About the CBI

September 2005
 Background Note: Sierra Leone

Flag of Sierra Leone is three equal horizontal bands of light green - top -
white, and light blue.

PROFILE

OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Sierra Leone

Geography
Area: 71,740 sq. km. (29,925 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than South Carolina.
Cities: Capital--Freetown (est. 550,000). Provincial capitals--Southern
Province, Bo; Eastern Province, Kenema; Northern Province, Makeni.
Terrain: Three areas are mangrove swamps and beaches along the coast, wooded
hills along the immediate interior, and a mountainous plateau in the
interior.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Sierra Leonean(s).
Population (2002 est., no census since 1989): 4.9 million.
Annual growth rate (2001 est.): 2.4%.
Ethnic groups: Temne 30%, Mende 30%, Krio 1%, balance spread over 15 other
tribal groups, and a small Lebanese community.
Religions: (est.) Muslim 60%, Christian 30%, animist 10%.
Languages: English, Krio, Temne, Mende, and 15 other indigenous languages.
Education (2001): Literacy--36%.
Health: Life expectancy (2001 est.)--34.5 yrs. Access to safe water--57%.
Infant mortality rate--182/1,000. Under five mortality--316/1,000.
Work force: Agriculture--67%; industry--15%; services--18%.

Government
Type: Republic with a democratically elected President and Parliament.
Independence: From Britain, April 27, 1961.
Constitution: October 1, 1991.
Political parties: Thirteen political parties contested the 1996 elections.
There are now 22 registered political parties. Major parties--All People's
Congress (APC), Democratic Center Party (DCP), National Unity Party (NUP),
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), United
National People's Party (UNPP).

Economy
GDP (2002 est.): $836 million.
GDP growth rate: 6.6%.
GDP per capita income: $171.
Avg. annual inflation rate: -3.2%.
Natural resources: Diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold, platinum and chromite.
Agriculture: Products--coffee, cocoa, ginger, palm kernels, cassava, bananas,
citrus, peanuts, plantains, rice, sweet potatoes, vegetables. Land--30%
potentially arable, 8% cultivated.
Industry: Types--diamonds, bauxite, and rutile mining; forestry; beverages;
cigarettes; construction goods; tourism.
Trade (2004 est.): Exports--$130 million: rutile, diamonds, bauxite, coffee,
cocoa, fishes. Major markets--U.S., Belgium, Spain, U.K. and other west
European nations. Imports--$350 million: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment,
fuel and lubricants, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, building materials, light
consumer goods, used clothing, textiles.

PEOPLE
The indigenous population is made up of 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the
north and the Mende in the South are the largest. About 60,000 are Krio, the
descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra Leone from Great Britain
and North America and slave ships captured on the high seas. In addition,
about 4,000 Lebanese, 500 Indians, and 2,000 Europeans reside in the country.

In the past, Sierra Leoneans were noted for their educational achievements,
trading activity, entrepreneurial skills, and arts and crafts work,
particularly woodcarving. Many are part of larger ethnic networks extending
into several countries, which link West African states in the area. However,
the level of education and infrastructure has declined sharply over the last
30 years.

HISTORY
European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. In
1652, the first slaves in North America were brought from Sierra Leone to the
Sea Islands off the coast of the southern United States. During the 1700s
there was a thriving trade bringing slaves from Sierra Leone to the
plantations of South Carolina and Georgia where their rice-farming skills
made them particularly valuable.

In 1787 the British helped 400 freed slaves from the United States, Nova
Scotia, and Great Britain return to Sierra Leone to settle in what they
called the "Province of Freedom." Disease and hostility from the indigenous
people nearly eliminated the first group of returnees. This settlement was
joined by other groups of freed slaves and soon became known as Freetown. In
1792, Freetown became one of Britain's first colonies in West Africa.

