SIERRA LEONE

National Flag and Emblem

Locator Map

TEXT HIGHLIGHTS: Diaries updates, key events, brief analysis and relating news articles in timeline Overview Sierra Leone literally meaning for "the mountain of Lions", became a British colony in 1808 and a protectorate in 1896. Sierra Leone was founded as a state by returned slaves from Britain and North America in 1787. The colony of Sierra Leone (roughly the current day Western Province around Freetown) was administered by the British. Became a British colony in 1808 and a protectorate in 1896. Heavily influenced by a blend of native Bantu and western culture. The hinterland came under British control as a protectorate in 1896. The diamond rich West African nation of Sierra Leone lost the fight to the encroaching British imperial forces and became a British colony in 1896. As Soon as the Brits set their foot on the soils of Freetown, they started roaming the interior of Serra Leone looking for wealth to be looted and exported to the United Kingdom. The nation of Sierra Leone was rich and there was much to be looted by the Brits, so much so that they quickly started building a railway from the capital Freetown to the interior. Though the motive of the British for building the railway to the south was to rule Sierra Leone, by 1967 when the late Siaka Stevens won a close election and came to power, the railway was playing a crucial role in Sierra Leone’s economy transporting coffee, cocoa, and diamonds. Siaka Stevens was a Lumba, from the north, but the farmers who grew coffee and cocoa were Mende from the south, and the railway was Mendeland’s outlet to the world. Following the Second World War, the indigenous populations of the protectorate gained greater political voice, culminating in the election of Dr (later Sir) Milton Margai of the SLPP as Chief Minister in 1953 and later Prime Minister in 1958. He led the country to full independence on April 27th 1961. The SLPP ruled until 1967 when the electoral victory of the opposition APC was cut short by the country's first military coup. The military eventually handed over to the APC and its leader Siaka Probyn Stevens through local elections in 1968. He turned the country into a one -party state in 1978. In the election that brought Siaka Stevens to power, the Mendeland voted hugely for the opposition Sierra Leone People’s party (SLPP). When Sergeant Siaka Stevens came to power, he was more interested in holding power than promoting Mendeland’s export economy. He thought what was good for the Mende was good for SLPP, and bad for Siaka Stevens. Hence, he pulled up the railway line to Mendeland and sold off the track. By doing so, Siaka Stevens crippled one of the most vibrant sectors of Sierra Leone’s economy. To Siaka Stevens, Lumba was Sierra Leone and Siera Leone was Lumba. He finally retired in 1985, handing over to his deputy, General Saidu Momoh. Under popular pressure, one party rule was ended in 1991, and a new constitution providing for a return to multi-party politics was approved in August of that year. Elections were scheduled for 1992. But, by this stage, Sierra Leone's institutions had collapsed, mismanagement and corruption had ruined the economy and rising youth unemployment was a serious problem. The Sierra Leone Conflict: The armed conflict in Sierra Leone started in March, 1991, when armed fighters known as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Sergeant Foday Sankoh attacked Sierra Leone from Liberian soil. The RUF continued their insurgency against the government despite a peace accord signed in Abidjan, Cote D’ Ivoire, in November, 1996. In a coup on 25 May, 1997, members of the Sierra Leonean Army overthrew the democratically elected government of Al-Haji Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and invited the RUF to join its junta government called the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), headed by Majour Johnny Paul Koroma. As leader of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), and later as president of Liberia, Charles Ghankay Taiyor was alleged to have acted in concert with members of the RUF, AFRC, and the RUF/AFRC alliance, all Liberian fighters, and members and ex-members of the NPFL to take control of Sierra Leone and exploit its rich diamond resources. Specifically in that capacity, Charles Taylor was alleged to have assisted, encouraged directed, and or controlled the above mentioned warring factions in conducting armed attacks in the territory of Sierra Leone from 30th November, 1996 to 18th January, 2002, which that is the indictment period. The attacks included terrorizing the civilian population including the burning of civilian homes, murder, sexual and physical violence, illegal recruitment of child soldiers, abduction, and forced labour and looting. Taking advantage of the government collapse in Sierra Leone, a rebel movement, called as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) emerged, with backing from a warlord, Charles Taylor, in neighbouring Liberia, and in 1991 led a rebellion against the APC government. The government was unable to cope with the insurrection, and was overthrown in a junior Officers coup in April 1992. Its leader, Capt Strasser, was however unable to defeat the RUF. Indeed, the military were more often than not complicit with the rebels in violence and looting. Strasser was deposed in January 1996 by his fellow junta leaders. His replacement, Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, under international pressure, agreed to organise elections in February 1996. The RUF refused to take part and continued the conflict. The elections were won by Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and the SLPP. The new government signed a peace agreement with the RUF in Abidjan 1996 but it failed to stop the rebellion. Kabbah's government was subsequently overthrown in a further coup in 1997 and took refuge in neighbouring Guinea. The military junta, headed by Major Johnny Paul Koroma, invited the RUF to join the government. But the junta was complicit in looting and violence, often in association with the RUF, and was unable to consolidate its position. It was eventually overthrown and The Kabbah government was re-instated in 1998 with the help of troops from ECOWAS. The destructive force of the rebellion reached Freetown for the first time when the RUF, combined with renegade elements of the army, invaded the capital in January 1999, committing appalling acts of violence against the civilian population in the process. They were repulsed by the Nigerian troops of ECOMOG, but at great human cost. A second peace agreement, the Lome Accord of 1999, to be supervised by a UN peacekeeping force, brought the RUF officially into government. But this collapsed in 2000 when the RUF attacked UN peacekeepers upcountry and threatened to invade Freetown again. Some UN peacekeepers were killed and others detained by the rebels. Security was restored with the intervention of British troops in May 2000 and RUF ministers, including its leader Foday Sankoh, were arrested. The signing of the Abuja peace agreement in November 2000, together with the deployment of UNAMSIL across the country, allowed the gradual restoration of government authority throughout the territory. The war was officially declared over in February 2002. Since the end of the war, Sierra Leone has become increasingly stable and has done much to restore public services and create the conditions for economic growth and good governance. Sierra Leone gained independence "within the commonwealth of nations" in April, 1961 with Sir Henry John Lightfoot Boston as it's first native Governor-general and commander in chief of Sierra Leone, when the headship of self-rule government goes to Sir Milton Margai under "Independence within the British commonwealth", general elections were held in 1962. Elections were held in 1962. Headship since independence; Head of instrumental self-administration A Republic in West Africa on the Atlantic coast The Bulom people were thought to have been the earliest inhabitants of Sierra Leone, followed by the Mende and Temne peoples in the 15th century and thereafter the Fulani, Creoles (freed slaves) later returned in the late 1700s. Became a British colony in 1808 and a protectorate in 1896. Heavily influenced by a blend of native Bantu and western culture. The earliest inhabitants were probably the Buloms, the Mendes, and the Temnes arrived in the area about fifteenth century. It's meaning for "the mountain of Lions". It became a British colony in 1808 and a protectorate in 1896. Sierra Leone was founded as a state by returned slaves from Britain and North America in 1787. In an election held on the 17th May, 1967, the All Peoples Party (APC) won by an extremely narrow margin, the ex-Police sergeant in the name of Siaka Probyn Stevens, was elected the third prime minister of Sierra Leone but he was arrested briefly after taking office during a military coup. After a brief period of military rule, he re-assumed the post on the 26th April, 1968, elected founder-president and reelected from 1967 to 1971to 1985 unopposed. Mr. Siaka Probyn Stevens was generally criticized for his dictatorial methods of government in which many of his political opponents were executed, as well as for mismanaging the economy, on a positive note, he reduced ethnic polarization in the government by incorporating members of various ethnic groups into the government. Mr. Siaka Stevens joined the Sierra Leone Police Force from 1923 to 1930, and he rose to the rank of First Class Sergeant, his political party the All Peoples Congress (APC) won the closely contested the 1967 general election over the incumbent PM Sir Albert Margai of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) In April 1971, a Republic founded and he became the first president of Sierra Leone a day after the constitution had been ratified by the Parliament. He retired from office at the end of his term on the 28th of November 1985, after pressuring all other potential successors to step aside, he has chosen Major-General Joseph Saidu Momoh, the Chief of staff of the Sierraleonian Armed Forces as his successor, and was sworn in as the new president of the Republic. Mr. Siaka Stevens died of natural sickness on the 29th of May, 1988 in Freetown. A republican constitution introduced, ratified in April, 1971, and a republic declared whos Mr. Siaka Stevens himself to become it's founder-president. In March, 1976, he reelected president of Sierra Leone unopposed, contested and won Sierraleonian general elections from 1971 to 1985, pressuring all other potential successors step aside, he voluntarily retired after end of his second term, as president in 1986. The ex-president, Siaka Probyn Stevens got retired and preceeded in his free will by his army chief of staff General Joseph Saidu Momoh when the premier Sir Milton Margai died earlier. General Joseph Saidu Momoh led Sierra Leone for further six years until the 29th of April, 1992, he was overthrown by an insurrection of soldiers, that broke out to claim arears in the capital, Freetown, brought a young army Captain Valentine Strasser to power. Major-General Joseph Momoh served as president of the Sierra Leone from 28th November, 1985 to 29th April, 1992. A professional Soldier drawn into politics, he rose from the enlisted ranks, to the highest position in the Sierra Leone Armed Forces. In 1985 General Momoh succeeded president Siaka Probyn Stevens by becoming the only candidate in a one-party election in the form of a referendum under the banners of the APC political party. When Sierra Leone*s economy gradually dis-integerated under his rule, the country's currency Leone decreased in value. Sierra Leone reached the point under his rule, where it could not even afford to import gasoline and fuels, and the country went without electricity for months at a time. In sseptember, 1991 after the start of the Sierra Leone civil war, ushered in a new constitution, providing for a multi-party state and ending the single party rule, which ex-president Siaka Stevens initiated in the 1970s, he also played a significant part in dissolving tribalism in the country, but his efforts at reform came too late to rescue Sierra Leone from coming chaos. General Saidu Momoh was overthrown in a military coup staged by Captain Valentine Strasser, a 28 years army captain, in April, 1992. Captain Valentine Strasser's cabinet members were young Lieutenants and Captains in their twenties. The ex-president Joseph Saidu Momoh fled to neighbouring Guinea to spend the rest of his life as a guest of honour of the military government of Colonel Lansana Conte, in Conakry, where he died in 2003. Captain Valentine Strasser was also overthrown by his deputy and colleague Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio in October, 1996, months later, in January, 1996, General Maada Bio handed-over power in his free will to a democratically elected civilian government headed by Al- Hadji Ahmed Tejan-Kabaah. A coup made by Major Johnny Paul Koroma have interrupted the process mainly and forced the civilian president Ahmed Tejan-Kabaah flee exile to Guinea on the 25th of May, 1997. When a formal ceasefire was signed in 2002, elections conducted again on the 11th of August, 2007 to choose a successor to president Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and a 124 seats parliament, whose Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma's party, All People Congress /APC/ won by 44% of the vote. Sierra Leone was plagued by coups and civil unrest until the return to a new civilian government in September, 2007. Security and stability slowly re- established after the civil war from 1991-2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2.5 million people, the government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs. Politics On August 11, 2007, Sierra Leone held nationwide presidential and parliamentary elections for the first time since the departure of UN peacekeeper, next General Election to be held in 2012: In the summer of 2002, Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) began operations and it recently found Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao guilty of most of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out during the country's civil war. Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is being tried at the ICC in the Hague for crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone. Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people. In late 1990, a commission was set to review the 1978 one-party constitution, based on its recommendations, a constitution re-establishing a multi-party system was approved by Parliament, becoming effective on October 1, 1991 Economy The economy was destroyed by the civil war but has experienced modest recovery Mineral exports remain Sierra Leone's principal foreign exchange earner, Sierra Leone is a major producer of gem-quality diamonds. Social Still has high number of refugees and internally displaced persons Traumatic effects of the civil war still evident on indelible mark of chopped limbs Human rights violations Ex-children soldiers are still resented in their communities Drugs abuse prevalence Sierra Leone has maintained cordial relations with the West, in particular with the UK. It also maintains diplomatic relations with China, Libya, Cuba, and Iran. Sierra Leone had sought closer relations with other West African countries under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Sierra Leone, along with Liberia and Guinea form the Mano River Union (MRU), primarily designed to implement development projects and promote regional economic integration between the three countries. Major Conflicts Hut Tax War of 1898 When:1898 Who: Natives vs British Why: Resistance to British colonialism and their attempt to collect hut tax in Sierra Leone, was led by Temne chief Bai Bureh and Mende chief Momoh Jah Outcome: British issued a warrant to arrest Bai Bureh, alleging that he had refused to pay taxes, was finally captured on November 11, 1898 and sent into exile in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), while most of his native comrades were hanged by the British. The defeat of the natives in the Hut Tax war ended large scale organised resistance to colonialism. However, resistance continued throughout the colonial period in the form of intermittent rioting and chaotic labour unrests Sierra Leone in series of military coups When:1967 -1985 Who: All People’s Congress (APC) vs Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces (RSLMF) Why: Contested elections, diamond control, abuses of power Outcome: 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 Sierra Leonean Civil War When: 1991-2002 Who: Revolutionary United Front (RUF) under Foday Sankoh vs Government of Sierra Leone. Why: Control of Sierra Leone's diamond industry Mass deaths, internally displaced persons, rape, recruitment of child soldiers, among other human rights atrocities, marked this period Outcome: Foday Sankoh and other senior members of the RUF were arrested and the group was stripped of its positions in government Ceasefire was declared to reinvigorate the peace process and agreement signed in Abuja in November 2000. What to see: The Remains of the Earth works and live stockade at Masakpaidu. The Ruins of John Newton’s House and the Slave barracoons on Plantain Island. Sierra Leone police station turned into snake pit when 400 hissing snakes invaded the station in June 2009. Three Old City Boundary guns. The gateway to Old Kings Yard. October 12, 2012: The Africa Report -Sixteen years after he was briefly head of state in a military junta, retired brigadier Julius Maada Bio is now the flagbearer for the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). He promises to fight corruption and use the government's position to negotiate better mining and agricultural deals for the population if elected. Interview: (Q & A) Q. Excerpts: