Hirsch; John L; Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy , Lynne Rienner Pub (1. Dezember 2000).
20. Jalloh, Alusine, "African Entrepreneurship: Muslim Fula Merchants in Sierra Leone (Monographs in International Studies, Africa Series, No. 71)," Ohio University Center for International Studies, 1999.
21. Jalloh, S Balimo, Sierra Leone, Länderbericht, Bergisch Gladbach, 1991.
22. Jalloh, S Balimo: (1) Conflicts, Resources and Social Instability in Subsahara Africa – The Sierra Leone Case; in Internationasles Afrikaforum, 37. Jg. 2/2001, Pages 166-180. (2) Subsahara Africa – Trade Expansion Through Countertrade, in: Internationales Afrikaforum, 31 Jahrgang, Heft 4/1995, S. 365 –374 (Article) und in: UNCTAD-Bulletin 1995: 365-375.
23. Jones, Durosimi Eldred, Othellos Countrymen, Oxford University Press, 1965.
24. Jones, Durosimi Eldred Eustace Palmer, African Litterature Today Africa World Press – London, 1995.
25. Jones, Howard, "Mutiny on the Amistad: The Saga of a Slave Revolt and its Impact on American Abolition, Law and Diplomacy," Oxford University Press [New York], 1986.
26. Kabba, Muctaru, (Editor); Sierra Leonean Heroes, Fifty Great Men and Women who helped to Build Our Nation, Freetown, 1988.
27. Koroma, Abdul K. Sierra Leone – The Agony of a Nation, Andromeda Publications, Freetown, 1996.
28. Kpundeh, Sahr John, "Politics and Corruption in Africa: A Case Study of Sierra Leone," University Press of America [Lanham, Md.].
29. Lewis, Damien, "Operation Certain Death - The Inside Story of the SAS'S Greatest Battle," Arrow Books, 2005.
30. Nicol, Davidson, Regionalism and the New International Economic Order; UNITAR-CEESTEM-Club of Rome conference at the United Nations, Pergamon Press, 1981.
31. William Reno, Corruption and State Politics in Sierra Leone, The African Studies Centre, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
32. Paul Richards; Fighting for the Rain Forest – War Youth & Resources in Sierra Leone, The International African Institute, James Currey Publishers, London, 1996.
33. Sawyerr, Harry, "God, Ancestor or Creator? Aspects of Traditional Belief in Ghana, Nigeria & Sierra Leone," Harlow, Longmans, 1970.
34. Turay, Harry; Land Tenure Systems in Sierra Leone, unpublished project report, Njala University College, 1980.
35. H.L. van der Laan, The Sierra Leone Diamonds, An Economic Study covering the years 1952-1961, Oxford, 1965.
36. Wyse, Akintola J.G. and Deveneaux, Gustav H.K.; The Sierra Leone-German connection, 1787-1987, An Overview, Published by The German Embassy in Freetown, 190093.
37. Wyse, Akintola J. G., "H. C. Bankole-Bright and Politics in Colonial Sierra Leone, 1919-1958" (African Studies Series), Cambridge University Press [Cambridge, Eng. and New York], 1990.

External links

Government and Diplomacy

• The Republic of Sierra Leone official government site
• Sierra Leone High Commission in London
• Diplomatic Representations of Sierra Leone
• British High Commission in Sierra Leone
• US Embassy in Sierra Leone

Tourism and Travel

• Template:Wikitravel
• National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone official site
• Visit Sierra Leone Travel and Tourism information
• US Department of State travel information

Economy and Business

• Index of Economic Freedom - Sierra Leone is 48.4% free
• Sierra Leone Business Directory
• (pdf) Doing Business in Sierra Leone - A Commercial Guide for US Companies
• World Bank Data & Statistics on Sierra Leone

News Media and Discussion

• allAfrica.com - Sierra Leone News Aggregator
• Awareness Times Newspaper
• SierraLeone.com discussion forum
• 'Visit Sierra Leone - Travel and Business Advice Forum'

Other Resources

• CIA World Factbook - Sierra Leone
• Open Directory Project - Sierra Leone directory category
• Sierra Leone Web
• War Crimes Trials in Sierra Leone