Thousands of slaves were returned to or liberated in Freetown. Most chose to
remain in Sierra Leone. These returned Africans--or Krio as they came to be
called--were from all areas of Africa. Cut off from their homes and
traditions by the experience of slavery, they assimilated some aspects of
British styles of life and built a flourishing trade on the West African
coast.

In the early 19th century, Freetown served as the residence of the British
governor who also ruled the Gold Coast (now Ghana) and the Gambia
settlements. Sierra Leone served as the educational center of British West
Africa as well. Fourah Bay College, established in 1827, rapidly became a
magnet for English-speaking Africans on the West Coast. For more than a
century, it was the only European-style university in western Sub-Saharan
Africa.

The colonial history of Sierra Leone was not placid. The indigenous people
mounted several unsuccessful revolts against British rule and Krio
domination. Most of the 20th century history of the colony was peaceful,
however, and independence was achieved without violence. The 1951
constitution provided a framework for decolonization. Local ministerial
responsibility was introduced in 1953, when Sir Milton Margai was appointed
Chief Minister. He became Prime Minister after successful completion of
constitutional talks in London in 1960. Independence came in April 1961, and
Sierra Leone opted for a parliamentary system within the British
Commonwealth. Sir Milton's Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) led the country
to independence and the first general election under universal adult
franchise in May 1962. Upon Sir Milton's death in 1964, his half-brother, Sir
Albert Margai, succeeded him as Prime Minister.

In closely contested elections in March 1967, the All Peoples Congress (APC)
won a plurality of the parliamentary seats. Accordingly, the Governor General
(representing the British Monarch) declared Siaka Stevens--APC leader and
Mayor of Freetown--as the new Prime Minister. Within a few hours, Stevens and
Margai were placed under house arrest by Brigadier David Lansana, the
Commander of the Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces (RSLMF), on grounds
that the determination of office should await the election of the tribal
representatives to the house. Another group of officers soon staged another
coup, only to be later ousted in a third coup, the "sergeants' revolt," and
Stevens at last, in April 1968, assumed the office of Prime Minister under
the restored constitution. Siaka Stevens remained as head of state until
1985. Under his rule, in 1978, the constitution was amended and all political
parties, other than the ruling APC, were banned.

In August 1985, the APC named military commander Maj. Gen. Joseph Saidu
Momoh, Steven's own choice, as the party candidate to succeed Stevens. Momoh
was elected President in a one-party referendum on October 1, 1985. In
October 1991 Momoh had the constitution amended once again, re-establishing a
multi-party system. Under Momoh, APC rule was increasingly marked by abuses
of power. Earlier in 1991, in March, a small band of men who called
themselves the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) under the leadership of a
former-corporal, Foday Sankoh, began to attack villages in eastern Sierra
Leone on the Liberian border. Fighting continued in the ensuing months, with
the RUF gaining control of the diamond mines in the Kono district and pushing
the Sierra Leone army pack towards Freetown. On April 29, 1992, a group of
young military officers, led by Capt. Valentine Strasser, launched a military
coup, which sent Momoh into exile in Guinea and established the National
Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) as the ruling authority in Sierra Leone.

The NPRC proved to be nearly as ineffectual as the Momoh government in
repelling the RUF. More and more country fell to RUF fighters, so that by
1995 they held much of the countryside and were on the doorsteps of Freetown.
To retrieve the situation, the NPRC hired several hundred mercenaries from
the private firm Executive Outcomes. Within a month they had driven RUF
fighters back to enclaves along Sierra Leone's borders.

As a result of popular demand and mounting international pressure, the NPRC
agreed to hand over power to a civilian government via presidential and
parliamentary elections, which were held in April 1996. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, a
diplomat who had worked at the UN for more than 20 years, won the
presidential election. Because of the prevailing war conditions,
parliamentary elections were conducted, for the first time, under the system
of proportional representation. Thirteen political parties participated, with
the SLPP winning 27 seats, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5 and DCP 3.

