Sierra Leone 2016 Country Review http://www.countrywatch.com Table of Contents Chapter 1 1 Country Overview 1 Country Overview 2 Key Data 3 Sierra Leone 4 Africa 5 Chapter 2 7 Political Overview 7 History 8 Political Conditions 9 Political Risk Index 31 Political Stability 46 Freedom Rankings 61 Human Rights 73 Government Functions 75 Government Structure 76 Principal Government Officials 78 Leader Biography 79 Leader Biography 79 Foreign Relations 83 National Security 90 Defense Forces 93 A Closer Look 94 Chapter 3 98 Economic Overview 98 Economic Overview 99 Nominal GDP and Components 101 Population and GDP Per Capita 103 Real GDP and Inflation 104 Government Spending and Taxation 105 Money Supply, Interest Rates and Unemployment 106 Foreign Trade and the Exchange Rate 107 Data in US Dollars 108 Energy Consumption and Production Standard Units 109 Energy Consumption and Production QUADS 110 World Energy Price Summary 111 CO2 Emissions 112 Agriculture Consumption and Production 113 World Agriculture Pricing Summary 115 Metals Consumption and Production 116 World Metals Pricing Summary 118 Economic Performance Index 119 Chapter 4 131 Investment Overview 131 Foreign Investment Climate 132 Foreign Investment Index 134 Corruption Perceptions Index 147 Competitiveness Ranking 159 Taxation 168 Stock Market 168 Partner Links 168 Chapter 5 170 Social Overview 170 People 171 Human Development Index 173 Life Satisfaction Index 176 Happy Planet Index 188 Status of Women 197 Global Gender Gap Index 199 Culture and Arts 208 Etiquette 209 Travel Information 209 Diseases/Health Data 219 Chapter 6 227 Environmental Overview 227 Environmental Issues 228 Environmental Policy 229 Greenhouse Gas Ranking 230 Global Environmental Snapshot 241 Global Environmental Concepts 252 International Environmental Agreements and Associations 267 Appendices 291 Bibliography 292 Sierra Leone Chapter 1 Country Overview Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 1 of 304 pages Sierra Leone Country Overview SIERRA LEONE Sierra Leone is located in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean. A British colony from the early 1800s, Sierra Leone became independent in 1961 with a constitution and parliamentary form of government. A new constitution in 1978 proclaimed Sierra Leone a one- party state. From 1991 to 2002, the country endured a civil war* that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 1.5 million people. Democracy has slowly been reestablished since the end of the civil war, with the help of the international community, including a large United Nations peacekeeping mission. Despite possession of substantial mineral, agricultural and fishery resources, Sierra Leone remains extremely poor with 70 percent of the population living below the poverty line, because of macroeconomic mismanagement and civil war. *NOTE: The war in Sierra Leone lasted more than a decade and was marked by the rebel Revolutionary United Front's (RUF's) campaign of brutality and bloodshed that left tens of thousands dead (between 50,000 and 120,000 according to most estimates), even more maimed, and more than 1.5 million people displaced. The conflict also gained world attention because of the RUF's practice of abducting youth to be child soldiers, its use of female sex slaves, its culpability in mass rape, murder and mutilation, as well as the clandestine sale of conflict or "blood" diamonds to fund the civil war. International human rights organizations have noted that the atrocities committed by the rebel forces in Sierra Leone during the civil war were among the most vicious violations of human rights in the world. Former Liberian leader, Charles Taylor, was accused of supporting the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels from across the border, thus advancing the rebels' efforts in Sierra Leone. In June 2006, the United Nations agreed to transfer Taylor from prison in Sierra Leone to The Hague where he has faced trial for crimes against humanity. In 2012, Taylor was found guilty of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 2 of 304 pages Sierra Leone Key Data Key Data Region: Africa Population: 5879098 Tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy Climate: season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April). English (official, regular use limited to literate minority) Mende (principal vernacular in the south) Languages: Temne (principal vernacular in the north) Krio Currency: 1 leone (Le$) = 100 cents Holiday: Republic Day is 19 April (1961), National Day is 9 August Area Total: 71740 Area Land: 71620 Coast Line: 402 Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 3 of 304 pages Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Country Map Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 4 of 304 pages Sierra Leone Africa Regional Map Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 5 of 304 pages Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 6 of 304 pages Sierra Leone Chapter 2 Political Overview Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 7 of 304 pages Sierra Leone History European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. Sierra Leone was the first West African British colony and, in fact, is considered the first "modern state" in sub-Saharan Africa. Foreign settlement did not occur until 1787, when the British prepared a refuge within the British Empire for freed slaves; that year, the site of current day Freetown received 400 freedmen from Great Britain. Disease and hostility from the indigenous people nearly eliminated the first group of returnees. Thousands of slaves were returned to or liberated in Freetown. Most chose to remain in Sierra Leone. These returned Africans - or "Krios" (Creoles) as they came to be called - were from all areas of Africa. Cut off from their homes and traditions by the experience of slavery, they assimilated British styles of life and built a flourishing trade on the West African coast. In the early 19th century, Freetown served as the residence of the British governor who also ruled the Gold Coast (now Ghana) and the Gambia settlements. Sierra Leone served as the educational center of British West Africa as well. Fourah Bay College, established in 1827, rapidly became a magnet for English-speaking Africans on the west coast. For more than a century, it was the only European-style university in western sub-Saharan Africa. The colonial history of Sierra Leone was not placid. The majority indigenous people mounted several unsuccessful revolts against British rule and Creole domination. Most of the 20th century history of the colony was peaceful, however, and independence was achieved without violence. The 1951 constitution provided a framework for de-colonization. Local ministerial responsibility was introduced in 1953, when Sir Milton Margai was appointed chief minister. He became prime minister after successful completion of constitutional talks in London in 1960. Independence came in April 1961, and Sierra Leone opted for a parliamentary system within the British Commonwealth. Sir Milton's Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) led the country to independence and the first general election under universal adult franchise in May 1962. Note on History: In certain entries, open source content from the State Department Background Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 8 of 304 pages Sierra Leone Notes and Country Guides have been used. A full listing of sources is available in the Bibliography. Political Conditions Post-Independence Sir Milton Margai's Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) led the country to independence and became the country's first post-independence leader. Upon Sir Milton Margai's death in 1964, his half-brother, Sir Albert Margai, succeeded him as prime minister. Sir Albert Margai attempted to establish a one-party political system but met fierce resistance from the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC). He ultimately abandoned the idea. In closely contested elections in March 1967, the APC won a plurality of the parliamentary seats. Accordingly, the governor general (representing the British monarch) declared Siaka Stevens, APC leader and mayor of Freetown, as the new prime minister. Within a few hours, Stevens and Margai were placed under house arrest by Brig. David Lansana, the commander of the Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces (RSLMF), on grounds that the determination of office should await the election of the local representatives to the house. A group of senior military officers overrode this action by seizing control of the government on March 23, arresting Lansana, and suspending the constitution. The group constituted itself as the National Reformation Council (NRC) with Brig. A.T. Juxon-Smith as its chairman. The NRC in turn was overthrown in April 1968 by a "sergeants' revolt," the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement. NRC members were imprisoned, and other army and police officers deposed. Stevens at last assumed the office of prime minister under the restored constitution. The return to civilian rule led to legislative elections beginning in the fall of 1968 and the appointment of an all-APC cabinet. Following the adoption of a new republican constitution in April 1971, the House appointed Siaka Stevens president of the Republic. He was elected for a second five-year term in April 1977. In the national legislative election that followed in May 1977, the APC won 74 seats and the opposition SLPP 15. The next year, Stevens' government won approval for the idea of a one-party government, which the APC had once rejected. Following enactment of a new one-party constitution in 1978, SLPP members of parliament joined the APC. During this period, political strife flared up several times . In 1970, a state of emergency was declared after provincial disturbances, and in March 1971 and Sierra Leone Review 2016 Page 9 of 304 pages Sierra Leone July 1974, alleged military coup plots were uncovered by the government. The leaders of the plots were tried and executed. In 1977, student demonstrations against the government disrupted Sierra Leone politics.