The Africa Report: Will your role in the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) junta work against you in the November 2012 election? A. Julius Maada Bio: My role there was a positive one and has been commended by different people from around the world. I was elected [as the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) candidate] in a very rigorous democratic setting and did so against 18 others – intellectuals, bankers, engineers – which is indicative that people do not only accept my role in the past but also that they think I am a good candidate to move development forward. Q. The Africa Report: How would you assess your party's achievements in the opposition? A. The party somehow disintegrated a little during the last election. We have done some reorganisation. When you look at our national executive structure, it reflects the whole country. We have every ethnic group included in that, and all regions are almost equally represented. Because of the majority of the All People's Congress in parliament, it's extremely difficult to resist or to push across what we think is correct. They've also used the certificate of urgency to push certain things in parliament. We've had several physical attacks, not only on our persons but also on our infrastructure, and yet we still have people sticking to the ideas of our party. I was physically attacked in what I would call definitely an assassination attempt. The person who attacked me has now been trained to become a police officer. Those who responded to my attack and in the fury burnt a few houses – [those] who are alleged to have done that – are still facing the wrath of this government. Now, we can see attempts by government to use the judiciary to actually force some of our people to succumb ...We have also experienced serious poaching, and that is done at the highest level. Even the President [Ernest Bai Koroma] himself is using money now to buy over our people. Q. The Africa Report: You've expressed concern about National Electoral Commission head Christiana Thorpe. Are you confident she will ensure a free and fair election? A. I am giving her the opportunity to prove that. That is what we expect of her. We have decided to put to rest whatever happened in the past. She is a Sierra Leonean, and she cares for this country. I know she will act accordingly to make sure that the results of the forthcoming election are such that it is respected and accepted by all. Q. The Africa Report: Do you condemn all types of violence, even if violence is meted out by your own supporters? A. As you know, there is a natural instinct to defend, and we know what that would mean in our situation, a post-conflict situation. We don't even want to think about what the people will do if they are attacked. We don't intend to be violent. We have no structures to execute violence, and we don't intend to put any structures in place. The fact that [the government] was remobilising and rearming ex-combatants that we had spent so much money to demobilise and reintegrate into society also is a matter for concern. The national police have not been behaving very well lately, after so much money was spent on making them 'A Force for Good', as their slogan goes. For the sake of peace, we are suggesting that we have a United Nations police presence on the ground, especially when we have some of them already deployed in Liberia. The Africa Report: Would you renegotiate some of the mining deals that have been done? Q. We want to make sure that Sierra Leone becomes a country of rule of law. We are going to look at all agreements very critically, not with an intention to punish but just to make sure that they fall in line with the laws of the state and that they also provide a win-win situation. There have been some big corruption cases under Koroma. What would you do to fight against corruption? We have to look at corruption as a threat to national development, and therefore it has to be controlled ... Under Johnny Paul Koroma, in addition to establishing [the Anti-Corruption Commission], they have given it prosecutorial powers. What is actually lacking is the freedom to exercise the powers. Q. The Africa Report: Plantation agriculture is beginning to impact landowners' rights. Would you say a blanket 'no' to new deals? A. No, I believe we need to embark on serious agriculture, huge plantations. We just want to make sure we are environmentally sensitive and that the interest of our community, our country, is taken into consideration. We've had the situation in Zimbabwe and we've seen how it turned out. I think we should learn lessons from that and ensure that if a land is taken from families, from individuals, from communities, that there's an adequate compensation scheme that is acceptable. We should as a government give support to these communities to enhance their bargaining power. Side note: Sierra Leonian National Election: (November 23, 2012) Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone wins presidential poll' Sierra Leone's incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma has won the presidential election, the election commission has said. He received almost 59% of votes cast, meaning there is no need for a run-off as he won more than 55%. His main challenger, ex-military ruler Julius Maada Bio, took 38% of the ballots in Saturday's peaceful poll. It was the third election since the 1991-2002 civil war, which killed more than 50,000 people. International observers have already declared the election to be peaceful and transparent. The average national turnout was 87.3%, the election commission said. 'Growing fast' Mr Koroma, who faced eight candidates, took 1,314,881 votes - 58.7% of the total. It will be his second and final term in office. His supporters flooded the streets of the capital as news of his comfortable win became known - they danced, sang and banged pots and pans, the BBC's Mark Doyle reports from Freetown. Parliamentary and local council election results are yet to be declared. The vote was the first post-war election Sierra Leone had organised itself - the other two held since the war ended in 2001 were run by the United Nations. Although many people around the world might still associate Sierra Leone with the Hollywood movie Blood Diamond - a place of war and atrocities - that image today could not be further from the truth, our correspondent says. Sierra Leone is now a peaceful, democratic nation and the economy is growing fast - even if it remains one of the poorest nations in Africa, with a large proportion of the population of about six million living on less than $1.25 (80p) a day. The army - once an undisciplined force containing a large number of rebels - has been rebuilt with considerable military aid from the UK and now sends peacekeeping soldiers to serve in UN missions around the world. Election figures: Ernest Bai Koroma, APC, 1, 314, 881 votes, 58.7% Julius Maada Bio, SLPP, 837,517 votes, 37.4% Turnout 87.3% 4.7% of votes invalid Accession to power of president Ernest Bai Koroma, by election. Tentative election calendar-Presidential/Parliamentary, August. Sierra Leone – Timeline Diaries updates and related key notes: 1787 - Sierra Leone founded by British abolitionists and philanthropists establish a settlement in Freetown for repatriated and rescued slaves. Freetown, the capital, is a port city and commercial hub Settled by freed and rescued slaves in 18th century 1821: Made seat of government for British territories in West Africa Freetown became capital in 1961 1808 - Freetown settlement becomes crown colony. 1896 - Britain sets up a protectorate over the Freetown hinterland. 1954 - Sir Milton Margai, leader of the Sierra Leone People's Party, appointed chief minister. 1961 - Sierra Leone becomes independent. 1967 - Military coup deposes Premier Siaka Stevens' government. 1968 - Siaka Stevens returns to power as the head of a civilian government following another military coup. 1971 - Sierra Leone declared a republic, Siaka ProbynStevens becomes executive president. 1978 - New constitution proclaims Sierra Leone a one-party state with the All People's Congress as the sole legal party. 1985 - Major-General Joseph Saidu Momoh becomes president following Stevens's retirement. 1987 – Saidu Momoh declares state of economic emergency. In 1991 - Start of civil war. Former army corporal Foday Sankoh and his Revolutionary United Front (RUF) begin campaign against President Saidu Momoh, capturing towns on border with Liberia. September 1991 - New constitution providing for a multiparty system adopted. In 1992 - President Joseph Momoh ousted in military coup led by a 28 years old Captain Valentine Strasser, apparently frustrated by failure to deal with rebels. Under international pressure, Valentine Strasser announces plans for the first multi-party elections since 1967. January 1996 - Captain Valentine Strasser ousted in a military coup led by his defence minister, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio. In 1996 – Al-Haji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah elected president in February, signs peace accord with the rebel Foday Sankoh's in November. May 1997 - President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah deposed by young officers led by Major Johnny Paul Koroma, suspends the constitution, bans demonstrations and abolishes political parties, and set up a military government with rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah flees to Guinea to mobilise international support. Peace deal unravels. ECOMOG troops drove the rebel troops out of the capital in February 1998 and brought back the elected Tejan Kabbah government. The RUF revived their rebel movement. Major Johnny Paul Koroma, in prison awaiting the outcome of a treason trial, leads the military junta - the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). The peace talks, held since May 25th in Togo, brought together representatives from the UN, Nigeria, Togo, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Liberia, Burkina Faso Sierra Leone (government) and the Sierra Leonean Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The final agreement brought the rebels into the government. There have been complaints that the savagery of the rebels should keep them out of the government and ineligible for amnesty. An eight year civil war apparently ended on June 28th when the rebels agreed to join the government. The Revolutionary United gets four cabinet seats in a national unity government, as well as a blanket amnesty preventing them from being prosecuted for atrocities committed against civilians during their rebellion. The war has killed more than 50,000 people, mostly civilians. In addition to the deaths, there were many more mutilations (amputating hands and feet) and rapes. Sierra Leone is ranked by the UN as the poorest nation on earth. But the nation is rich in natural resources, and control of these might lead to another outbreak of fighting. In early July, Nigerian troops encountered resistance from RUF rebel troops, who insisted they would only surrender their weapons to UN troops. The UN is expected to send 3,000 soldiers to Sierra Leone to help with enforcing the cease fire and peace treaty. There are an estimated 20,000 rebel troops to be disarmed. The current peacekeeping force of 15,000 troops is largely Nigerian and has developed some bad relationships with many rebels and some civilians. July 1997 - The Commonwealth suspends Sierra Leone. October 1997 - The UN Security Council imposes sanctions on Sierra Leone, barring the supply of arms and petroleum products. A British company, Sandline, nonetheless supplies "logistical support", including rifles, to Kabbah allies. February 1998 - Nigerian-led West African intervention force Ecomog storms Freetown and drives rebels out. March 1998 - Kabbah makes a triumphant return to Freetown amid scenes of public rejoicing. January 1999 - Rebels backing Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader Foday Sankoh seize parts of Freetown from Ecomog. After weeks of bitter fighting they are driven out, leaving behind 5,000 dead and a devastated city. May 1999 - A ceasefire is greeted with cautious optimism in Freetown amid hopes that eight years of civil war may soon be over. July 1999- Six weeks of talks in the Togolese capital, Lome, result in a peace agreement, under which the rebels receive posts in government and assurances they will not be prosecuted for war crimes. July 16, 1999 The UN asked it's members to donate 35 million dollars to pay for disarming the estimated 35,000 fighters in the Sierra Leone civil war. The peace settlement may fall apart if the promised funds and services for the demobilized fighters is not available. Britain has contributed ten million dollars and the world bank nine million. July 19, 1999 The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) complained that a pro-government militia, the Kamajors, have attacked some RUF troops and threatens to renounce the peace agreement if the attacks do not stop. The Kamajors denied the attack. July 21, 1999 Nigeria announced that its troops would begin withdrawing at the end of August. July 23, 1999 Despite the ceasefire, rebels have not allowed humanitarian aid to enter all areas, causing increased suffering among the civilians trapped in besieged towns. July 27, 1999 The pro-government Kamajor militia is apparently demobilizing. July 28, 1999 Hundreds of rebels have registered to disarm and demobilize. August 7, 1999 During the first week of August, the fragile peace in Sierra Leone began to unravel as rebels (AFRC members) took UN observers and staff hostage. Journalists, a bishop and some two dozen 37 people were taken. This happened in the Occra hills, about 40 liometers east of the capital Freetown. The bishop and six others were released, but the others are still held captive. The rebels involved say they are not satisfied with the peace agreement conditions. The adults were part of an effort to seek the release of children the rebels forcibly recruit. The rebel leaders deny involvement in the hostage taking. The rebels are also seized two hundred children earlier. On August 7th, the rebels agreed to release their hostages. August 8, 1999 The Occra hills rebels began to release more of their adult hostages. Or so it was reported, that 19 had been freed. Communication with the rebels is difficult because there is no radio or telephone contact with them. August 10, 1999 The last of the adult Occra hills hostages were released. The hostages reported that there were as many a 2,000 unhappy (with the terms of the peace agreement) rebels in their area. The rebels also released most of the children they were holding. August 11, 1999 Sierra Leone officials admitted that the amnesty offered to the rebels was complete and included the worst atrocities committed by the rebels. The government insists that this was the only way to end the fighting. August 13, 1999 The Kamajor militia, a paramilitary self-defense group allied with the government, announced that it was ready to disarm. August 20, 1999 The UN has increased the size of its observer mission, and called on the various armed factions to mover forward with the disarmament terms of the peace agreement. Many of the armed rebels have been reluctant to disarm and low level violence continues. September 5, 1999 Because of the increasing threat of renewed fighting, Nigerian has halted the withdrawal of its peacekeeping troops. This leaved nearly 10,000 Nigerian troops in the country. September 7, 1999 Renegade members of the AFRC released five hostages, but continue to hold others, demanding money, medicine and jobs. The renegades feel they did not get a good deal in the peace settlement. Their leader, Johnny Koroma, is reported to have taken up residence in Liberia. September 19, 1999 Only 75 of the 210 UN monitors have arrived and most of the rebel units are still armed. The situation remains tense and fighting could easily return. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are still scattered across the country and in neighboring nations. Starvation and disease are killing hundreds each week. September 27, 1999 Croatia has agreed to send peacekeeping troops to join the UN mission in Sierra Leone.--Stephen V Cole September 28, 1999 The UN has asked for a 6,000 man international peacekeeping force for Sierra Leone, mainly to replace the departed Nigerian troops. Few volunteers were immediately forthcoming. Nigeria has begun withdrawing the 12,000 troops it send to Sierra Leone during the civil war there.--Stephen V Cole September 29, 1999 Rebel leader Foday Sankoh and former junta leader Johnny Paul Koroma met in Liberia to clear up remaining differences preventing the peace agreement from being fully implemented. September 30, 1999 The US State Department warned US citizens to be careful visiting Sierra Leone, because of the unstable situation there. October 3, 1999 Rebel leader (of the RUF) Foday Sankoh returned to the capital pledging to make the peace agreement work. Former junta leader Johnny Paul Koroma of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) has also pledged to make the peace last. October 4, 1999 Former rebel leader Foday Sankoh ordered his troops to release all their prisoners. It will take a week or more for word to reach the scattered groups of armed men still loyal to him. Sankoh also pledged to help to build a lasting peace. October 11, 1999 The border between Liberia and Sierra Leone has been reopened. October 12, 1999 Former rebel leader Foday Sankoh warns that the UN should not be too hasty to disarm the estimated 45,000 armed men (of all factions) who are supposed to give up their arms. Unless the UN can come across with the promised money and goods, many of these fighters would probably prefer to keep their weapons. The UN has only 210 staff in the country to take care of the disarmament. Meanwhile, Cholera has broken out among the thousands of refugees, with several dying each day. October 14, 1999 Nigeria has delayed the planned withdrawal of 12,000 troops from the ECOMOG peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone to give that country another 30 days to work out details of the peace pact with the RUF rebels.