The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), led by Maj. Johnny Paul
Koroma, overthrew President Kabbah on May 25, 1997, and invited the RUF to
join the government. After 10 months in office, the junta was ousted by the
Nigerian-led ECOMOG forces, and the democratically elected government of
President Kabbah was reinstated in March 1998. On January 6, 1999, the RUF
launched another attempt to overthrow the government. Fighting reached parts
of Freetown, leaving thousands dead and wounded. ECOMOG forces drove by the
RUF attack several weeks later.

With the assistance of the international community, President Kabbah and RUF
leader Sankoh negotiated the Lome Peace Agreement, which was signed on July
7, 1999. The accord made Sankoh Vice President and gave other RUF members
positions in the government. Lome called for an international peacekeeping
force run initially by both ECOMOG and the United Nations. The UN Security
Council established the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) in
1999, with an initial force of 6,000. ECOMOG forces departed in April 2000.
Almost immediately, however, the RUF began to violate the agreement, most
notably by holding hundreds of UNAMSIL personnel hostage and capturing their
arms and ammunition in the first half of 2000. On May 8, 2000, members of the
RUF shot and killed as many as 20 people demonstrating against the RUF
violations outside Sankoh's house in Freetown. As a result, Sankoh and other
senior members of the RUF were arrested and the group was stripped of its
positions in government.

After the events of May 2000, a new cease-fire was necessary to reinvigorate
the peace process. This agreement was signed in Abuja in November of that
year. However, DDR did not resume, and fighting continued. In late 2000,
Guinean forces entered Sierra Leone to attack RUF bases from which attacks
had been launched against Liberian dissidents in Guinea. A second Abuja
Agreement, in May 2001, set the stage for a resumption of DDR on a wide scale
and a significant reduction in hostilities. As disarmament progressed, the
government began to reassert its authority in formerly rebel-held areas. By
early 2002, some 72,000 ex-combatants had been disarmed and demobilized,
although many still awaited re-integration assistance. On January 18, 2002
President Kabbah declared the civil war officially over.

In May 2002 President Kabbah and his party, the SLPP, won landslide victories
in the presidential and legislative elections. Kabbah was re-elected for a
five year term. The RUF political wing, the RUFP, failed to win a single seat
in parliament. The elections were marked by irregularities and allegations of
fraud, but not to a degree to significantly affect the outcome.

On July 28th, 2002 the British withdrew a 200-man military contingent that
had been in country since the summer of 2000, leaving behind a 140-strong
military training team to work to professionalize the Sierra Leone army. The
Lome Accord called for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation
Commission to provide a forum for both victims and perpetrators of human
rights violations during the conflict to tell their stories and facilitate
genuine reconciliation. Subsequently, the Sierra Leonean government asked the
UN to help set up a Special Court for Sierra Leone, which would try those who
"bear the greatest responsibility for the commission of crimes against
humanity, war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian
law, as well as crimes under relevant Sierra Leonean law within the territory
of Sierra Leone since November 30, 1996." Both the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission and the Special Court began operating in the summer of 2002.

In November 2002, UNAMSIL began a gradual reduction from a peak level of
17,500 personnel. Under pressure from the British, the withdrawal slowed, so
that by October 2003 the UNAMSIL contingent still stood at 12,000 men. As
peaceful conditions continued through 2004, however, UNAMSIL drew down its
forces to slightly over 4,000 by December 2004. In June 2005, the UN Security
Council extended UNAMSIL's mandate until December 2005.

