Research on Sierra Leone and the Civil War

Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic in West Africa. There are about sixteen ethnic groups dwelling in Sierra Leone, each with their own language and customs. The predominant religion is Muslim and there is a Christian minority. Economically, Sierra Leone relies on mining, diamonds in particular. They also produce titanium, gold, rutile, and bauxite. Even though it is a country with natural wealth, 70% of the population in Sierra Leone lives in poverty. While this is sad, I don’t really find it surprising because the case is the same with many other countries around the world.

The Sierra Leone Civil War began on March 23, 1991 and lasted eleven years. 50,000 people died during the civil war. This number may be tiny in comparison to the amount of people killed in other wars around the world throughout history, but it is still shocking considering how small Sierra Leone is. What began the civil war was the teaming up of the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) and the special forces of Charles Taylor’s NPFL (National Patriotic Front of Liberia) to overthrow the government run by President Joseph Momoh.

In the first year of the war, large portions of eastern and southern territories rich in alluvial diamonds were taken over by the RUF. The government’s response was ineffective and in April of 1992 the NPRC (National Provisional Ruling Council) hurried a military seize of government. By the end of 1993, the SLA (Sierra Leone Army) was able to successfully push the RUF rebels back to the Liberian border.  Even so, fighting continued after the RUF recovered.

In 1997, the AFRC (Armed Forces Revolutionary Council) was established as the new government led by Johnny Paul Koroma, by a group of SLA officers. Freetown was then captured with little resistance by the RUF and AFRC. Koroma attempted to declare the war, but the response was violent: looting, rape, and murder. Afterwards, the ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group) forces intervened to retake Freetown. In 1999, negotiations between the RUF and the Sierra Leone government were promoted by world leaders resulting in the Lome Peace Accord.

The Lome Peace Accord was signed March 27, 1999 giving the vice presidency and control of Sierra Leone’s diamond mines to the commander of the RUF. In return, the RUF had to cease fighting and allow the UN peacekeeping forces to monitor the disarmament process of the RUF. The RUF’s compliance was not consistent and very sluggish, which makes it unsurprising that in 2000 the RUF rebels once again advanced upon Freetown.  Finally, the British Operation Palliser, with the help of a renewed UN mandate and Guinean air support, was able to defeat the RUF and take control of Freetown. President Kabbah was officially able to declare the Sierra Leone Civil War over on January 18, 2002.

There was a lot about Sierra Leone, and especially about the civil war, that I didn’t know of before doing my research. I was surprised to find out how long the civil war lasted and how powerful and persistent the RUF was in comparison to the Sierra Leone government. In addition, it was shocking that so many outside groups had to intervene in order to stop the RUF and restore Sierra Leone’s government to a state of power. As a side note, I was born in 1992, which was during the time the civil war was taking place. It is interesting to think that while I was learning to talk and walk and all the way up through the traumatic event of 9/11, the conflict of the civil war in Sierra Leone was going on too and I was completely oblivious to it. It reminds me that although thing are fine right here, right now, in my own life, state, or country, there are horrible or impactful events occurring in other parts of the world. It reminds me of the importance of being aware; to pull myself out of my own little world, even if just for a minute, and to look outside, to learn and become aware of other major issues going on around the world. If I’m not looking, who will?