--Stephen V Cole October 15, 1999 Foday Sankoh, leader of the RUF, has warned the government not to be so quick to disarm the rebels. Sankoh is still quite popular with his fighters, even though he has been out of the country for years. October 20, 1999 The government announced that it is ready to disarm the 45,000 armed men in the country, but has not mentioned a date for the process to begin. October 22, 1999 The UN has approved a force of 6,000 peacekeepers for Sierra Leone. October 27, 1999 Former rebels of the AFRC and RUF fought a battle 140 kilometers northeast of the capital. Over a hundred fighters were killed. The two factions used to be allies. The RUF attacked the AFRC for reasons not yet known. November 1, 1999 Fighting between members of the RUF and AFRC rebel factions in the north continues, with the death toll now over hundred. November 2, 1999 Fighting between members of the RUF and AFRC rebel factions in the north has prevented food aid from reaching the thousands of refugees in the area. November 4, 1999 More fighting has been reported between the RUF and AFRC factions. The two groups have disputes over how much members of each group will receive for demobilizing. November 8, 1999 The UN has accused the rebels of refusing to disarm, while the rebels want to see the money and other goodies promised by the UN. Some 6,000 peacekeepers have been slow to arrive and it looks like the civil war could resume before the UN accord can be implemented. November 9, 1999 Only about a thousand of the 45,000 soldiers and rebels due to surrender their weapons have done so. And many of those rioted in the capital because they had not received promised cash payments. In the last few weeks, fighting between members of the RUF and AFRC rebel factions in the north have killed some 150 rebels and about forty civilians. November 10, 1999 RUF, the largest rebel faction in the civil war, announced that it will transform itself into a political party. November 12, 1999 Only a quarter of the money needed is available to disarm the rebels and implement the peace agreement. The UN depends on members to supply the finds and the donations have been slow in coming. Meanwhile, anger grows in the country against the rebels who hacked off the hands of thousands of people. This was done towards the end of the war when the government broadcast appeals for citizens to "lend a hand" to resist the rebels. This was an unfortunate turn of phrase, for the rebels then began cutting off the hands of suspected government sympathizers. This had the desired effect of terrorizing the population, and was a factor in a peace agreement being reached. But unless the rebels can be disarmed, the civil war is liable to start up again. 1999 November/December - UN troops arrive to police the peace agreement - but one rebel leader, Sam Bokari, says they are not welcome. Meanwhile, Ecomog troops are attacked outside Freetown. November 20, 1999 Senior members of RUF continue to return from exile in Liberia. This does not appear to encourage RUF members to disarm. The former rebels appear to believe that they should have gotten more than a few handouts and political power for disarming. As a result of this, no one else wants to disarm either. November 22, 1999 The RUF registered as a political power, even while it refuses to disarm. November 24, 1999 Fewer than a thousand of over 40,000 rebels have disarmed so far. It is estimated that RUF has 15,000 armed men (and some women), AFRC 6,000, government militias 7,000, various other groups 2,000 and perhaps 10,000 freelancers. November 30, 1999 A firefight between UN peacekeepers and rebels left three rebels and one peacekeepers dead. There are only 4,000 African peacekeepers in the country, facing ten times that number of armed rebels. December 9, 1999 Two members of Doctors Without Borders were taken prisoner by the RUF (which is not abiding the terms of the peace agreement.) The other major rebel group, the AFRC, is also showing reluctance to give up their wanton ways. Banditry, rape and general mayhem are still practiced by members of both groups (which amount to over 40,000 armed men). The UN continues to try and establish a 6,000 man peacekeeping force to enforce the agreement that ended eight years of civil war. December 16, 1999 Peace process hits a rock in Sierra Leone: The RUF (Revolutionary United Front) rebels in Sierra Leone refused on 8 Dec to give up their weapons to UN military observers as called for under the peace accords. RUF rebel leader Foday Sankoh denounced the UN and the ECOMOG peacekeepers (officially the Military Observer Group from the Economic Community of West African States) for doing nothing to disarm the other rebel group, the former Army soldiers of the ousted Junta (known as the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council). The RUF and AFRC were allies during the last two years of the civil war, but after the ceasefire, turned on each other. The peacekeepers and UN military observers policed the line between the new government and the former rebel alliance. Any fighting between the two rebel groups was ignored by the peacekeepers and UN, which would just as soon have seen the two groups destroy each other. --Stephen V Cole December 20, 1999 The Economic Community of West African States has said it plans to keep its peacekeeping troops in Sierra Leone. Some of the 4,000 ECOMOG peacekeepers will be absorbed into the future 6,000-man UN peacekeeping force. The RUF rebels, however, have said they will not hand over their weapons to ECOMOG troops (who are mostly Nigerian) even if they are wearing UN helmets. Pacific Architects and Engineers, a Colorado-based company comprised of an astonishing number of former US military personnel, has a contract from the State Department to operate in Sierra Leone to provide logistical support for ECOMOG. The details of this support are a bit murky. In one case, a PAE helicopter was used to carry ECOMOG generals and RUF rebel leader Sankoh to a northern rebel stronghold for peace talks; former US special forces troops rode the helicopter with weapons pointed outwards. Sources in Freetown have said that last year, PAE helicopters were flying ECOMOG troops and South African mercenaries on raids into Sierra Leone, but these reports cannot be confirmed. Another US company, ICI, is also involved, providing equipment and former US military personnel to PAE. Executive Outcomes (through its subsidiary Lifeguard) provides security for UN officials and facilities. Sandline, another branch of Executive Outcomes, also has people in Sierra Leone, although there is no clear indication of what they are doing. Some former EU mercenaries remain in Sierra Leone working for a new company called JESA AIR.--Stephen V Cole December 22, 1999 The UN is still trying to get rebels to release over 2,000 prisoners and hostages still held. December 27, 1999 The UN is asking for the UN peacekeeping force to be increased from 6,000 to 10,000. There is fear that 6,000 troops will not be able to handle the situation if a large number of rebels resisted the peace accord. This is further complicated by the withdrawal of Nigerian troops, who have been there for years and will take their experience with them. January 4; 2000; RUF rebels have opened roads they have blocked for years. Civilians and UN peacekeepers can now travel to large areas of the interior without danger of attack from rebels. Bandits are still a problem, though. January 5; 2000; The commander of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) convinced rebels 140 kilometers northeast of the capital to allow peacekeepers into the area. The 6,000 man ECOMOG peacekeeping force will be at its full strength by the end of the month. The UN is trying to get the force increased to 10,000 troops, for there is a lot of work to do with so many rebels who have not fully come to terms with the peace agreement. January 6; 2000; Five of the six infantry battalions forming the combat component of the UN peacekeeping force are now in country at have taken up their positions in strategic locations. January 10; 2000; The head of the RUF went through the eastern part of the country trying to convince his troops to lay down their arms. Many rebels want more generous payments before they disarm. January 17; 2000; The UN estimates that some 10,000 children (boys and girls under 18) took part in the recent civil war. Some 5,400 carried weapons. Teenage warriors are not unknown in this part of the world, or elsewhere (boys of 16 can enlist in the British army). But until cheap assault guns became available in the last few decades, only boys in the late teens, strong enough to match adults in hand to hand combat, were used in warfare. But with AK-47s, anyone old enough to hold the weapon and pull the trigger were useful as soldiers. January 18; 2000; Rebels in the north attacked a village, looted it and killed three civilians. January 20; 2000; Rebels in the northeast released over a hundred underage soldiers, continuing a policy urged on them by peacekeeping forces. However, some of the kids were seized again by the rebels shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, rebels in the north continue to attack villages and kill civilians. The rebels are out of control and turning to banditry while trying to negotiate more favorable surrender bonuses with the government. The UN agreed to double the size of the peacekeeping force to 11,000 troops. They will take over from the 10,000 man ECOMOG force. So far, UNAMSIL has brought five battalions into the country. Half the 4,819 troops onn hand are Nigerian, Ghanaian and Guinean units simply switching from ECOMOG control. India has sent 1,442 troops and Kenya 843. There are some 45,000 former rebels and government troops to be demobilized and disarmed. February 16, 2000 Several members of the ousted junta were arrested for trying to organize a coup against the government. February 18, 2000 Nearly 17,000 former rebels have government militia have registered to demobilize. Not all have done so, but 4,079 military weapons have been surrendered (a third of them AK-47s), as well as nearly two thousand bows and single shot shotguns. February 20, 2000 The UN has accused former rebel leader Foday Sankoh of illegally leaving the country to sell diamonds to raise money for weapons. Sankoh's rebels have still not disarmed. February 25, 2000 UN troops are not yet deployed throughout the country, but recon teams are already checking out the conditions of the roads and the degree of lawlessness in the back country. March 1, 2000The UN has deployed 7,391 peacekeeping troops in the country. About 3,500 more peacekeepers are due in the next month or so. March 20, 2000 With over 7,500 troops in country, UNAMSIL peacekeepers have begun repairing roads and setting up bases from from the coast (as much as 450 kilometers in one case.). March 27, 2000 UN and government officials arrested a number of people near the Liberian government. The charge was "attempting to destabilize the government." No further details were given and the arrests were not reported until March 31st. March 31, 2000 The UN continues to get former fighters to surrender their weapons, obtaining 240 surrenders in one day. But it is slow going, with over 20,000 fighters still under arms. April 4, 2000 Fighting has resumed in the north between RUF and members of the former government forces. It began with a dispute over money. April 8, 2000 Only 20,000 of the 45,000 RUF rebels in Sierra Leone have disarmed, eight months after the peace deal called for rapid disarmament. Rebel leader Foday Sankoh, now Vice President, is reportedly stalling the disarmament in order to keep open the option of renewed civil war if promised reforms (also delayed) are not forthcoming.--Stephen V Cole April/May 2000 - UN forces come under attack in the east of the country, but far worse is in store when first 50, then several hundred UN troops are abducted. April 17, 2000 According to UN and US Congressional reports, peacekeepers in Sierra Leone have, on several occasions, been stopped by RUF rebels who stole their weapons. The peacekeepers have, reportedly, offered no resistance (although they did report that they had been "trapped" and that resistance would be fatal). Total stolen weapons include 500 rifles, 209 RPGs, four armored personnel carriers, and tons of supplies and ammunition.--Stephen V Cole April 18, 2000 Nearly 11,000 UNAMSIL peacekeepers are present and moving to put pressure on RUF rebels and AFRC junta troops to disarm. May 1, 2000 A Nigerian member of UNAMSIL (the Sierra Leone UN peacekeeping force) was wounded in a confrontation with members of the former junta militia (AFRC). Like the RUF rebels, the AFRC fighters have been reluctant to give up their weapons unless they receive more money. May 2, 2000 Twenty UN peacekeepers have been taken captive by RUF rebels at a disarmament camp 140 kilometers northeast of the capital. The UN has been trying to get the RUF rebels to disarm. It is now nine months since a peace treaty ended the civil war and brought the RUF rebel leaders into the government. Many of the RUF troops are unhappy with the financial terms of their disarmament and have refused to give up their weapons. It's about money, and the UN has not got as much to give out as the rebels want. May 3 , 2000; UN peacekeepers clashed with armed RUF rebels. Seven Indian and Kenyan UN troops were killed and 49 taken prisoner (including six UN civilians). The incident took place at a disarmament camp 140 kilometers northeast of the capital. Over 10,000 RUF rebels refuse to disarm without receiving more money. A smaller number of AFRC junta troops, who formerly fought the RUF, also refuse to disarm. May 4, 2000 Some one hundred UN troops surrounded the home of RUF leader Foday Sankoh. Via a cell phone, Sankoh told the media that UN troops had killed six of his men and that the UN soldiers had been killed as they tried to disarm RUF men by force. May 5, 2000 Britain has agreed to send a team of military advisors to Sierra Leone to determine what measures can be taken to enhance the effectiveness of UNAMSIL peacekeepers. Meanwhile, it turns out that only four, not seven, UN peacekeepers were killed by RUF rebels. But over 300 UN peacekeepers and staff have been captured and disarmed by RUF. Many were later released, some minus their uniforms. The rebels have also taken 13 M-113 APCs from Zambian members of UNAMSIL. Apparently, the fierce reputation of the RUF has demoralized the Zambian, Nigerian and Kenyan peacekeepers, causing them to surrender readily when confronted by the RUF. The rebels are determined to hold on to their diamond mining areas and are demanding higher cash compensation for handing over their weapons. Western nations have so far refused to consider sending in combat troops to stiffen UNAMSIL's resolve. Western embassies and UN organizations are preparing to evacuate their personnel. This might bring in US Marines, at least temporarily, to protect the evacuation. Local politicians are bringing diplomatic pressure on the RUF leadership to comply with the agreement that ended the civil war. The problems in Sierra Leone are causing UN members to reconsider involvement in a similar operation proposed for the Congolese civil war. May 6, 2000 As of today, the UN has 8,699 UNAMSIL troops in Sierra Leone, including contingents from; Nigeria 3,233, India 1,662, Kenya 868, Zambia 775, Guinea 774, Ghana 773, Jordan 354. More Jordanians are arriving, and British troops are on the way. Four, not seven UN troops from Kenya were killed by RUF recently. But 17 UN personnel have been killed here so far this year. May 7, 2000 The situation is confused. The UN says RUF is holding 500 UN peacekeepers, while the RUF says they are holding no one. The UN is trying to achieve a diplomatic resolution to its disputes with RUF. But basically, RUF is a gangster operation and they are more interested in protecting their illegal diamond mining operations and other criminal operations. The first of 1,000 British troops began arriving, including 500 paratroopers. Reports that RUF was advancing on the capital turned out to be false. May 8, 2000 Four people were shot dead while taking part in a crowd demonstrating outside the home of RUF leader Foday Sankoh. The gunfire appeared to come from the house. After the shooting, Foday Sankoh disappeared. The US has offered to supply transport aircraft to move two additional infantry battalions from Nigeria to Sierra Leone. There are now some 500 UN peacekeepers held captive by RUF rebels. The UN has evacuated 266 of the 321 UN civilians in Sierra Leone. The British are also sending a light aircraft carrier (the HMS Illustrious, with 12 heavy helicopters and nine Harrier jets). May 9, 2000 Jordan is sending a second infantry battalion to Sierra Leone. The first battalion, which arrived piecemeal, completed its movement last week and has been engaging in peacekeeping operations with no problems. The 500 British paratroopers who arrived yesterday have begun supervising the evacuation of foreign citizens. May 10, 2000 The UN has allowed members of the Sierra Leone Army (SLA), which had previously surrendered their weapons, to rearm themselves. The SLA promptly went back to fighting with the RUF outside the capital. The US said it was willing to provide logistical help to UNAMSIL, but no troops. Canada has sent twenty peacekeepers. Russia is sending four helicopters and 106 troops to operate them. This would mainly be using air transport and would be essential if the UN were to wage an aggressive military campaign against the RUF rebels. The US is also trying to get the west African nations that occupied the nation during the civil