Sierra Leone: A country torn apart by civil wars

Oct 22, 2007

WHEN the Leone Stars have a match, Sierra Leone comes to a standstill. Excitement fills the air. Traffic disappears from the streets. Fans rush to the national stadium to cheer their stars to victory. If the Leone Stars win, Sierra Leone jumps back to life. Singing, dancing and drinking fill the str

WHEN the Leone Stars have a match, Sierra Leone comes to a standstill. Excitement fills the air. Traffic disappears from the streets. Fans rush to the national stadium to cheer their stars to victory. If the Leone Stars win, Sierra Leone jumps back to life. Singing, dancing and drinking fill the streets as fireworks colour the skies.

Politics of Sierra Leone

The people of Sierra Leone could not enjoy football five years ago. Their West African country was torn by a civil war that left over 50,000 people dead and hundreds limbless at the hands of rebels.

The war broke out on March 23, 1991 as a result of corruption within Joseph Saidu Momoh’s government and the mismanagement of diamond resources. The ongoing civil war in neighbouring Liberia worsened matters. It is alleged that the then president Charles Taylor helped form the Sierra Leone’s rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), in exchange for diamonds from Sierra Leone.

April 29 1992 saw president Momoh exiled after a coup organised by a group of young military officers led by 25-year-old Valentine Strasser. Strasser was also ousted in a coup led by his defence minister, Julius Maada Bio. There followed general elections in 1996 that saw Ahmad Tejan Kabbah elected president. He was, however, overthrown by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council in 1997, led by Jonny Paul Koroma, who invited the RUF to join the government. These were ousted 10 months later and the democratically-elected Kabbah reinstated as president. This, however, did not calm the political unrest in Sierra Leone. Another unsuccessful attempt to oust Kabbah was made in January 1999, leading to many deaths and destruction of property.

The United Nations sent peace-keeping forces to calm the turmoil, but the move ended with the clash of UN troops with rebel forces. Kabbah officially declared the end of the civil war on January 18, 2002. He was re-elected in May 2002. The current president, Ernest Bai Koroma, was sworn in on September 17, 2007 after a tough run-off election.

History
Sierra Leone got its name from the Portuguese word ‘Serra Leoa’, which means Lion MountainRange.

Sierra Leone was one of the major slave trade centres during the 18th Century. Freetown was founded in 1787 as a home for former American slaves who had fought for the British during the American revolutionary war. Several revolts were launched against the British and Krio domination although they were unsuccessful. The country gained independence in April 1961 within the Commonwealth.

Economy
The economy, affected by 11 years of civil war, is recovering, thanks to the increase in investor and consumer confidence. This is boosted by freedom of movement and rehabilitation and resettlement of residential areas. The mining sector forms a big percentage of the country’s economic base, with diamond as the most prized mineral. Diamond is the main cause of the civil war in the country. Mineral exports, however, are still the main foreign exchange earner.

Unfortunately, corruption and smuggling are crippling the diamond trade. High unemployment is a big challenge. Sierra Leone also boasts of one of the world’s largest rutile and itanium deposits.

Compiled by Elizabeth Namazzi

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