May 27, 2014 president weah attends the inauguration of h. Sierra leone covers an area of 71,740 km, approximately the size of ireland. Civil war in sierra leone and the role of blood diamonds. The sierra leone civil war 19912002 was a civil war in sierra leone that began on 23. May 14, 2017 under the rule of president joseph momoh in the 1970s, sierra leone reached a point where it could not import oil and gasoline, leaving the country without electricity for months at a time. Sierra leones economy witnessed sharp moderation in growth in 2017, reflecting weak recovery of. Sierra leone civil war during which the revolutionary united. Sierra leone has been ravaged by a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002, and. History of sierra leones civil war hands for africa. It entails the history of sierra leone from its days as a slave harbor through to its founding as a home for free slaves and toward its political independence and civil war. Case failure of british colonial health policy, the journal of imperial and commonwealth history, 43 2015. The united states established diplomatic relations with sierra leone in 1961, following its independence from the united kingdom. The conditions that led to the war included a repressive predatory. United frontsierra leone rufsl banner, and engaged the state in a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002.
It will be unfair to treat the sierra leone civil war as a mindless act of. Siaka stevens remains in control for eighteen years by dismantling the countrys checks on the abuses of power. Sierra leone has been ravaged by a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002, and resulted in some 70,000 casualties and 2. It was in the year 1991, when the civil war in sierra leone was started by the revolutionary united front led by foday sankoh. The difficulties in the country were compounded in march 1991 when conflict in neighbouring liberia spilled over the border into sierra leone. Corruption and state politics in sierra leone new york. The brutal civil war in neighbouring liberia played an undeniable role in the outbreak of fighting in sierra leone.
Using a timeline, students will learn the details of the civil war as well as learning about the victims of the war, what conflict diamonds are and how sierra leone dealt with its troubled past. This book is a historical narrative covering various periods in sierra leones history from the fifteenth century to the end of its civil war in 2002. Apr 05, 2018 sierra leone has experienced substantial economic growth in recent years, although the ruinous effects of the civil war continue to be felt. After recovering in 2016 from the twin shocks of the ebola virus disease evd epidemic and collapse of iron exports. Apr 05, 2018 2002 july british troops leave sierra leone after their twoyear mission to help end the civil war. Sierra leone has been inhabited for thousands of years.
Causes of the war and factors that sust ained the war. Fighting with a rebel movement, the revolutionary united front ruf, which had started in march 1991, escalated, and there were incursions from neighbouring liberia, the ruf in the south of the country being loosely in alliance with liberian rebels. Julius maada bio, president of sierra leone duration. Diamond miners in sierra leone sifting through the sand in search of diamonds. The sierra leone civil war sierra leone was ravaged by a civil war that started in 1991 and lasted until 2002. Sierra leone has experienced substantial economic growth in recent years, although the ruinous effects of the civil war continue to be felt. Abuja ceasefire agreement text of the 30day ceasefire agreement between the government of sierra leone and the ruf. History of sierra leones civil war many african countries such as angola, democratic republic of the congo, republic of the congo, and liberia have suffered from devastating civil wars induced by rebel groups desire to control diamond mines. Children of conflict the audio files and personal quotes from children of the sierra leone civil war are extremely powerful. That said, since the end of the civil war, the people and the government have done a tremendous job of moving forward and rebuilding the country.
By 1991, sierra leone had a corrupt government and openly illicit diamond trading and was a vulnerable and attractive site for armed rebellion. Jan 16, 2017 the sierra leone civil war was an armed conflict in the west african country of sierra leone from 1991 t0 2002. This fleeting interest, however, obscured much of the longer history of the region. An examination of the sierra leone war academic journals. The sierra leone civil war 19912002 was a civil war in sierra leone that began on 23 march 1991 when the revolutionary united front ruf, with support from the special forces of charles taylors national patriotic front of liberia npfl, intervened in sierra leone in an attempt to overthrow the joseph momoh government. Leone, unless they have a government of sierra leone certificate of origin. Charles taylor leader of the national patriotic front of liberia reportedly helped form the revolutionary united front ruf under the command of former sierra leonean army corporal foday sankoh, a critic of both the. Its land yields diamonds, gold, bauxite, and rutile titanium dioxide. The two countries are linked by the history of slavery in the united states, an institution that would send a large number of african slaves from. United front sierra leone rufsl banner, and engaged the state in a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002. Until the middle of the civil war, the country also exported other. Civil war the 1991 multiparty constitution was not, however, implemented.