On January 13, 2003 a small group of armed men tried unsuccessfully to break
into an armory in Freetown. Former AFRC-junta leader Johnny Paul Koroma, went
into hiding, after being linked to the raid. In March the Special Court for
Sierra Leone issued its first indictments for war crimes during the civil
war. Foday Sankoh, already in custody, was indicted, along with notorious RUF
field commander Sam "Mosquito" Bockarie, Johnny Paul Koroma, the Minister of
Interior and former head of the Civil Defense Force, Hinga Norman, and
several others. Norman was arrested when the indictments were announced,
while Bockarie and Koroma remained at large (presumably in Liberia). On May
5th Bockarie was killed in Liberia, probably on orders from President Charles
Taylor, who expected to be indicted by the Special Court and feared
Bockarie's testimony. Several weeks later word filtered out of Liberia that
Johnny Paul Koroma had been killed, as well, although his death remains
unconfirmed. In June the Special Court announced Taylor's indictment. Sankoh
died in prison in Freetown on July 29th from a heart attack. He had been
ailing for some time.

In August, 2003 President Kabbah testified before the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission on his role during the civil war. Instead of acting
in a statesman-like, unifying manner, he answered questions in a partisan,
defensive style. He blamed the international community for ignoring Sierra
Leone during much of the civil war, without acknowledging its assistance in
the late 1990's that ended the fighting.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Sierra Leone is a republic with an executive president and a multi-party
system of government. Civil rights and religious freedom are respected. A
critical press continues to operate, although the government has intervened
for alleged inaccurate reporting.

The judicial system continues to function for civil cases but is severely
handicapped by shortages of resources and qualified personnel. It is
comprised of a Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and a High Court with judges
appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service
Commission with the approval of Parliament. There also are magistrate and
local courts and from these appeals lie to the superior courts of judicature.
The 1991 constitution created an ombudsman responsible for looking into
complaints of abuses and capricious acts on the part of public officials. In
2000 the Government of Sierra Leone promulgated the Anti-Corruption Act to
combat corruption, which is endemic. As of October 2003, the Government of
Sierra Leone had prosecuted only two high-level cases.

The basic unit of local government generally is the chiefdom, headed by a
paramount chief and council of elders. There also is an elected council and
mayor in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, and Makeni.

Principal Government Officials
President and Minister of Defense--Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Vice President--Solomon Berewa
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Momodu Koroma
Minister of Finance--John Benjamin
Minister of Development and Economic Planning--Mohammed Daramy
Attorney General and Minister of Justice--Eke Halloway
Minister of Rural Development and Local Government--Sidikie Brima
Minister of Information and Broadcasting--Septimus Kaikai
Minister of Internal Affairs--Pascal Egbenda
Minister of Mineral Resources--Mohamed Deen
Minister for Trade and Industry--Dr. Kadi Sesay
Ambassador to the U.S.--Ibrahim Kamara

Sierra Leone maintains an embassy in the United States at 1701 19th Street,
NW, Washington, DC, 20009, tel. 202-939-9261; and a permanent mission to the
United Nations in New York at 245 East 49th Street, New York, New York 10017,
tel. (212) 688-1656.

ECONOMY
Rich in minerals, Sierra Leone has relied on the mining sector in general,
and diamonds in particular, for its economic base. In the 1970s and early
1980s, economic growth rate slowed because of a decline in the mining sector
and increasing corruption among government officials. By the 1990s economic
activity was declining and economic infrastructure had become seriously
degraded. Over the next decade much of Sierra Leone's formal economy was
destroyed in the country's civil war. Since the cessation of hostilities in
January 2002, massive infusions of outside assistance have helped Sierra
Leone begin to recover. Full recovery to pre-war economic levels will require
hundreds of millions of additional dollars and many more years of serious
effort by the Government of Sierra Leone and donor governments. Much of
Sierra Leone's recovery will depend on the success of Government of Sierra
Leone efforts to limit official corruption, which many feel was the chief
culprit for the country's descent into civil war. A key indicator of success
will be the effectiveness of government management of its diamond sector.

About two-thirds of the population engages in subsistence agriculture.
Despite the fact that most Sierra Leoneans derive their livelihood from it,
agriculture accounts for only 42% of national income. The government is
trying to increase food and cash crop production and upgrade small farmer
skills. Also, the government works with several foreign donors to operate
integrated rural development and agricultural projects.

Mineral exports remain Sierra Leone's principal foreign exchange earner.
Sierra Leone is a major producer of gem-quality diamonds. Though rich in this
resource, the country has historically struggled to manage its exploitation
and export. Annual production estimates range between $250-300 million.
However, only a portion of that passes through formal export channels (1999:
$1.2 million; 2000: $7 million; 2001: $26 million; 2002: $42 million; 2003:
$76 million; 2004: $127 million). The balance is smuggled out, where it is
used for money laundering and the financing of other illicit activities.
Recent efforts on the part of the country to improve the management of the
export trade have met with some success. In October 2000, a new UN-approved
export certification system for exporting diamonds from Sierra Leone was put
into place that led to a dramatic increase in legal exports. In 2001, the
Government of Sierra Leone created a mining community development fund, which
returns a portion of diamond export taxes to diamond mining communities. The
fund was created to raise local communities' stake in the legal diamond
trade.

Sierra Leone has one of the world's largest deposits of rutile, a titanium
ore used as paint pigment and welding rod coatings. Sierra Rutile Limited,
owned by a consortium of US and European investors, began commercial mining
operations near Bonthe in early 1979. Sierra Rutile was then the largest
nonpetroleum U.S. investment in West Africa. The export of 88,000 tons
realized $75 million for the country in 1990. The company and the Government
of Sierra Leone concluded a new agreement on the terms of the company's
concession in Sierra Leone in 1990. Rutile and bauxite mining operations were
suspended when rebels invaded the mining sites in 1995. In 2003 OPIC agreed
to a $25 million guarantee to Sierra Rutile to assist with the re-start of
operations, which are expected to resume soon.

Since independence, the Government of Sierra Leone has encouraged foreign
investment, although the business climate has been hampered by a shortage of
foreign exchange, corruption, and uncertainty resulting from civil conflicts.
Investors are protected by an agreement that allows for arbitration under the
1965 World Bank Convention. Legislation provides for transfer of interest,
dividends, and capital.

Sierra Leone is a member of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS). With Liberia and Guinea, it formed the Mano River Union (MRU)
customs union, primarily designed to implement development projects and
promote regional economic integration. However, the MRU has so far been
inactive because of domestic problems and internal and cross-border conflicts
in all three countries. The future of the MRU depends on the ability of its
members to deal with the fallout from these internal and regional problems.

Sierra Leone continues to rely on significant amounts of foreign assistance,
principally from multilateral donors. The bilateral donors include the United
States, Italy, and Germany, the largest being the United Kingdom and the
European Union.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Sierra Leone has maintained cordial relations with the West, in particular
with the United Kingdom. It also maintains diplomatic relations with the
Republics of the former Soviet Union as well as with China, Libya and Iran.

Sierra Leone is a member of the UN and its specialized agencies, the
Commonwealth, the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS), the African Development Bank (AFDB), the Mano River Union
(MRU), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM).

U.S.-SIERRA LEONE RELATIONS
U.S. relations with Sierra Leone began with missionary activities in the 19th
century. In 1959, the U.S. opened a consulate in Freetown and elevated it to
embassy status when Sierra Leone became independent in 1961.

U.S.-Sierra Leone relations today are cordial, with ethnic ties between
groups in the two countries receiving increasing historical interest. Many
thousands of Sierra Leoneans reside in the United States.

In fiscal year 2003, total U.S. aid to Sierra Leone in all categories was
about $60 million, primarily for relief and basic economic development. U.S.
aid also stresses restoration of peace, democracy and human rights, health
education, particularly combating HIV/AIDS, and human resources development.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Thomas N. Hull
Deputy Chief of Mission--James A. Stewart

The U.S. Embassy is located at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens
Streets, Freetown, tel: 232 22 226 481; fax: 232 22 225 471.