Sierra Leone

The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea on the north and Liberia on the southeast, with the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest. The name Sierra Leone was adapted from the Spanish version: Sierra León, and in turn, from the Portuguese Serra-Leão, which stands for "lioness mountains." It was an important centre of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Much like neighbouring Liberia, it was founded by freed slaves, who in 1791 founded the capital, Freetown. In 1806, Freetown became a British Protectorate (as did the remainder of the country in 1896), reaching independence in 1961. From 1991 to 2002, the country has suffered greatly from a devastating civil war.

History

Main article: History of Sierra Leone

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The written history of Sierra Leone began in 1462, when Portuguese explorers first landed and named the country "Lion Mountains". Europeans used the land as a source for slaves, but in 1787 Freetown was established as a city for former slaves living in London.

Related Topics:
1462 - Portuguese - Europe - Slaves - 1787 - Freetown - London

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In 1808, Sierra Leone became a British Crown Colony, which it remained until halfway through the 20th century, when the process of de-colonisation was commenced. This culminated in independence on April 27, 1961. Sir Milton Margai (1895-1964) was its first prime minister.

Related Topics:
1808 - Crown Colony - 20th century - April 27 - 1961 - Milton Margai

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The republic—briefly a one-party state in the early 1980s—became involved in a civil war also in 1991, with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) of Foday Sankoh rebelling against the government (Sierra Leone Civil War). This resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. A military coup on May 25, 1997 replaced then President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koromah. Kabbah was reinstated in March 1998, after the junta was ousted by the Nigerian-led ECOMOG forces.

Related Topics:
1980s - Civil war - 1991 - Revolutionary United Front - Foday Sankoh - Sierra Leone Civil War - Coup - May 25 - 1997 - Ahmad Tejan Kabbah - Johnny Paul Koromah - ECOMOG

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A peace agreement, signed on July 7, 1999 in Lomé, Togo offered a slight hope that the country will be able to terminate the diamond-powered conflict, and rebuild its devastated economy and infrastructure. As of late 1999, up to 6,000 UNAMSIL peacekeepers were in the process of deploying to bolster the peace accord.

Related Topics:
July 7 - 1999 - Lomé - Togo - Diamond - UNAMSIL

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In May 2000, the situation in the country deteriorated to such an extent that British troops were deployed in Operation Palliser to evacuate foreign nationals. They stabilised the situation, and were the catalyst for a ceasefire and ending of the civil war.

Related Topics:
May 2000 - Operation Palliser

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Although there has been to significant amount of news coverage of the war in Sierra Leone, a comprehensive review of the conflict based on extensive field research—using a method known as Conflict Mapping—is available here.

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