Archaeology findings show that sierra leone has been inhabited for thousands of years. Two million were relocated and tens of thousands died in this 11 year war. It borders guinea in the north and northeast, and liberia in the east and southeast. The name sierra leone dates back to 1462, when portuguese explorer pedro da cintra, sailing down the west african coast, saw the tall mountains rising up on what is now the freetown peninsula and called them the lion mountains, or serra lyoa. Sierra leone was ravaged by a civil war that started in 1991 and lasted until 2002. Students will have a limited time to explain what they would implement as leader. The war began on march 23, 1991, when the revolutionary united front ruf under foday sankoh, with support of liberian rebel leader charles taylor and his group, the national patriotic front of liberia nfpl, attempted to overthrow the government of sierra leonean president. In 1991 sierra leone was embroiled in a civil war when rebel soldiers from the revolutionary united front ruf overthrew the oneparty political system, demanding a multiparty system. By the late 1990s it was clear from reports that taylor was supporting the revolutionary united front ruf in the civil war in neighboring sierra leone. The war was fueled by wealth from diamonds located in the east of the country, where the rebel united front ruf was strongest. From this point sierra leone declines into a long era of repressive rule, military coups and by the end of the century terrifying and violent anarchy.
The sierra leone civil war was an armed conflict in the west african country of sierra leone from 1991 t0 2002. The war began on march 23, 1991, when the revolutionary united front ruf under foday sankoh, with support of liberian rebel leader charles taylor and his group, the national patriotic front of liberia nfpl, attempted to overthrow. Explain the reasons why sierra leone descended into civil war in 1991 2. It gained independence from great britain in 1961 and opted for a parliamentary system within the british commonwealth. There were over 14,000 confirmed cases and nearly 4,000 lives lost in sierra leone. On march 23, a civil war began when the revolutionary united front, a group of 100 fighters from sierra leone and liberia, invaded east sierra leone. Diamonds and conflict in sierra leone diamonds since their initial discovery in sierra leone in 1932, the country has exported more than 32 million carats of diamonds. The causes of the sierra leone civil war einternational relations. The country is also rich in diamonds and other minerals. Sierra leone came to world attention in the 1990s when a catastrophic civil war linked to the diamond trade was reported globally. Although diamonds seemingly played a significant role in financing the war once it started, diamonds more likely contributed to corrupting. Civil war broke out in 1990 under the command of former sierra leonean army corporal foday sankoh, who launched his first attack in villages in kailahun district in eastern sierra leone on march. Hayward, a higher education specialist has described sierra leone as a pioneer of west african history.
Free slaves, freetown, and the sierra leonean civil war. Introduction between 1991 and 2002, sierra leone was heavily damaged by a tremendously violent civil war. Although most of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, sierra leone is also a mining centre. History of sierra leone sierra leone national tourist board. Sierra leone most recently was affected by the 2014 ebola outbreak, one of the worst widespread outbreaks of the virus in history.
This is a link to its global report from 2008 and includes detailed information on the use of child soldiers in sierra leone as well as other countries in the world. Our results are complementary to the other recent studies mentioned above, none of which examines institutional impacts. Conflict profile sierra leone 1991 2001 the decadelong war in sierra leone began in 1991 as a revolt against a longstanding dictatorship. Causes of sierra leone s civil war prior to the civil war in 1990, sierra leone s life expectancy was even lower than it is today. The war began on march 23, 1991, when the revolutionary united front ruf under foday sankoh, with support of liberian rebel leader charles taylor and his group, the national patriotic front of liberia nfpl, attempted to overthrow the government of sierra leonean president joseph. Peace was restored in 2002 and, since then, the country has blossomed. Ten years of war in sierra leone has left the country battered and impoverished, with upwards of 50,000 killed, half the population displaced, and more than twothirds of its already severely. Pdf an examination of the sierra leone war researchgate. Sierra leone is on a fast track to development under a multiparty democracy and is hailed as one of the safest countries in west africa. It entails the history of sierra leone from its days as a slave harbor through to its founding as a home for free slaves. Although the civil war of sierra leone did not officially begin until 1991, several events occurred in the. The underlying causes of fragility and instability in sierra. United front sierra leone rufsl banner, and engaged the state in a civil w ar that lasted from 1991 to 2002.