war (and helped end it), especially Nigeria, to send their troops back in. Britain now has 700 paratroopers in the country. The UN has vowed to stay in Sierra Leone until peace is achieved. Meanwhile, RUF rebels advanced on the capital, encountering resistance from UN and SLA troops some 25 kilometers outside the capital. There was about an hour of loud fighting, whereupon both sides retired to consider their options. The rebels are not likely to give up easily, as UN troops were moving into the diamond producing areas that RUF controls. The diamonds are said to produce some $200 million dollars a year for the RUF to play with. Something worth fighting for. May 11, 2000 Rearming the SLA (Sierra Leone Army ) is not without its problems, as six UN Kenyan peacekeepers have already been shot by SLA members, mistaking them for RUF rebels in UN uniforms. Meanwhile, Britain stated that it's paratroopers are not part of the peacekeeping force but are there to safeguard the airport and assist in the evacuation of foreigners. But, Britain warned, their paratroopers would hit back hard if attacked by rebels. May 12, 2000 Some 30,000 refugees have fled to the capital to escape the advancing RUF forces. But for the moment, RUF has been stopped some 30 kilometers from the capital. Several hundred more UN peacekeepers have arrived at the capital's airport, which is now guarded by British paratroopers. The British plan to go on the offensive against RUF forces. Zambia blames the UN, and the local UN commander (an Indian) for sending their troops forward without good maps or intelligence, thus leading to their capture. May 13, 2000 A six ship British naval task force has arrived off Sierra Leone. It includes a light aircraft carrier, a helicopter carrier and 600 Royal Marines. Apparently, Britain has taken control of UN, former SLA members and pro-government militia forces in Sierra Leone and is directing them in the fight against RUF rebels. Meanwhile, a search of RUF leader Foday Sankoh's house in the capital revealed documents indicated that RUF was planning to take over the government in a bloody coup. May 14, 2000 The US said it would fly a battalion of Bangladeshi troops to Sierra Leone to reinforce the UN peacekeeping force, and would provide transportation for the scheduled battalions from Jordan and India as soon as they are ready to move. The US has refused to send its own troops into the country, but said it would arrange transportation if the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided to send its veteran ECOMOG peacekeeping division into Sierra Leone. The US has sent the patrol gunboat Thunderbolt to the coast of Sierra Leone with a SEAL commando platoon on board in case any special operations are needed.-- Stephen V Cole May 15, 2000 The RUF released 137 of the peacekeepers it had captured. May 2000 - Rebels close in on Freetown; 800 British paratroopers sent to Freetown to evacuate British citizens and to help secure the airport for UN peacekeepers; rebel leader Foday Sankoh captured. May 16, 2000 The UN declined the US offer to fly Bangladesh peacekeepers to Sierra Leone. Using military transports, the US would have charged some $20 million, instead the UN used commercial transports, which only cost $6 million. The US is sending a military assessment team to Sierra Leone to determine what equipment would be needed if the US sent additional aid. May 17, 2000 RUF leader Foday Sankoh was captured in the capital when he returned to his looted house. His bodyguard was shot dead and Sankoh wounded when they resisted capture by some locals. Government and British troops seized Sankoh before a local mob could kill him. ECONOMOG, the peacekeeping force comprised of troops from west African nations, will return to Sierra Leone. RUF continued to fight peacekeepers and pro-government militias. In one clash 40 kilometers north of the capital, one peacekeeper and six militiamen were killed. There are now 9,000 peacekeepers in the country, and thousands of rearmed pro-government militiamen. May 18, 2000 The UN complains that some of the 137 peacekeepers released were abused. Some 300 peacekeepers are still being held by RUF. There were also reports that the rearmed pro-government troops are torturing and killing captured RUF fighters. The UN plans to increase the peacekeeping force to 16,500 troops. May 22, 2000 RUF released another 54 UN peacekeepers. The RUF is holding their UN prisoners across the border in Liberia. About ten percent of the released prisoners were wounded or injured and the UN estimates that 30-40 of the remaining captives are ill or wounded. In the next week or two, some 4,000 addition UN troops are expected to arrive. No decision has yet been made about prosecuting captured RUF leader Foday Sankoh. He has been stripped of his government post. May 23, 2000 The decomposing bodies of eight UN peacekeepers, apparently a patrol, have been found 80 kilometers northeast of the capital. The RUF hit UN patrols hard when the rebels began fighting again earlier in the month. The UN dead in this case appeared to have been executed with a shot in the head. May 24, 2000 Britain will supply government troops with light weapons and training, and replace their paratroopers with marines in the next three weeks. UN and pro-government troops are advancing on RUF strongholds north of the capital. May 26, 2000 The RUF continues to release it's UN prisoners, in batches of 25-50. May 27, 2000 The newly reconstituted government army is pushing RUF rebels away from the capital in all directions. RUF continued to release UN peacekeepers, and demanded that their leader, Foday Sankoh, be released. The government is still uncertain how to deal with their captive; Foday Sankoh. May 28, 2000 Government forces, after receiving additional weapons and equipment (radios, transport) have been pushing back RUF forces back in the east (80 kilometers from the capital) and northeast (70 kilometers from the capital.) The government, in effect, now have an army again. This was not supposed to occur until the UN peacekeepers had disarmed all the warring parities. But the UN is now standing aside while the civil war resumes. May 29, 2000 Since UNAMSIL arrived in late 1999, twelve have been killed and some 500 were captured and later released by RUF rebels. The town of Lunsar, 80 kilometers northeast of the capital, was taken from the RUF by government troops. May 30, 2000 Some 235 UN peacekeepers have been surrounded by RUF rebels in the east. They are not being attacked, but RUF is not letting them move, either. May 31, 2000 British troops handed out leaflets warning that they would be leaving later in June. June 1, 2000 Fighting flared up 80 kilometers northeast of the capital. Here the RUF and government troops are fighting over the town of Lunsar. The town has changed hands several times. The UN has 11,445 troops in the country, but the rearmed government troops and pro-government militias are doing most of the fighting. June 2, 2000 Because of British warnings of danger, aid groups are withdrawing from the country. June 4, 2000 Rebel marauding in Makeni, 140 kilometers northeast of the capital, has caused thousands of civilians to flee the rape and robbery activities of the rebels. June 5, 2000 A least 50,000 civilians in the east have fled the fighting, increasing an already critical refugee problem. June 7, 2000 Government troops captured Lunsar, driving the RUF rebels back into the bush. June 8, 2000 Britain will not remove all of its troops this month. Some 180 Royal Marines will be left behind to train government troops and warships will remain off the coast. Journalists have noted that this war was particularly hard on them, with at least fifteen journalists killed during the last ten years. June 9, 2000 UN peacekeepers have been pulling out of of some towns because of pressure from RUF rebels. The rebels have also refused to release 21 Indian peacekeepers, demanding that RUF be brought back into the government in return. Peacekeepers have withdrawn from the town of Kabala under RUF pressure. June 10, 2000 The first half of the 200 man British training team have arrived. The British say they will spend three years training a new, 8,500 man, army. The first batch of 1,000 recruits is undergoing training. June 13, 2000 About 200 RUF rebels attempted to cross a river 60 kilometers northeast of the capital. Nearby Jordanian peacekeepers fired on the rebels and stopped them three times before the rebels gave up. In the town of Lunsar, rebels continued to skirmish with pro-government troops. June 14, 2000 The fighting in Sierra Leone has created 600,000 refugees, two thirds of them of them have taken refuge in neighboring countries. June 15, 2000 British combat troops have now left the country, leaving behind only 200 soldiers to run a training camp for government recruits. June 18, 2000 RUF rebels raided to within 45 kilometers of the capital before withdrawing. President Charles Taylor continues to deny he is providing weapons, men and camps for the RUF rebels. June 19, 2000 UN peacekeepers now total 12,400. However, the town of Lunsar was recaptured by RUF after the pro-government militias holding town began fighting each other over possession of a stolen car. June 21, 2000 India has asked West African governments to assist in freeing 21 Indian peacekeepers being held by RUF rebels. June 23, 2000 Russia is sending an aviation unit (115 troops, four Mi-24 choppers) to support peacekeepers. June 26, 2000 The pro-government Kamajor (a secret society of traditional hunters) militia has been convinced to leave the capital, where the carrying of weapons has been banned except for UN and army troops. June 27, 2000 RUF rebels, who get their food by stealing from villages, have moved closer to the capital to find villages where the inhabitants havenot fled. Rebels have been reported staging hit and run food raids a hundred kilometers east of the capital. June 28, 2000 Another battle between pro-government factions was reported. In a town 50 kilometers from the capital, a group of government soldiers and members of the West Side Boys Militia (aligned with the junta that had overthrown the government) got into an argument over loot. June 29, 2000 The 21 Indian peacekeepers, held by the RUF since May in a camp near the Liberian border, have been released.. June 30, 2000 A convoy of Jordanian peacekeepers were ambushed, killing four and wounding another four. It is not known if the attackers were RUF, as there are a lot of heavily armed freelancers (bandits) wandering around in the back country. July 4, 2000 Government troops retook Masiaka (50 kilometers east of the capital) from RUF rebels. UN troops provided some support, especially in cleaning out rebel stragglers. July 7, 2000 The UN has gotten the diamond industry to refuse to buy diamonds from Sierra Leone rebels. This is more of a PR exercise than anything else, as there are many middlemen ready to stand in for rebels selling their gems. There will, however, be a positive effect in that this program will mean less money for the rebels, and this fewer guns and paid fighters. July 11, 2000 The West Side Boys militia was ordered by the government to surrender, or join the army but have not. The formerly pro-government group is now considered hostile, in the wake of a shootout with the army over loot. Apparently some of the West Side Boys want to give up, but are being intimidated by the more hard core militiamen. July 14, 2000 The Kamajors militia, another pro-government group, is being investigated for involvement in numerous acts of robbery. One of these involved the ambush of an army truck carrying a payroll. In other instances, Kamajors have been stealing UN vehicles, or simply robbing people. The Kamajors are members of a hunting society which formed a militia to support the government. However, the Kamajors tend to consider anything they fancy as fair game. July 15, 2000 For two months, 233 UN peacekeepers have been trapped by RUF rebels 300 kilometers east of the capital. Supplies have been allowed in, but negotiations to allow the peacekeepers to move freely have gone nowhere. In a surprise move, British, Indian and Sierra Leone helicopter gunships shot up the RUF troops, scattering them, while other UN peacekeepers moved in to open a corridor for the trapped peacekeepers to escape. British troops are considerably more capable than the various UN contingents in the area, and not just because of their combat aircraft. But the British do not want to get drawn into the war. All they have on ground at the moment is a company size instructor unit. More troops are offshore. There are now some 12,500 peacekeepers in the country. July 17, 2000 The UN stressed that the recent use of peacekeepers to attack RUF troops in order to free trapped UN troops, does not represent UN involvement in the countries civil war. The UN is there to keep the peace after the warring parties have settled their differences. This is not the case, as the RUF faction refuses to stop fighting. The Indian commander of the UN peacekeeper force is keen to bring peace, but this may only be possible if UN troops go to war. July 18, 2000 Britain has agreed to train a second thousand Sierra Leone soldiers. July 19, 2000 A UN patrol clashed with RUF rebels 70 kilometers northeast of the capital. One Nigerian peacekeeper was killed. July 20, 2000 A few RUF fighters have been surrendering, but there is no indication that any mass surrender is in the works. Large areas of the back country are controlled by armed bands of RUF fighters. July 21, 2000 Neighboring countries have asked the UN to switch from peacekeeping to peace enforcement in Sierra Leone. The UN is reluctant to do this as peace enforcement means more casualties and nations are more reluctant to provide troops for that. July 22, 2000 Using infantry and gunships, the UN has gone after the West Side Boys militiamen who have set up roadblocks (to extract bribes from passing traffic) on the road between the capital and the airport. July 23, 2000 UN troops cleared a road from the capital to the airport, that was blocked by the renegade West Side Boys militia. July 24, 2000 Several dozen RUF fighters have showed up at UN positions and surrendered. No explanation for this has yet emerged. July 27, 2000 Britain's efforts to prop up the government of Sierra Leone continue. There are currently 238 British military trainers in the country to provide six weeks of infantry training; they are protected by an entire company of British troops. After this mission is over, the British will maintain a smaller permanent training unit in the country for three years. The British have recently given the Sierra Leonean government five million rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 4,000 rounds of 81mm mortar ammunition.--Stephen V Cole August 1, 2000 The attempts to stop the illegal diamond trade that supports the RUF rebels brings up the issue that RUF is not a revolutionary organization at all. RUF did not seem interested in participating in the government, but responded quickly and violently when their control of the diamond fields was threatened. RUF, like many "revolutionary organizations" is basically a criminal gang, interested only in money, mayhem and getting away with it. August 2, 2000 The UN Security Council has voted to ban trade in diamonds mined by the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone, since those rebels broke the peace treaty and resumed the civil war. A panel has been appointed to consider ways to enforce the ban, perhaps by requiring certificates of origins for diamonds being shipped out of the country. It is unclear if neighboring Liberia, which supports the RUF rebels, will cooperate.--Stephen V Cole August 3, 2000 The UNAMSIL commander dismissed calls for patrols along the Liberian border to suppress the movement of weapons and diamonds. He pointed out that most of the 250 kilometer border runs through dense jungle. Even if all of UNAMSIL were dedicated to the border guarding attempt, knowledgeable locals could still sneak through. August 4, 2000 The commander of UNAMSIL has asked for more troops and the UN is considering providing four more battalions, increasing the UN peacekeeping force from it's current 13,000 troops to 16,500. August 11, 2000 At least 2,500 civilians have fled the fighting in the diamond mining area. Some of the refugees indicated that the rebels regularly raped women and used drugs. August 12, 2000 Russia agreed to send 115 troops and four helicopters to join the peacekeeping forces in Sierra Leone, but put the move on hold until the UN clearly defines the mission.--Stephen V Cole August 14, 2000 With the breakdown of the peace agreement with RUF, the UN has set up a war crimes tribunal that will go after RUF members who committed atrocities. August 2000 - Eleven British soldiers taken hostage by a renegade militia group called the West Side Boys. August 20, 2000 RUF has selected a new leader, Issa Sesay. The former leader of RUF, Foday Sankoh, was captured on May 17th and is to be tried for war crimes. The government will release 171 RUF rebels as a peace gesture to the new RUF leader. August 21, 2000 RUF forces attacked Port Loko, 60 kilometers northeast of the capital. The attack was defeated. August 22, 2000 Some 10,000 refugees from the fighting in the east are trying to get across the Melie river and into Guinea Bissau. August 24, 2000 RUF has agreed to return all the UN equipment that it has seized. In return, the UN will release 171 RUF fighters it had taken prisoner. August 25, 2000 The UN is asking for another 7,500 peacekeeping troops, bringing the total to 20,500 troops (18 battalions, plus support troops.). This does not solve another problem; the quality of the troops. Wealthier nations are increasingly reluctant to supply troops for these missions, because of the risk of casualties. Poor nations are willing to send soldiers, but there troops are often ill-trained and not equipped for peacekeeping. August 26, 2000 Eleven British soldiers, engaged in training Sierra Leone troops, were taken captive, along with a Sierra Leone officer. This took place 70 kilometers east of the capital. The captors are not known. The British soldiers managed to get a radio message off. August 27, 2000 Apparently the twelve hostages held by the West Side Boys militia are being well taken care of. Britain is sending a negotiation team to secure their release. The West Side Boys threatened to kill their captives if any helicopters (carrying, for example, British commandoes) approach their mountain base. The West Side Boys were formed from members of the military junta's army that ruled Sierra Leone from 1997 to 1998. August 29, 2000 Rebels attacked a village 300 kilometers east of the capital, killing none and kidnapping fifteen others. Most of those abducted were Kamajor militiamen who had accepted the amnesty and surrendered their weapons. One of the dead was a Kamajor. August 30, 2000 Five of the soldiers held by the West Side Boys were released. No reason was given. Ten of the eleven British soldiers are Irish (eight from northern Irelan), the other is English. The troops are from the Irish Regiment. September 1, 2000 The European Union has agreed to ban the import of diamonds mined by rebels in Sierra Leone.