Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, 1961 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the west coast of West Africa. Sierra Leone attained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961 under the leadership of Prime Minister Sir Milton Margai of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). In 1971, under Prime Minister Siaka Stevens of the All People's Congress (APC), the country adopted a new constitution, transforming Sierra Leone into a presidential republic, with Stevens as the inaugural president. In 1991, a protracted civil war broke out between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group.
Seat of power: Freetown
Rulers
Siaka Stevens
President of Sierra Leone, 1971–1985
He was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. In 1978, Stevens declared the APC to be the sole legally recognised party. He served as Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) from 1 July 1980 to 24 June 1981.
Portrait of Siaka Stevens: European Communities, 1979 / EC - Audiovisual Service, CC BY 4.0, file
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Joseph Saidu Momoh
President of Sierra Leone, 1985–1992
He served as the second President of Sierra Leone from November 1985 to 29 April 1992. Momoh's enactment of a new constitution in 1991 reintroduced a multi-party system. He was overthrown in a coup d'état the following year led by Valentine Strasser.
Portrait of Joseph Saidu Momoh: White House Television Office, Public domain, file
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Valentine Strasser
President of Sierra Leone, 1992–1996
He is a former military officer who served as the head of state of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996. He became the world's youngest head of state in 1992, seizing power three days after his 25th birthday. During the war, he hired Executive Outcomes, a South African mercenary firm to repel the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group.
Portrait of Valentine Strasser: Voice of America, Public domain, file
Ahmed Tejan Kabbah
President of Sierra Leone, 1996–2007
He served as the third President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2007. Most of Kabbah's time in office was influenced by the civil war with the Revolutionary United Front, led by Foday Sankoh, which led to him being temporarily ousted by the military Armed Forces Revolutionary Council from May 1997 to March 1998. Kabbah declared the civil war officially over in early 2002.
Portrait of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah: Christian Lambiotte / European Communities, CC BY 4.0, file
Johnny Paul Koroma
President of Sierra Leone, 1997–1998
He was a Sierra Leonean military officer who was the head of state of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998. In 1996 he was arrested after being suspected of plotting a coup against President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and the following year he was freed from prison following a coup overthrowing Kabbah. In 1998, an intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ousted him, and the war ended in 2002.
Portrait of Johnny Paul Koroma: Eric Beauchemin, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
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Ernest Bai Koroma
President of Sierra Leone, 2007–2018
He served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. In the 2007 presidential election run-off, Koroma received 54.6% of the vote and defeated incumbent vice-president Solomon Berewa of the ruling SLPP. In the November 2012 presidential election, Koroma was re-elected as president for a second term, receiving 58.7%, against his main opponent, SLPP candidate Julius Maada Bio, who received 37.4%.
Portrait of Ernest Bai Koroma: Ministry of Defence, OGL 3, file
Julius Maada Bio
President of Sierra Leone, 2018 to today
He has served as the 5th president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He ran again in 2018, defeating Samura Kamara of the ruling All People's Congress (APC). As president, Bio has implemented free primary and secondary school public education and repealed the death penalty.
Portrait of Julius Maada Bio: European Commission, CC BY 4.0, file
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Culture
- Sierra Leone is a culturally diverse country, home to approximately 18 ethnic groups, with the Temne and Mende peoples being predominant. English is the official language, while Krio is the lingua franca, spoken by 97% of the population.
- Sierra Leone derives its name from the Lion Mountains near its capital, Freetown.
- Intervention by ECOMOG forces and later by the United Kingdom resulted in the defeat of the RUF in 2002, ushering in a period of relative stability.
- The country is rich with natural resources, notably diamonds, gold, bauxite and aluminium.
Picture
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean.
Image: David Hond, CC BY 2.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.