The sierra leone civil war was the result of varied interactions between structural problems in sierra leone society which increased grievances among people and, accordingly, led to the emergence of the ruf. Sierra leone lion mountain was embroiled in a civil war that resulted in the death of over 50,000 civilians. Internal conflict crippled the country from the late 1980s onward, culminating in a brutal civil war that took place from 1991 to 2002. Relations with sierra leone united states department. In addition, some scholars and journalists disregard historical and political contexts in which civil wars occur and then describe the wars merely. From 1971 sierra leone is a republic with himself as executive president. Sierra leone covers an area of 71,740 km, approximately. Sierra leone history, language and culture history of sierra leone. Sierra leones literacy rate is only at 48% and the life expectancy at birth is less than 60 years. Located in west africa, sierra leone has an estimated population of 5,612,685 people. The culture is clearly an eclectic mix of both regional and international influences. Dec 06, 2002 by 1991, sierra leone had a corrupt government and openly illicit diamond trading and was a vulnerable and attractive site for armed rebellion.
This civil war erupted because of the mounting dissatisfaction of the people, especially the youth that were engrossed by the rebellious revolutionary united front ruf, towards the politics of the country that. The underlying causes of fragility and instability in. Constitutional history sierra leone constitutionnet. This study is a historical analysis of sierra leones state structure in the 20th and 21st centuries. On march 23, a civil war began when the revolutionary united front, a group of 100 fighters from sierra. Nov, 2002 ten years of war in sierra leone has left the country battered and impoverished, with upwards of 50,000 killed, half the population displaced, and more than twothirds of its already severely. This lesson will briefly summarize the sierra leone civil war, how and why it started, and the key events of sierra leone s civil war from its beginning in 1991 to its end in 2002. Previous to sierra leones discovery by the portuguese explorer pedro da cintra in 1462, the country was organised in small political units of independent kingdoms. After the american revolutionary war, the americans tried to settle the freed slaves who were with the great britain. The conflict in sierra leone and the engagement of the united nations the conflict in sierra leone dates from march 1991 when fighters of the revolutionary united front ruf launched a war from the east of the country near the border with liberia to overthrow the government. Momoh responded by deploying troops to the border region to repel the incursion of liberian rebels known as the national patriotic front of liberia npfl, led by charles taylor.
Sierra leone, as with most african countries, has a complicated history, characterized by colonization and civil war. This book is a historical narrative of sierra leone from the midfifteenth century to the end of its civil war in 2002. It began in march 1991, as the revolutionary united front ruf. Successive visits by english sailors and later british colonization modified the name to sierra leone. The war was characterized by widespread atrocities, including the abduction of children and systematic rape. The war was declared to have finished on 18 january 2002 officially. Pdf this study is a historical analysis of sierra leones state structure in the 20th and.
Among the victims of this conflict are the childsoldiers. Apr 25, 2017 the civil war in sierra leone has been one of the most grotesque ones in history, and the nations rich diamond reserves have driven much of the violence. Civil war peace in liberia, if it ever really existed, was short lived. The peace agreement between the sierra leone government and the revolutionary united front of sierra leone to end the countrys eightyear civil war. Sierra leone united nations development programme undp. In 1991 civil war broke out and sierra leone entered the darkest decade in its recent history. A brief history of liberia international center for. Traditional historiography has customarily presented it as a people by successive waves of invaders. Oct 25, 2012 the sierra leone civil war was the result of varied interactions between structural problems in sierra leone society which increased grievances among people and, accordingly, led to the emergence of the ruf. Assets project and how it could be applied to postconflict development in sierra leone. In the year 1787, 400 people went to the sierra leone province.
1195 1175 923 48 1001 1113 286 1121 564 655 764 323 450 1485 1268 8 629 1129 1300 1258 1226 171 184 476 924 341 473 341 436 733 261 956 1390 1206 47 743