--Stephen V Cole September 2, 2000 Negotiations continue to obtain the release of the six remaining British soldiers held by the West Side Boys. British commandoes(SAS) have reportedly arrived in SierraLeone. The government does not want to negotiate with the West Side Boys and would prefer that the group be destroyed. The West Side Boys are demanding that a new government be formed, with them being given an important role. September 3, 2000 The West Side boys have increased their depredations against civilians in the Occara Hills region west of the capital. Rapes, robberies and kidnappings have gone up since the West Side Boys captured eleven British soldiers. September 4, 2000 Since the West Side Boys captured eleven British soldiers, they have stopped participating in the disarmament program and have again set up armed checkpoints on the roads east of the capital. A month before the Brits were captured, 212 West Side Boys disarmed, since the capture, only two have disarmed. September 6, 2000 The first few British paratroopers have arrived. This is the advance party of a company of 130 troops being flown to Senegal. The West Side Boys were given a satellite phone in return for getting six of the prisoners released and negotiations underway. September 7, 2000 A few dozen British paratroopers have arrived from Senegal to assist in the negotiations for the release of six British paratroopers held by the West Side Boys. Meanwhile, British instructors have completed the training of a second groups of one thousand (two battalions) government soldiers. The six week course includes training for 24 officers in each group of one thousand. Meanwhile, RUF rebels took captive three Italian missionaries. The three were working with Sierra Leone refugees in camps just across the border in Guinea Bissau. September 8, 2000 Pro-government militia have driven the West Side Boys from a stretch of highway 60 kilometers east of the capital. September 9, 2000 Britain has sent 130 paratroopers to Senegal, next to Sierra Leone. September 10, 2000 In an early mourning raid, 130 British paratroopers and a few SAS commandoes attacked the West Side Boys camp where six British soldiers and a Sierra Leone officer were held captive. One British soldiers was killed and twelve wounded, while 25 of the West Side Boys were killed and 19 captured. The captives were freed unharmed. The attack was launched from a British helicopter carrier offshore. Helicopter gunships accompanied the raid and provided additional fire power. The attack was from three directions, with the SAS troops apparently already in place close to the camp, ready to swoop in and release the captives once the paratroopers distracted the fifty or so West Side Boys in the area. September 13, 2000 Meanwhile, UN troops occupied areas formerly controlled by the West Side Boys. This rebel group was smashed by a British army raid on September 10th. September, 2000 - British forces mount operation to rescue remaining UK hostages. September 19, 2000 The UN has delayed voting on increasing the size of UNAMSIL because few nations have expressed willingness to contribute troops. September 20, 2000 India announced that it is pulling it's 3,000 troops out of the Sierra Leone peacekeeping force (UNAMSIL). Indian general Vijay Jetley commands UNAMSIL. Recently, general Jetley accused commanders of the 3,200 man Nigerian contingent of collusion with the rebels (in the diamond trade) and corruption in general. The Nigerians complained and demanded that general Jetley be withdrawn. The UN agreed, and the Indians decided to withdraw their troops. September 22, 2000 The UN says the leadership of UNAMSIL must be reorganized. Personal differences and political conflicts have made it difficult to coordinate the various national contingents and made it easier for the rebels to continue operating. September 25, 2000 British Pathfinders (parachute scouts) sent to Sierra Leone had a serious problem in a 17 May battle when attacking RUF rebel troops reached within 40 yards of their trenches. The troops (who had, on orders, not fired until the rebels were properly identified) found their SA80 rifles were unable to function due to faulty safety switches. The British troops were defended by Nigerian peacekeepers and by their own machineguns, which were a different design from the notoriously unreliable and unpopular SA80. The Pathfinders were able to use the built- in telescopic sights of their rifles (during periods when the battlefield was illuminated by flares) to spot targets for their machinegun teams.-- Stephen V Cole October 3, 2000 UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently hosted a meeting with the Army Chiefs of Staff of the nine nations which have sent "peacekeeping" troops to Sierra Leone. These included Bangladesh, Ghana, Guinea, India, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, and Zambia. This was a unique meeting and marks a radical change in the direction of UN peacekeeping. In the past, UN peacekeeping operations consisted of lightly armed troops who comprised a symbolic presence between two warring sides that were actually interested in a supervised ceasefire. After the debacles in Rwanda and Zaire, the UN has come to realize that there will be times that peace must be imposed by force in order to prevent wholesale genocide. Sierra Leone is a case in point. The RUF rebels have no interest in a supervised ceasefire and have every interest in shoving the UN peacekeepers aside in their continued attempts to overthrow the government. The UN has been humiliated in numerous clashes with the RUF, which once abducted 500 UN troops and stole their equipment. The UN has come to the conclusion that the only way out of the mess in Sierra Leone is to increase the peacekeeping forces (which now stand at 12,400 troops) and provide them with heavy weapons and a broad mandate to disarm the RUF rebels by force and compel them to accept the ceasefire and peace plan. The UN mission to Sierra Leone has been characterized by serious problems. Many of the contingents arrived with ineffective or inoperable weapons. There are few up-to-date maps of the country and almost none of these have reached the frontline battalion commanders. As the mission evolved, not all of the national contingent commanders were working under the same rules or objectives. Some were trying to fight the rebels, some were trying to conduct a more traditional peacekeeping mission and unable to comprehend why the rebels were still fighting, and others were apparently just trying to keep out of the way. Many of the contingents arrived without vehicles, radios, mortars, or even tents, expecting to find that the UN had provided even the most basic of equipment. Some troops arrived with only 100 rounds of ammunition for each rifleman, expecting the traditional symbolic duty with no real need to fight. The UN has found itself in what amounts to nothing less than a war in Sierra Leone (and very nearly a war in Timor) and is scrambling to adapt to a new role which many of its officials and commanders find distinctly uncomfortable.--Stephen V Cole October 5, 2000 The UN is debating whether or not to try "child soldiers" (aged 15-18) for war crimes in Sierra Leone. These young soldiers often committed the worst atrocities. But many in the UN feel these child soldiers should instead be treated as youthful offenders. October 7, 2000 Britain is sending several hundred more troops to Sierra Leone. There are already 250 British troops their training Sierra Leonians for the army. October 24, 2000 Jordan announced it is withdrawing its 1,800 peacekeepers. The Jordanian troops are among the best troops in the UN force and their loss will be felt. Jordan did not say why it was pulling out, but it had long complained that NATO nations should contribute more troops to operations like this. The UN has been having a hard time getting nations to contribute troops to UNAMSIL, and wants to increase the force from 13,000 to 20,500 troops. October 30, 2000 The UN has decided to expand the "peacekeeping" force in Sierra Leone from 12,440 to 20,500 (including three new infantry battalions). Most of the extra troops would be headquarters, support, and aviation units. The force is tasked to "when necessary, decisively counter" the activities of the RUF rebels. This will include "responding robustly to any hostile actions or threat of imminent and direct use of force". Each infantry battalion is to be deployed in a district, conducting patrols and convoy escort missions. The British are training the new Sierra Leonean Army, which will have three infantry brigades with a total of 8,500 troops, and have now decided to keep their trainers in the country well into 2001.--Stephen V Cole October 31, 2000 Britain has agreed to provide a Brigadier General as chief of staff for UNAMSIL, as well as other staff officers. Morale has been low in UNAMSIL because of strife among the senior leadership and poor staff work. November 2, 2000 The US has sent 35 military personnel and 40 contractors to Senegal to train 400 government troops in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance operations.--Stephen V Cole November 3, 2000 The government and rebels have agreed to meet in Nigeria to work out a peace. November 10, 2000 Peace talks in Nigeria began today and quickly worked out agreements for a ceasefire and return of weapons rebels had seized from the government. November 12, 2000 RUF rebels and the government have agreed to a ceasefire, USAMSIL occupation of the diamond fields and disarmament of the rebels. No one is particularly optimistic that this agreement will be any more effective than previous ones. November 18, 2000 The new UNAMSIL commander, general Daniel Ishmael Opande from Kenya, has taken charge of the 12,500 peacekeepers. November 22, 2000 Sierra Leone's former military dictator, Valentine Strasser, has been arrested in nearby Gambia. Strasse had entered Gambia on November 2nd and promptly ordered back to London, where he came from. Strasser was sent to exile in Britain as part of the 1996 deal that removed him from power. His current arrest in Gambia charges that he was carrying documents indicating he was planning another coup. Meanwhile, back in Siera Leone, the RUF is split over the recent ceasefire. Apparently most of the RUF fighters are against it, as is the chief battlefield commander, general Kallon. November 25, 2000 Zambia has landmines in six of its nine provinces, and has asked the US to establish a "sustainable" mine-clearing program in that country. Zambia has agreed to replace the 700 peacekeeping troops sent to Sierra Leone when they return home rather than pulling out of the mission.--Stephen V Cole December 5, 2000 India and Jordan have announced that they will withdraw their troops from the UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone. India has 3,000 troops there, while Jordan has 1,830. Both complained that NATO nations would not send their own troops to the country, and neither were impressed with Britain's offer to station a shipload of Marines off shore.--Stephen V Cole December 11, 2000 The RUF says the UN should send unarmed observers into RUF territory first, followed by armed troops. December 18, 2000 The UN has proposed that the UN peacekeeping force stay three additional months and the force be increased to 20,500. But UN member nations are not rushing to offer troops for peacekeeping duty in Sierra Leone. December 22, 2000 The UN agreed to extend peacekeeping operations three months, until March 31, 2001. December 27, 2000 RUF rebels have been marauding into the numerous refugee camps right across the border in Guinea-Bissau. Thousands of refugees have fled the oncoming rebels. January 1, 2001 British troops will remain in the country until the RUF rebels have been disarmed and disbanded. There are 400 British soldiers in Sierra Leone to train members of the new government army. Some 6,000 soldiers have been trained, with another 4,500 waiting to go through the program. January 4, 2001 UNAMSIL and the RUF rebels have formed a committee to overlook the deployment of peacekeepers into rebel areas. January 5, 2001 The UN reports widespread violations of the ban on buying diamonds from rebel held areas. There is no fool proof way to identify diamonds from rebel held areas, thus the diamond trade continues to fund the rebels. January 5, 2001 The UN reports widespread violations of the ban on buying diamonds from rebel held areas. There is no fool proof way to identify diamonds from rebel held areas, thus the diamond trade continues to fund the rebels. January 2001 - Government postpones presidential and parliamentary elections - set for February and March - because of continuing insecurity. Rebel leader RUF leader Foday Sankoh was idolised as a lion by supporters RUF was notorious for mass rape and mutilations during civil war Foday Sankoh died before he could be tried by UN-backed war crimes court January 29, 2001 Despite Liberian claims that they have expelled him, former RUF deputy commander Sam Bockaire is apparently still in Liberia. The government is trying the legal approach to get Bockaire extradited and tried for war crimes. Liberia is trying to distance itself from the chaos that is still raging just across its border in Sierra Leone. February 10, 2001 Ukraine sent 528 troops, along with 60 armored personnel carriers and 192 trucks, to Sierra Leone to join the UN peacekeeping forces. The unit will provide protected convoys to move relief supplies.--Stephen V Cole February 13, 2001 The government has managed to get 30,000 refugees out of Guinea by making arrangements with the Guinean government to create an escape route. There are still 140,000 Sierra Leone refugees trapped in Guinea by the fighting between the army and various rebel groups. RUF rebels returned nine vehicles and 56 weapons they had stolen from UN peacekeepers last year. The vehicles were in poor shape and stripped of many parts. February 14, 2001 Unable to police its own waters, Sierra Leone has hired Southern Cross Security Company for this mission. The company uses semi-rigid "raider" boats and infantry weapons (rifles, light machineguns, rocket launchers) to patrol for smugglers, poachers (Chinese and Ghanaian fishing trawlers work in Sierra Leone's waters whenever they can avoid getting caught), and an increasing number of outright pirates. The country (after years of civil war) is impoverished and awash in guns, a deadly combination that gives rise for any number of criminal enterprises. Out of work coastal villagers with access to a boat and a rifle sometimes go into business robbing passing freighters. The company hires some mercenaries but mostly uses West Africans.--Stephen V Cole February 15, 2001 The last battalion of Indian troops has left. Indians served in Sierra Leone since December, 1999. The situation in Sierra Leone is considered chaotic and nasty, wit many nations withdrawing their peacekeepers and only Nigeria sending new ones in the past year. There are only 10,500 peacekeepers in the country, half what the UN has authorized. As a result, RUF rebels still control much of the northern and eastern portions of the country. February 19, 2001 Troops from Guinea have again attacked Sierra Leone refugee camps and villages near the Guinea border. Artillery and infantry were used and a hospital was among the facilities destroyed. RUF rebels are trying to prevent Sierra Leone refugees from returning, but are increasingly running up against army troops in the area. The government is trying to get the UN to send troops to help pacify the area. February 23, 2001 In the past few weeks, some 34,000 Sierra Leone refugees have returned from camps in Guinea, mainly to escape the fighting there. The army has increaded it's activity in the area, to protect the refugees from armed marauders (rebels and bandits, although it is often difficult to tell the difference.) Over a thousand people, mainly civilians, have died in the Guinea border are in the past five months. March 4, 2001 Gambia and Burkina Faso have denounced a UN report claiming that RUF rebels in Sierra Leone sold diamonds through Gambia and received weapons shipments through Burkina Faso. Liberia was also cited in the UN report as the major sponsor of the RUF rebels, a role it denied.--Stephen V Cole March 13, 2001 Although the RUF rebels still control the diamond fields and continue to maraud at will, 4,846 have surrendered to the government. But only a few hundred have surrendered this year. Over 300,000 Sierra Leonians are still refugees in adjacent nations. March 2001 - UN troops for the first time begin to deploy peacefully in rebel-held territory. March 23, 2001 The civil war is not ten years old. At least 200,000 have died and over half a million are still refugees within Liberia and in neighboring nations. April 2, 2001 RUF rebels have been accused of ignoring the ceasefire and killing at least eight civilians. At Lunsar, 80 kilometers north of the capital, 800 Nigerian peacekeepers occupy the town, but RUF rebels continue to control roads into the area. April 3, 2001 Despite assurances that refugees returning from Guinea would have safe passage, RUF rebels have been attacking, raping and robbing the the civilians. Britain said that appeals for other nations to contribute peacekeeping troops for Sierra Leone have been ignored. UNAMSIL has only 9,500 of the currently authorized 12,100 troops on hand and the UN has authorized a total of 17,500 so that peacekeepers can move into more rebel held areas. Britain has 600 troops in Sierra Leone training government recruits. April 4, 2001 Fifteen British paratroopers are suing the Ministry of Defence because they contracted malaria (which will recur various times for many years) while in Sierra Leone. A total of 112 British soldiers caught the disease when the British ran short of mefloquine (the drug used to prevent malaria).--Stephen V Cole April 5, 2001 UN commanders in Sierra Leone report that they need the rest of the troops promised by various nations and several additional combat battalions to bring peace to that country. --Stephen V Cole April 6, 2001 Pakistan has agreed to send 4,000 troops to Sierra Leone. Nepal will also send 800 soldiers. This will bring peacekeeper strength up to the UN authorized level of 17.500. No word yet on when all the troops would get to Sierra Leone. April 9, 2001 RUF is still able to sell it's diamonds by taking them into government controlled areas and claiming they were found there. A sharp increase in diamonds from government controlled areas indicates that half or more of the diamonds sold there are from RUF territory. It appears that some $50-$100 million dollars of RUF diamonds will be sold this year. The cut RUF takes from these sales keeps the rebel group going. April 18, 2001 UN Peacekeepers have moved into two more RUF held areas. April 27, 2001 RUF rebels have refused to join peace talks until attacks on them by pro-government Kamajor militiamen and soldiers from Guinea ceased. May 2, 2001 The RUF rebels have sent a delegation to peace talks anyway, despite the continued attacks of Kamajor militiamen and Guinean troops. May 8, 2001 In central Sierra Leone, a month long occupation by UN peacekeepers has brought peace to a former RUF stronghold. The Nigerian peacekeepers have constantly patrolled the area and the RUF rebels appear sincere in keeping the peace. But RUF still controls adjacent diamond fields. May 2001 - Disarmament of rebels begins, and British-trained Sierra Leone army starts deploying in rebel-held areas. May 16, 2001 Three days of peace talks in the capital with the RUF have succeeded, with the RUF agreeing to disarm. Rebels will then spend four weeks in demobilization camps and then allowed to "rejoin civil society." RUF has been increasingly been attacked by the Sierra Leone army, pro- government Kamajor militiamen, Guinean, UN and British troops. Most of the UN peacekeeping force of 12,000 troops has arrived and this has been a major factor in getting the RUF to disarm. May 17, 2001 RUF rebels released 142 children (age 6-18) serving in their ranks. They have promised to release some 400 kids. May 18, 2001 Shortly after UN officials left the northern town of Rokupr, where a ceremony was held to kick off the disarmament program, helicopter gunships from Guinea fired rockets into the town. May 20, 2001 RUF rebels and pro-government Kamajor militiamen have been responding positively to the disarmament program, with some 400 coming to disarmament centers in northern Sierra Leone over the weekend. The disarmament program, begin on 18th, is to last ten days. May 23, 2001 So far, 940 RUF fighters and 1,310 government paramilitary militiamen have turned themselves, and their weapons, in for demobilization. May 25, 2001 The RUF has set free 591 children they had been using as soldiers and laborers. Thousands of additional men (perhaps 20,000 or more) remain armed and at large. June 7, 2001 British engineers have so far disarmed 13 bombs left over from the years of war. June 9, 2001 The first 265 of 4,000 Pakistani Peacekeepers have arrived. UNAMSIL expects to have 17,500 troops in Sierra Leone by the end of the year. June 14, 2001 RUF rebels have released 800 child soldiers (under age 18) so far and are set to release another 147. June 23, 2001 RUF continues to release under 18 soldiers, today letting 131 go. June 29, 2001 RUF continues to release hostages, today letting 38 Guineans, including several women. July 14, 2001 Although RUF continues to disarm and release captives, armed RUF fighters still control 60 percent of the country. July 16, 2001 RUF continued to release children it had taken over the years. Most recently, this has included hundreds of young girls, many now with young children. July 17, 2001 Peace talks with the rebels resulted in agreement to eliminate all rebel checkpoints by July 18th and complete disarmament by July 31st. The rebels also agreed to stop mining diamonds, but didn't say when. July 18, 2001 Now that the fighting had died down, it's been noticed that there has been a huge increase of rape against girls under ten years old. No one is sure why, although it may be because hundreds of young girls (used for sex) were released by the RUF. There's also more awareness of AIDS, and the belief that one way to avoid it is to have sex with very young girls. July 22, 2001 A jailed RUF leader died of malaria and many RUF rebels did not take it well. Six other jailed RUF members have died in captivity this year. They died of disease, as the years of living in the bush has not been healthy. But the captive RUF members, some due to be tried for war crimes, are a sensitive issue with nearly all RUF members. July 24, 2001 Some RUF rebels are still resisting, and getting into gun fights with pro-government militias. As usual, many of the casualties are civilians caught in the cross fire, or civilians shot by RUF fighters in order to terrorize. July 30, 2001 Renegade RUF rebels are still rampaging in the north, murdering civilians and stealing whatever they can. RUF said they were trying to hunt down the renegades and kill them. August 1, 2001 A one day record of one thousand rebels laid down their weapons in the diamond region (250 kilometers east of the capital.) This is where most of the RUF rebels live, because it is where the money (diamonds) is. A total of 8,000 rebels and government militiamen have disarmed so far, and the number has recently gone up day by day. But RUF diehards are now becoming more hostile to disarmament, and allowing government troops and police into the diamond region. August 8, 2001 The UN supervised disarmament has convinced 14,000 armed men to turn in their weapons. There are still some 5,000 armed rebels in the diamond region (250 kilometers east of the capital.) Disarmament has been delayed in the diamond area, partly because this is where the most hardcore rebels are. Some are still making big bucks with the illegal diamond trade. August 10, 2001 So far, the UN says that 13,000 rebels and pro- government militia have surrendered. This contradicts earlier UN claims that 14,000 had been disarmed. The RUF says it has about 10,000 armed men while the government claims 15-20,000 armed militia. No one is sure of these numbers, or any others for that matter. August 17, 2001 The UN has announced that the disarmament of RUF rebels in the Kono district (where most of the diamonds are) was on schedule for completion on August 17th. The complete disarmament is supposed to be done by August 30th. There are an estimated 30,000 armed men out in the bush, but only about 15,000 have presented themselves and their weapons so far. August 20, 2001 Disarmament is slowing down. So far, 16,027 have turned in weapons (6,414 rebels, 9,142 Kamajors, 201 ex soldiers, 254 former junta members and 16 others.) August 30, 2001 Diehard members of the RUF are refusing to surrender their weapons and demanding that a government be formed (with RUF members) before elections can be held. This demand has been ignored, but only a third of the estimated 45,000 gunmen have so far turned in their weapons. The deal with the UN demands that disarmament be completed before elections are held. August 31, 2001 The UN peacekeeping force has reached 16,800 troops, just short of its authorized strength of 17,500. September 1, 2001 Britain is withdrawing a third (200 men) of its troops from Sierra Leone. They should be gone in a week. This signals the end of the British training mission for the new Sierra Leone army. September 4, 2001 Britain insisted that it is not withdrawing from Sierra Leone and will keep at least 360 troops there to train the Sierra Leone armed forces. September 18, 2001 The UN has authorized the 16,600 peacekeepers to stay in Sierra Leone for another six months. The UN also demanded that the rebels cease their attacks on civilians and surrender all their weapons. September 20, 2001 The US is giving Senegal about $5 million worth of military equipment for use by peacekeeping troops in Sierra Leone. -- Stephen V Cole September 26, 2001 Nepal has agreed to send 600 peacekeepers in October. October 7, 2001 Despite the ban on illegal (unregulated) diamond mining, it goes on. There is too much money involved for it to stop, and criminal and rebel groups will keep it going by force. October 13, 2001 The UN plans to increase the number of peacekeepers in Sierra Leone from 16,000 to about 17,600. The increase is to include engineers and logistical troops to allow the peacekeepers to work farther from the current road net (farther into the countryside). Other added troops will provide extra helicopters. These moves are to support the elections, which are to be held in May 2002. The UN troops do not currently operate in the deep countryside due to logistical and transportation problems.--Stephen V Cole October 15, 2001 The army has resumed operations along the Liberian border, sending out patrols. October 21, 2001 So far, 21,464 men have handed in their weapons and 12,600 of them have found work or are employed on public works projects. There are thought to be at least another 20,000 men out in the bush with weapons. October 25, 2001 Pakistani peacekeepers have taken control of part of the diamond district 300 kilometers east of the capital. It was in this area that the current civil war began ten years ago. The area has long be a stronghold of RUF. October 30, 2001 In the last five months, 25,864 armed fighters have been disarmed via the UN peacekeeping mission. This included 3,340 gunmen under the age of 17. Most of those disarming (16,010) were pro- government militia. But 9,361 RUF rebels also laid down their weapons. the remainder being from various other factions. November 2, 2001 The advanced party for the 800-man Nepalese infantry battalion has arrived in Sierra Leone to join the UN forces there. When this battalion fully deploys at the end of November, the UNAMSIL force will reach its mandated strength of 17,500.--Stephen V Cole November 3, 2001 The RUF rebels denied they ever had any dealings with the bin Laden organization. Bin Laden gem traders were known to be operating throughout Africa, particularly where there was trade in illegal material. It's likely RUF did deal with bin Laden operatives, but didn't know it (or care, for that matter.) The illegal diamond trade RUF was in the middle of was all about money, not religion or overseas terrorism. November 11, 2001 So far, 30,295 fighters have surrendered their weapons to UN peacekeepers. The UN only expected to get 30,000. December 13, 2001 About the only territory controlled by RUF is the town of Boidu, and the surrounding territory between the borders of Liberia and and Guinea. The RUF rebels, and rebels from Liberia and Guinea, have long used the area as a base for raiding in all three countries. Troops from Guinea and Liberia sometimes cross the border into Sierra Leone to fight the various rebels. UN peacekeepers are not eager to enter this area. December 14, 2001More UN peacekeepers move into the eastern diamond mining areas, and slowly, RUF rebels are showing up to surrender their weapons and register for aid. But many of the RUF are showing up without weapons. December 20, 2001 Some 2,000 RUF rebels handed in their weapons to UN peacekeepers in the diamond mining region. Many of the weapons were new. So far this year, nearly 40,000 fighters from all factions have handed in their weapons so far. December 23, 2001 As UN peacekeepers move into the diamond mining region, violence is breaking out over exactly who will control specific diamond mining territory. At least five were killed and 40 wounded as RUF rebels and pro-government Kamajor fighters fought over who should dig for diamonds where. December 30, 2001 The war in Afghanistan is having an effect on peacekeeping in Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone and it's neighbors. While Afghanistan is getting 52,000 tons of food a month at the moment, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea (with the same population as Afghanistan) are only getting about 9,000 tons. Afghanistan has a shorter growing season than the African nations, and a drought as well, but the African nations are definitely getting put on the back burner. Fewer relief resources (people, money, equipment) are planned for Africa, as more of these limited resources head for Afghanistan. This is possible partly because the fighting in Sierra Leone has gone on for so long that few in the region are eager to make enough fuss to become a worldwide headline again. But local aid workers fear that a shortage of goodies to pass out might encourage the men with guns to go back into business. January 10, 2002 The disarmament program has gone better than expected, with 43,000 armed men giving up their weapons. The problem is, the UN planned on disarming only 25,000. There is not enough money to provide the payments and training the disarmed men were promised. The UN is trying to raise the additional $12 million needed. Most of the men disarmed (25,832) belonged to pro-government militias. The chief rebel group, RUF, had 17,407 disarm. Getting the weapons out of circulation brings the crime rate down and helps prevent another rebellion. But there are still plenty of weapons around, and the unemployed young men are still out there who know how to use them. The ten years of civil war and anarchy killed at least 200,000 people. January 11, 2002 Police have begun patrols in areas adjacent to the eastern diamond region. Next month the police will move into the diamond fields region. January 12, 2002 The UN announced that the program to disarm fighters was over. Over 45,000 men (and some women) were disarmed. The last 11 fighters to hand in their weapons were from the RUF rebels. January 2002 - War declared over. UN mission says disarmament of 45,000 fighters is complete. Government, UN agree to set up war crimes court. January 18, 2002 A bonfire containing 3,000 surrendered weapons was set off before a crowd of 20,000 people to mark the end of the war that has been going on since 1991. However, there are still various dissident and bandit groups operating in the area of the Liberian and Guinean border. January 21, 2002 The ten years of war killed 200,000, and injured at least as many more. At the end, weapons were collected from 47,000 rebel and government gunmen. Some three million people became refugees while fleeing the fighting. February 27, 2002 The presidents of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea meet in Morocco to work out ways to end the fighting in the three borders area. This will require that each nation expel all rebel factions from neighboring nations. This will be difficult, as many of the rebel groups are basically bandit organizations. Some of these criminal organizations have local police and politicians on their payroll. March 10, 2002 Although the war is over, the violence and misery are not. The latest twist in all this is the revelation that local employees of aid agencies have been demanding sex from young female refugees in return for food and other aid. This was said to be happening in refugee camps in neighboring Guinea and Liberia as well. March 28, 2002 The UN has extended the peacekeeping mission six months, to September 30th. There are 16,600 peacekeepers in the country, disarming the rebels and pro-government militias. This will enable the UN to proceed with war crimes trials. At the same time, there is also a scandal with accusations that African employees of air agencies have been getting sex from female refugees in return for food and other aid. April 9, 2002 The RUF rebels have turned themselves into a political party (RUFP) and are entering the presidential election race. April 11, 2002 The Lithuanian government is investigating a local company for illegally supplying Sierra Leone with spare parts for Russian made Mi- 24 helicopter gunships. Since the end of the war in Sierra Leone, many details of illegal arms trading have come to light and are being investigated and prosecuted. May 11, 2002 UN peacekeepers broke up rock throwing demonstrators from RUFP and other parties, who were fighting each other. May 12, 2002 Some 10,000 former soldiers and rebels are being retrained by 420 British instructors to form a new army. May 2002 - Kabbah wins a landslide victory in elections. His Sierra Leone People's Party secures a majority in parliament. May 26, 2002 Rebel group RUF's attempt to operate as a political party failed, receiving 1.7 percent of the vote. It is feared that the former RUF fighters will return to violence, first as criminals and bandits, and later perhaps as larger, organized groups. This has been a pattern in other countries in the region. May 29, 2002 The commander of UN peacekeepers in Sierra Leone has complained to the Liberian defense minister about Liberian soldiers wandering into Sierra Leone to loot and pillage. Thousands of Liberian civilians have fled to Sierra Leone since the Liberian civil war escalated. June 4, 2002 Some 20,000 Liberians have fled to Sierra Leone, including hundreds of armed Liberians (both soldiers and rebels) who are operating as bandits in Sierra Leone. UN peacekeepers have been arresting these armed refugees and holding them. June 8, 2002 The possibility of war between India and Pakistan is having an impact on peacekeeping here. A quarter of the 17,300 UN peacekeeping force is Pakistani and it is feared that the Pakistani troops will be recalled as war tensions escalate back home. Pakistan says it is still considering a withdrawal of the peacekeepers. In Sierra Leone, the Pakistani troops police the diamond mining areas. It is feared that if the Pakistanis leave, there won't be enough peacekeepers left to prevent the return of the rebels. Many guns have not been turned in and many former rebels are destitute and liable to taking up arms again if given the opportunity. June 24, 2002 The UN warned that the current peacekeeping force only has funding until the end of September, and member nations are now coming forward with the money needed to expand the national police force from 6,000 to 9,000. The army is also short of funds for things like barracks and training areas. If the national police and army are not ready (trained and led by reliable officers) when the peacekeepers leave, the country could easily fall back into anarchy. June 29, 2002 The current rotation of the flight personnel and technicians from the Russian helicopter gunship unit in Sierra Leone is nearly completed, with an IL-76 Candid military transport plane taking off from the Tver Migalovo airfield at 01:30 Moscow time 28 June. The plane's second flight to Sierra Leon carried a new shift of flight crew and technicians led by first class pilot Alexander Lande, as well as spare MI-24 Hind parts (including new engines). Over 80 percent of the new Russian personnel joining the United Nations Mission In Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) have combat experience in Afghanistan, Chechnya and other trouble spots. LURD rebels stepped up their activity in April and May, heightening fears that conflict in Liberia could destabilize the whole region in West Africa. Sierra Leone held peaceful elections in May, marking the end of another civil war which lasted for a decade. Reports from the border area said that UNAMSIL MI-24 gunships were undertaking daily reconnaissance flights at the beginning of June to monitor the situation. - Adam Geibel July 11, 2002 The US State Department has dropped its travel advisories for Sierra Leone, noting that the country is now safer for Americans. July 2002 - British troops leave Sierra Leone after their two-year mission to help end the civil war. July 28, 2002 Britain has withdrawn 200 of it's 300 troops. The UK soldiers were being used to train the new army. Some 1,000 Royal Marine Commandos landed in the country in May, 2000 and quickly defeated the more aggressive rebel groups. Since then, British troops have been used mainly to train some 9,000 locals to professional military standards. The 17,000 man UN peacekeeping force has kept things quiet for over a year now. However, the economy is still in ruins and unemployment is high. While many weapons have been turned in, many remain among the population. It is feared that once the UN peacekeepers leave, wide spread banditry will return. July 30, 2002 Unidentified armed men kidnapped 46 villagers near the Liberian border. August 11, 2002 Peacekeepers are increasing patrols along the Liberian border, as more incidents of Liberian army and LURD rebels crossing the border occur. It is also feared that the Liberian government might try to recruit some of it's former RUF allies in Sierra Leone to help in the fight against LURD. There are not enough peacekeepers to cover the entire border at all times. August 24, 2002 Peacekeepers have determined that the kidnappings along the Liberian border were done by units of the Liberian units. These soldiers were looting, and "borrowed" local civilians to help them carry their loot back into Liberia. Eventually, the civilians found their way back to their villages. Peacekeepers will try and be ready to catch Liberian troops that try these raids again. Meanwhile, it appears that some former RUF rebels are now fighting in Liberia, as allies of the Liberian army. October 31, 2002 The UN is reducing the peacekeeping force about 25 percent (4,500 troops out of 17,266.) Some 600 peacekeepers have left this month and the rest of the 4,500 will depart by next May. Disarmed rebels have not returned to banditry and war crimes trials are proceeding. However, corruption is rampant and economic growth sluggish. So the cycle of corruption, poverty and rebellion is likely to start again eventually. January 13, 2003 Former military ruler Johnny Paul Koroma and some followers attacked a military supply depot in the capital, but were repulsed. Koroma leads a small party in parliament. January 23, 2003 Police rounded up about three dozen followers of Johnny Paul Koroma, but have not been able to catch Koroma himself. February 7, 2003 Police and army troops continue to search for former military ruler Johnny Paul Koroma, but most of his followers have been rounded up. It's thought that Koroma has fled the country. February 22, 2003 Britain sent 300 Gurkhas to Sierra Leone for training, and to be available in case fighting breaks out again. March 3, 2003 The government has arrested 77 people since mid-January and today charged fifteen of them them with treason and plotting the violent overthrow of the government. These arrests are connected with the January 13th attack on a military base. Among those charged were several former soldiers, and some members of the notorious "West Side Boys" militia. March 4, 2003 Britain has sent 300 troops to Sierra Leone as a precaution. This was done in light of the recent treason indictments, and fear that more of the coup plotters are still out there and trying to overthrow the new government. July 2003 - Rebel leader Foday Sankoh dies of natural causes while awaiting trial for war crimes. August 2003 - President Tejan Kabbah tells truth and reconciliation commission that he had no say over operations of pro-government militias during war. February 2004 - Disarmament and rehabilitation of more than 70,000 civil war combatants officially completed. March 2004- UN-backed war crimes tribunal opens courthouse to try senior militia leaders from both sides of civil war. May 2004 - First local elections in more than three decades. June 2004 - War crimes trials begin. September 2004 - UN hands control of security in capital over to local forces. August 2005 - UN Security Council authorises opening of a UN assistance mission in Sierra Leone from 2006, to follow departure of peacekeepers in December. December 2005 - The last UN peacekeeping troops leave Sierra Leone, marking the end of a five-year mission to restore order. Liberian preacher, warlord and president was responsible for aiding ''some of the most heinous crimes in human history'' in Sierra Leone December 16, 2005: The last 300 UN peacekeepers have left, marking the end of the four years peacekeeping effort in Sierra Leone. A ten year civil war had left over 120,000 dead and the country in ruins. Actually, there are still 250 peacekeepers remaining, but they are not there for peacekeeping, but to provide security for war crimes tribunal, whose work is not yet done. At its peak, in 2001, there were 17,500 peacekeepers. Over 75,000 gunmen have been disarmed and demobilized, and most of their warlord bosses are dead, arrested or in exile. The economy is growing, which is hard to do, since the decade of violence trashed everything. But there's no more war, for the moment. Sierra Leone, and the region around it, has been the scene of fierce tribal conflicts for centuries (as recorded in written records), and probably thousands of years (as discovered in archeological evidence.) December 21, 2005: The army has dismissed 73 officers, as part of a reorganization that will result in a new army of 10,000 troops (and 930 civilians) by next year. December 31, 2005: The UN has ended its six year peacekeeping mission. With 17,500 peacekeepers, it was the largest such UN mission ever. Despite the large number of peacekeepers, it took a battalion of British commandoes to shut down rebel groups that would not surrender. Some 70,000 gunmen have since been disarmed. Many aid projects continue, but the Sierra Leone government is now running things. January 5, 2006: In a hospital equipped by the UN, the Sierra Leone doctors have decided to loot the medical equipment. This was the result of a dispute among the doctors over gifts given by UN personnel to one doctor. The effectiveness of the hospital has been ruined, and this self- destructive behavior is typical of the attitudes that causes one civil war after another in the region. January 6, 2006: A company of Irish peacekeepers in neighboring Liberia, are on alert for duty in Sierra Leone if there is a problem at war crimes trials there. January 19, 2006: China has agreed to supply patrol boats for the coast guard, and train Sierra Leone personnel to use the boats. A coast guard is needed, in order to enforce fishing regulations off shore. Right now, large fishing boats come in from all over the world and plunder the fish stocks off the coast. The area will be fished out if something is not done soon. The economy is still a mess, with foreign investors reluctant to move in, given the history of the region. January 22, 2006: Although 47,000 rifles and pistols were collected by 2002, there are still several thousand weapons out there. There is a growing crime problem involving armed gangs, and there are rumors of a military coup. Current, and former soldiers have disputes, usually involving money, with the government. There is not a lot of cash available to deal with all of this. The economy is still a mess, with foreign investors reluctant to move in, given the history of the region. March 2006 - Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor is arrested in Nigeria and handed over to the war crimes court in Sierra Leone which indicted him. December 2006 - President Kabbah says 90% of the country's $1.6bn (£815m) debt has been written off after negotiations with international creditors. June 2007 - Start of former Liberian president Charles Taylor's war crimes trial in The Hague, where he stands accused of instigating atrocities in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone's special war crimes court in Freetown delivers its first verdicts, finding three militia leaders guilty. August 2007 - Presidential and parliamentary polls. Ernest Bai Koroma wins the presidency and his All People's Congress, formerly in opposition, wins a majority in parliament. January 2008 - Former Liberian president Charles Taylor's war crimes trial in The Hague resumes after a six-month delay. August 2008 - Local elections are marred by violence between the supporters of the two main parties Diamond mining is a major activity in the Kono district, in eastern Sierra Leone April 2009 - Three former senior leaders of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) sentenced to long jail terms for civil war atrocities. October 2009 - UN-backed Special Court winds down after seven years investigating civil war atrocities. Its remaining case, the trial of Charles Taylor, continues in The Hague. January 2010 - Government launches a major boost to the national healthcare system, including free provision for nursing mothers and small children. September 2010 - UN Security Council lifts last remaining sanctions against Sierra Leone - an arms embargo and a travel ban for rebels. February 2012 - Energy companies report discovery of oil off the coasts of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Work continues to estimate their size. April 2012 - The UN-backed Sierra Leone war crimes court in The Hague concludes its work with the conviction of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor of aiding and abetting war crimes in the Sierra Leone civil war. November 2012 - The first elections for president, parliament and local councils since the end of the civil war to be held without UN oversight return President Koroma for a second and final term in office with a convincing win. The main opposition People's Party says it will boycott parliament and local councils after alleging electoral fraud, although international observers gave the polls a clean bill of health. The People's Party won 42 seats in parliament to 67 for President Koroma's All People's Congress. July 28, 2014: Ebola outbreak put a number of countries in a lockdown’ Ebola May Expand It’s Deadly Reach Beyond Africa, 670+ people in West Africa dead + spread to 60 locations in four countries. The worst Ebola outbreak in history has put a number of countries in West Africa in lockdown, led to the deaths of nearly 700 people since February and brought new reports of doctors, including Americans, contracting the virus they are attempting to contain. The situation is undeniably scary. How bad is the outbreak? Bad — very, very bad. It's concentrated in three small West African states: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, where reports of Ebola infections first emerged in February. The outbreak has claimed more than 670 lives and, worryingly, infected medical personnel attempting to stop its spread. A prominent Liberian physician died Sunday. What's particularly scary, though, was the recent death of a Liberian man in Lagos, the bustling coastal mega-city in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. The man, a consultant for the Liberian government, had traveled from Liberia through an airport in Lome, the capital of Togo, before arriving in Nigeria. The hospital where he died is under lockdown, and the WHO has sent teams to Togo and Nigeria. Meantime, Doctors Without Borders has described the Ebola epidemic sweeping across West Africa as “out of control.” The Ebola virus, which is fatal in 90 percent of cases, has killed more than 670 people in West Africa and spread to 60 locations in four countries. The obstacles to bringing the virus under control are formidable, among them a shortage of medical resources and resistance from local communities terrified by a disease they do not understand. The current outbreak began in Guinea in March. Sierra Leone is now the epicenter of the epidemic. The situation is deteriorating rapidly in Liberia. On Friday, a man died of an Ebola infection in Lagos, Nigeria. Nurses and doctors are also falling victim to the disease. Two American aid workers have tested positive, and a doctor at Liberia’s largest hospital, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center in Monrovia, has died of the disease. The virus is amplified by a mobile population, especially across the shared borders between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. In the Nigerian case, the infected victim entered on a passenger flight from Liberia. The World Health Organization and the Nigerian government have shut down the hospital where the man died, and other passengers on the flight are being tracked down and tested. Infected individuals must be isolated in health centers to prevent the virus from spreading to others and to give them the care they need. Bodies of victims must also be disposed of with care: The virus, present in bodily fluids, including sweat, is most infectious at the end-stage. Then there is widespread ignorance among the most vulnerable populations about what needs to be done. The result is that many people are hiding sick loved ones at home and transporting bodies for burial with no understanding of the precautions they must take. Liberia’s president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has declared a national Ebola emergency. The governments of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria must also act with equal urgency to raise public awareness, put additional trained medical personnel on the ground and trace patients’ contacts with others. The current Ebola outbreak is more than a sum of national emergencies. It is now a regional crisis, and the whole of West Africa must act to contain it. (Text ends) Doctors Without Borders has described the Ebola epidemic sweeping across West Africa as “out of control.” The Ebola virus, which is fatal in 90 percent of cases, has killed more than 670 people in West Africa and spread to 60 locations in four countries. The obstacles to bringing the virus under control are formidable, among them a shortage of medical resources and resistance from local communities terrified by a disease they do not understand. The current outbreak began in Guinea in March. Sierra Leone is now the epicenter of the epidemic. The situation is deteriorating rapidly in Liberia. On Friday, a man died of an Ebola infection in Lagos, Nigeria. Nurses and doctors are also falling victim to the disease. Two American aid workers have tested positive, and a doctor at Liberia’s largest hospital, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center in Monrovia, has died of the disease. The virus is amplified by a mobile population, especially across the shared borders between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. In the Nigerian case, the infected victim entered on a passenger flight from Liberia. The World Health Organization and the Nigerian government have shut down the hospital where the man died, and other passengers on the flight are being tracked down and tested. Infected individuals must be isolated in health centers to prevent the virus from spreading to others and to give them the care they need. Bodies of victims must also be disposed of with care: The virus, present in bodily fluids, including sweat, is most infectious at the end-stage. Then there is widespread ignorance among the most vulnerable populations about what needs to be done. The result is that many people are hiding sick loved ones at home and transporting bodies for burial with no understanding of the precautions they must take. Liberia’s president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has declared a national Ebola emergency. The governments of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria must also act with equal urgency to raise public awareness, put additional trained medical personnel on the ground and trace patients’ contacts with others. The current Ebola outbreak is more than a sum of national emergencies. It is now a regional crisis, and the whole of West Africa must act to contain it. (Text ends) July 28, 2014: EBOLA OUTBREAK: Top doctor dies from Ebola after treating dozens - Sheik Umar Khan, top Ebola doctor, dies from virus after treating dozens. REUTERS IN FREETOWN: Sierra Leone Deadly Ebola outbreak spreading through West Africa 2 U.S. aid workers also said to be in grave condition after contracting virus in Liberia (Updates) A leading virologist who risked his own life to treat dozens of Ebola patients died Tuesday from the disease, officials said, as a major regional airline announced it was suspending flights to the cities hardest hit by an outbreak that has killed more than 670 people. Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, who was praised as a national hero for treating the disease in Sierra Leone, was confirmed dead by health ministry officials there. He had been hospitalized in quarantine. A leading doctor who risked his own life to treat dozens of Ebola patients died Tuesday from the disease, officials said, as a major regional airline announced it was suspending flights to the cities hardest hit by an outbreak that has killed more than 670 people. Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, who was praised as a national hero for treating the disease in Sierra Leone, was confirmed dead by health ministry officials there. He had been hospitalized in quarantine. Health workers have been especially vulnerable to contracting Ebola, which is spread through bodily fluids such as saliva, sweat, blood and urine. Two American health workers are currently hospitalized with Ebola in neighboring Liberia. The Ebola outbreak is the largest in history with deaths blamed on the disease not only in Sierra Leone and Liberia, but also Guinea and Nigeria. The disease has no vaccine and no specific treatment, with a fatality rate of at least 60 percent. Binyah Kesselly, chairman of the Liberia Airport Authority board, said police are now present at the airport in Monrovia to enforce screening of passengers. “So if you have a flight and you are not complying with the rules, we will not allow you to board,” he said. In a statement released Tuesday, airline ASKY said it was temporarily halting flights not only to Monrovia but also to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Flights will continue to the capital of the third major country where people have died — Guinea — though passengers departing from there will be “screened for signs of the virus.” Passengers at the airline’s hub in Lome, Togo also will be screened by medical teams, it said. “ASKY is determined to keep its passengers and staff safe during this unsettling time,” the statement said. The measures follow the death Friday of a 40-year-old American man of Liberian descent, who had taken several flights on ASKY, causing widespread fear at a time when the outbreak shows no signs of slowing in West Africa. Patrick Sawyer, who worked for the West African nation’s Finance Ministry, took an ASKY Airlines flight from Liberia to Ghana, then on to Togo and eventually to Nigeria where he was immediately taken into quarantine until his death.His sister had died of Ebola though he maintained he had not had close physical contact with her when she was sick. At the time, Liberian authorities said they had not been requiring health checks of departing passengers in Monrovia. The World Health Organization says the risk of travelers contracting Ebola is considered low because it requires direct contact with bodily fluids or secretions such as urine, blood, sweat or saliva, experts say. Ebola can’t be spread like flu through casual contact or breathing in the same air. Patients are contagious only once the disease has progressed to the point they show symptoms, according to the WHO. And the most vulnerable are health care workers and relatives who come in much closer contact with the sick. Still, the early symptoms of Ebola — fever, aches and sore throat — mirror many other diseases including malaria and typhoid, experts say. Only in later stages of Ebola do patients sometimes experience severe internal bleeding and blood coming out of their mouth, eyes or ears. At the Finance Ministry where Sawyer worked, officials announced they were temporarily shutting down operations. All employees who came into contact with Sawyer before he left for Nigeria were being placed under surveillance, it said. In West Africa medical facilities are scarce and some affected communities have in panic attacked the international health workers trying to help them. Despite the heightened precautions and reassurances from health workers, many Liberians said they were still fearful of contracting Ebola through casual contact. Garmie Gayflor, a hotel waitress, said that poverty made Liberians especially vulnerable. The country was battered by back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003. “One does not have a car, and they say sweat from one affected person affects the others,” she said. “We have six to seven persons riding in the back of a taxi or bus. (Text ends) August 10, 2014: REVELATION: First Ebola Vaccine Could Be Less Than a Year Away, Scientist Says’ A vaccine for the deadly Ebola virus could become a reality in less than a year, one expert says. As the death toll in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa nears 1,000, several groups of scientists are racing to produce a vaccine to protect against the disease. And the developer of one of these potential vaccines claims it could be ready for human use in six to 10 months with additional funding. Matthias Schnell, director of the Jefferson Vaccine Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, explained that the vaccine he is developing with researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health is based on a human rabies vaccine. By attaching Ebola to the rabies virus, Schnell's group was able to make a vaccine that may protect against both Ebola and rabies. "How effective it will be in humans is hard to predict," he said. "The rabies vaccine works well in humans, but for any vaccine you have to put it in humans and see if they develop antibodies without getting sick." Schnell's vaccine triggers the immune system to produce antibodies against three strains of Ebola. The vaccine contains the Zaire strain of Ebola that is currently spreading in West Africa, but it also includes the Sudan strain of Ebola and the Marburg virus, which is in the same family as Ebola and causes a similar disease. So far, the vaccine has only been tested in monkeys, where it was found to protect against the Zaire Ebola virus. Before the vaccine could be available, it would have to be tested in humans to be sure it is safe and effective. That process would typically take as long as three years, Schnell said. The hurdle to getting trials started is funding, he said. If more money was available, a vaccine could be ready by next year, he said. Experts were cautious about the potential of the vaccine. "This vaccine hasn't been tested in humans, so it's impossible to say what its potential is," said Dr. Sunil Kumar Sood, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y. "Many vaccines make it through early trials, but then don't make it beyond that because they don't produce enough antibodies or aren't tolerated by humans," Sood explained. Schnell said they chose to base their vaccine on a rabies vaccine, because while Ebola outbreaks only occur sporadically, rabies is always around, so the vaccine could be used more widely. Dr. Ambreen Khalil, an infectious diseases specialist at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, said, "This vaccine is promising, but won't help people already infected." That is why Schnell is also involved in developing a treatment that would produce large amounts of Ebola antibodies that could be given to patients suffering from the disease. Although this treatment isn't long-lasting and does not confer the immunity of a vaccine, antibodies could help remove the virus from the blood before more cells are infected, Schnell explained. Moreover, it gives the immune system time to build a response to the virus, he noted. Schnell is working on producing human-like antibodies in cows. By vaccinating cows with the new vaccine, Schnell hopes to be able to produce large amounts of serum that will cure people with Ebola. Each cow could produce as many as 2,000 doses every two weeks. Again, money is the main obstacle to making this potential treatment a reality, he said. If funding were available, the treatment could be ready for human testing in as little as four to six months, Schnell said. The experimental drug ZMapp, used to treat two Americans infected with Ebola, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, used a similar approach. However, the supply of the drug is very limited at this time, Schnell noted. Thomas Geisbert, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said, "It looks like the antibody is an alternative to ZMapp. We may never know whether or not the administration of ZMapp was the actual reason that the two Americans appear to be recovering from Ebola, but ZMapp has clearly been shown to protect nonhuman primates against Ebola when given after exposure." "Given that ZMapp already has nonhuman primate data and is likely close to beginning clinical trials -- it is hard to imagine how that would not be pushed now -- I am not really sure where Schnell's work fits in. The concept of providing protection against multiple strains and species of hemorrhagic fever is, of course, important," Geisbert said. It has to be recalled that more than 3, 500 people have died from Ebola in Sieraleone, which along with Guinea and Liberia has seen the vast majority of deaths from the disease. (Text ends)

COUNTRY FACT FILE Location On western coast of West Africa. Official title of the state The Republic of Sierra Leone Flag description: Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and blue; green symbolizes agriculture, mountains, and natural resources, white represents unity and justice, and blue the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown. Neighbours Guinea on N.E., Liberia on S. Land boundaries; total 958 km. Border countries; Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km. Local division 3 provinces, 1 Area, Capital district of Freetown. Government type Republic – presidential Legislation chamber Unicameral Parliament Form of State Constitutional Democracy Head of State is the Executive President President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is eligible for a second term. A multi-party republic with one legislative body. The Parliament 124 seats, members are elected directly by popular vote to serve for five-year terms. Executive branch President, Cabinet, Unicameral parliament. The president is both the chief of State and head of Government. President elected by popular vote to serve for five-year terms, eligible for a second term. Former Rulers 1961–1971 Christopher/Sir J. Lightfoot Boston 1971 – 1985 Sergeant Siaka Probyn Stevens 1985- 1992 Majour-General Joseph Saidu Mommoh 1992 -1992 Yahya Kanu, military head of government 1992- 1996 Captain Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser, military-head of government 1996-1996 Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio, military head of government 1996- 1997 Al-haji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah 1997 -1998 Majour Johnny Paul Koroma, military head of government 1998- 2007 Al-haji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah 2007- present Ernest Bai Koroma Judicial chamber Supreme Court Capital city Freetown Altitude 26 mtrs/85 ft Geographiccoordinates - 8.30N , 13.15W. Is the oldest capital to be founded by freed Afro-American slaves, that liberated b/n 1809-1827, believed that, it have been founded even before Monrovia, Liberia. Names of main towns Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Magburaka, Kabala, port-loko, Kambia (North), Pujehun, Moyamba, Bonthe (South), Kailahun, Sefadu (East). Date of Independence 27th April, 1961. Religions (Major) Muslims 60%, traditional 28% Christians 12% Main spoken languages English (official), Mende (principal vernacular in the South), Temne (principal vernacular in the North), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by descendants of the Afro-American freed slaves), various ethnic-languages spoken. Currency unit Leone (SLL) =100 Cents. Area in Km2 71,740.00 Country area comparison in Africa 41 out of 55 states. Demographic terms ;- Average annual population growth rate 2.216 Birth rate 38.79 births per 1,000 population Death rate 11.97 deaths per 1,000 population Average life expectancy ; 55.69 years Male 53.27 years ; Female 58.18 years; Illiteracy rate (%) Male: 60, Female: 71 Average per capita income USD 900 Population density 80/km2 Urban population (%) 40 Contributor groups (%) Farming, Fishing: 43, Industry: 27, Social service: 30 Main Export item Diamonds, Cocoa, Coffee, Bauxite, Rutile, Gold, Ginger, Piassava, Fish and Palm- kernel. Economy is based on; Agriculture, Minerals and Agro-industries, forestry & fisheries. Climate Tropical; Hot, humid with 6 months of rains, May to early November and dry from December to April. Extremes;- Lowest point; The Atlantic Ocean coast 0 mtr. Highest point; Loma mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 mtrs. Weather of the Capital city (Freetown), hot and humid, but the mountains and the Atlantic ocean provide a moderating and cooling. Altitude 26 mtrs/85 ft Hottest Month March-April 25-31oc. Coldest Month August 23 – 28oc. Driest Month February 3mm average Rf. Wettest Month August 902,mm average Rf. Measures Metric system. Time zone GMT/UTC+0 Public holidays April 27 (Independence), Easter, Good Friday, December 25 (Christmas), Boxing Day, December 26, January 1 (New Year), All Muslim holidays. Ethnic groups African ethnic-groups Mende 30%, Temne 30%, Kru (Krio) 10%, others 30%. Topographic & Environmental concern The heavily indented 210 miles, coastline has mangrove swamps behind are wooded hills, rising to a plateau and mountains in the E. Rapid population growth pressuring the environment. Overharvesting of timber leading to deforestation. Expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in soil exhaustion. The civil war in the 1990s depleted natural resources. And overfishing. Environment: rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing. Economy; Industry Tourism, diamond mining, consumer goods manufacturing, petrol-refining, commercial ship repair. Chief crops Cocoa, coffee, palm-kernels, rice, ginger, palm oil, peanuts : cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, fish. Natural resources Diamonds, Bauxite, Iron ore, Gold, Chromite, Titanium ore. Land in use (%) Arable land: 7 Grassland: 31 Forest woods: 28 Other: 34 Marine: Coastline; 402 km. Commercial Sea ports:- Freetown, Pepel (used as mining jetty) Development prospect;- Huge surge in economic growth is forecast for 2012, thanks to the imminent start of iron-ore exports. Iron ore adding to the warmth is the prospect that the winner will take the helm just as substantial mining revenues start arriving into the treasury, the IMF forecasts growth at 5.1% in 2011, jumping to 51.4% in the coming year. Ahead of this, the main concerns have been a rise in inflation – reaching 21% in mid-2011 following food and fuel price increases and expansionary monetary policies in 2010 – and a rise in non-concessional government borrowing. The extractive sector is back in business. London Mining and African Minerals are fully committed to their iron-ore export projects. China's Shandong Iron and Steel Group is investing $1.5bn in African Minerals' Tonkolili project and will take 25% of production, subject to approval by the Chinese government. In the diamond sector, Koidu Holdings, part of the Israel-based Beny Steinmetz Group, expects a $150m expansion of its plant at Koidu to be ready in early 2012. As offshore oil exploration continues, a Petroleum Directorate is being established, as well as a state oil company – the Sierra Leone National Petroleum Company. Anadarko and Lukoil are already active, while Chevron, Tullow and Repsol have expressed interest in bidding for new licences. Corporate tax holidays for miners will slow the arrival of revenues in government hands. Following civil society criticism of the tax breaks, the government has renegotiated with London Mining to get a better deal. An independent National Minerals Agency is planned to handle all natural- resource contracts revenue management. A target of December 2012 has been set for compliance with the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative. Signs of restored confidence include the resumption of Air France and KLM flights to Freetown (via Conakry) and plans to re-open the Cape Sierra Hotel by 2014. The government has reached an agreement with China for an undisclosed sum to help build a new international airport on the mainland, so visitors no longer have to hop across the bay to Freetown from the airport on the Lungi peninsula.