The Republic of Sierra Leone

Date of Independence: April 27, 1961 Capital: Freetown Currency: Leone Languages: English, Krio (Creole language derived from English) and a range of African languages Major Religions: Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs Ethnic groups: Temne, Mende, other, Creole (Krio) Currency: Leone Population: 5.3 million (2005) Main Exports: Diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Sierra Leone is situated on Africa’s western “bulge” north of the equator. There are 13 ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. The two main groups are the Mende, most of whom live in the south of the region, and the Temne, who live in the North. A third, the Krio, are descendents of freed slaves who established a haven at Freetown, now the capital of Sierra Leone. Krio is also the name of a Creole language derived from English and spoken by the majority of the country. It is used far more commonly than the official language, English.

The name Sierra Leone was adapted from the Portuguese name for the country Serra Leoa. The literal meaning is " Lion Mountains." European trading ships began stopping in the area as early as the 1500s. In the 1700s the Portuguese began using the country as a major port in the transatlantic slave trade. In 1787, the British established a colony at Freetown and began settling slaves returning from Great Britain and the United States. In 1808, the settlement became a Crown colony. In 1896, Great Britain established a protectorate over an area that included the Freetown colony and the interior.

Sierra Leone won its independence on April 27 th, 1961 with a system of government patterned on Great Britain. Six years later, the country suffered its first military coup, which led to the legislature being dissolved and the constitution suspended. The country then experienced a series of coup attempts that continually and gradually destabilized the country. In its weakened state, Sierra Leone was unable to protect itself from fallout from the civil war in neighboring Liberia.

In 1991 Liberian rebel groups crossed the border into Sierra Leone and captured several towns near the Liberian border. As the government fought to repel the invaders, a new Sierra Leonean rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led by 27 year-old Valentine Strasser, arose and captured territory of its own. A vicious civil war ensued, one that continued on and off until 2002. In 1999, RUF signed a peace accord with the ruling party, the Sierra Leone People’s Party(SLPP). That same year, the United Nations established a peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, UNAMISL, which helped contain the fighting and established a gradual peace. UNAMISL eventually disarmed tens of thousands of RUF fighters, which paved the way for peaceful elections in 2002.

The UN peacekeeping force, UNAMSIL, which numbered 175,000 troops in 2002, was completely withdrawn in 2005.

Sierra Leone also instituted the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to conduct public hearings of perpetrators from the civil war. The Commission concluded in October 2004. With the backing of the United Nations the country also instituted the Special Court of Sierra Leone (SCSL) to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for crimes committed.

Sources:

The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, available at : http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sl.html

Country Profile: Sierra Leone, BBC News, available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1061561.stm

Sierra Leone, MSN Encarta, available at: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563681/Sierra_Leone_(country).html

Sierra Leone, Wikipedia, available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone