|
More
than
17,000
foreign
troops
disarmed
tens
of
thousands
of
rebels
and
militia
fighters.
Several
years
on,
the
country
still
faces
the
challenge
of
reconstruction.
Overview
A lasting feature of the war, in which tens of thousands died, was the atrocities committed by the rebels, whose trademark was to hack off the hands or feet of their victims.
AT-A-GLANCE
Politics: Sierra Leone is recovering from a 10-year civil war which ended in 2002; war centred around a power struggle and had a regional dimension
Economics: Substantial growth in recent years, but Sierra Leone remains bottom of UN's league for human development
|
A UN-backed war crimes court has been set up to try those, from both sides, who bear the greatest responsibility for the brutalities.
Sierra Leone has experienced substantial economic growth in recent years, although poverty and unemployment remain major challenges.
In June 2009, the UN said that despite some impressive gains in rebuilding since the end of the civil war, efforts to consolidate peace and prosperity in the country remained fragile.
Economic recovery has been slow partly because the reconstruction needs are so great. Around half of government revenue comes from donors.
The restoration of peace was expected to aid the the country's promotion as a tourist destination in the long term. Sierra Leone boasts miles of unspoilt beaches along its Atlantic coast, and hopes to emulate its neighbour Gambia in attracting tourists.
Sierra Leone is also rich in diamonds and other minerals. The trade in illicit gems, known as "blood diamonds" for their role in funding conflicts, perpetuated the civil war. The government has attempted to crack down on cross-border diamond trafficking.
Sierra Leone has a special significance in the history of the transatlantic slave trade. It was the departure point for thousands of west African captives. The capital, Freetown, was founded as a home for repatriated former slaves in 1787.
Facts
- Full name: Republic of Sierra Leone
- Population: 5.7 million (UN, 2009)
- Capital: Freetown
- Area: 71,740 sq km (27,699 sq miles)
- Major languages: English, Krio (Creole language derived from English) and a range of African languages
- Major religions: Islam, Christianity
- Life expectancy: 46 years (men), 49 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: Leone
- Main exports: Diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
- GNI per capita: US $320 (World Bank, 2008)
- Internet domain: .sl
- International dialling code: +232
Leaders
President : Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma was sworn in as Sierra Leone's new president on 17 September 2007. He won 54.6% of the vote in a run-off with the incumbent vice-president Solomon Berewa.
President Koroma has pledged to fight corruption
|
Mr Koroma promised zero tolerance on corruption in his inaugural speech. He also said he'd fight against the mismanagement of state resources.
Addressing thousands of cheering supporters, Mr Koroma said: "We know how high your expectations are and that you have suffered for too long."
Mr Koroma's All People's Congress (APC) also won a majority in parliamentary elections held in August 2007.
He was born in northern Makeni in 1953, and is an insurance broker who says he wants to run Sierra Leone like a business concern.
His predecessor Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is credited with bringing in foreign help to rescue the country. Mr Kabbah stepped down in August 2007 after serving two terms in office.
Media
Media freedom in Sierra Leone has its limits; media rights monitors say high-level corruption is a taboo topic, with officials using libel laws to target errant journalists.
Challenges facing broadcasters include unreliable power supplies, poor funding and low advertising revenues.
There are dozens of radio stations, most of them privately owned. The UN Mission in Sierra Leone, Unmasil, operates radio services. They carry information about human rights and UN activities, as well as music and news.
BBC World Service can be heard on FM in Freetown (94.3), Bo (94.5) and Kenema (95.3). Voice of America and Radio France Internationale broadcast on FM in Freetown.
Dozens of newspapers are published in Freetown, despite low literacy levels. Most of them are privately-run and are often critical of the government. .
The
press
- Awoko
- Concord Times
- Standard Times
- Independent Observer
- For di People
Television
- Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) - terrestrial network with limited coverage
- ABC TV - private
Radio
- Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) - national broadcaster
- Radio Democracy 98.1 FM - Freetown station, once the voice of the exiled Kabbah government, regarded as pro-government
- Kiss FM - private station in Bo
- SKYY FM - private station in Freetown
- Radio Unamsil - UN radio network
- Capital Radio - private station in Freetown
- Believers Broadcasting Network - Freetown, Christian FM station
- Voice of the Handicapped - founded as an FM station for disabled citizens, but attracts a wider audience
News
agency
-
Sierra Leone News Agency
AFRICA
|
ASIA-PACIFIC
|
AMERICAS
|
EUROPE
|
MIDDLEEAST |
SOUTHASIA
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Republic-of-congo
Rwanda
Sao-tome-and-principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra-leone
Somalia
South-africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
The-gambia
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
zambia
Zimbabwe
Australia
Brunei
Burma
Cambodia
China
East-timor
Fiji
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Malaysia
Marshall-islands
Micronesia
Mongolia
Nauru
New-zealand
North-korea
Palau
Papua-new-guinea
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon-islands
South-korea
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
The-philippines
Tonga
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Antigua-and-barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa-rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican-republic
Ecuador
El-salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
GuyanaHaiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
St-kitts-and-nevis
St-lucia
St-vincent-and-the-grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad-and-tobago
United-states-of-america
Uruguay
Venezuela
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia-hercegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech-republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Russia
San-marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
The-netherlands
Turkey
Ukraine
United-kingdom
Vatican
Algeria
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel-and-palestinian-territories
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Mauritania
Oman
Saudi-arabia
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
United-arab-emirates
Yemen
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri-Lanka
The-Maldives