Sierra Leone
Location
Colony of Freed Slaves
In 1652, the first slaves in North America were
brought from Sierra Leone to the Sea Islands
off the coast of the southern United States.
In 1787 freed slaves formed a province in
Sierra Leone
 The British helped 400 freed slaves from the United States, Nova
Scotia, and Great Britain return to Sierra Leone to settle "Province
of Freedom."
 Disease and hostility from the indigenous people nearly
eliminated the first group of returnees.
Colonial Rule
 Britain divided the protectorate into “chiefdoms”
 Control was indirect
 The important chiefs were known as Paramount Chiefs and ruled for life
and was an inheritable position
 Played a role in economic development and authority over the
indigenous population
 Competition for this office was intense and violent
 Tension in rural communities caused by abuse by the chiefs was also
excessive
 Forced labor, punishment of dissenters, cash levies
 After independence this resentment continued
Freetown
 This settlement was joined by other groups
of freed slaves and soon became known as
Freetown.
 In 1792, Freetown became one of
Britain's first colonies in West Africa.
 Thousands of slaves were
returned to Freetown and most
chose to remain in Sierra Leone.
 Came to be called Krio and were
from all areas of Africa.
Colonial Independence
 The indigenous people mounted several
unsuccessful revolts against British rule and Krio
domination.
 The 1951 constitution provided a framework for
decolonization
 In 1953 Sir Milton Margai was
 appointed Chief Minister
Independence came in April 1961, and
Sierra Leone opted for a parliamentary
system within the British Commonwealth
First Coup
 In March 1967, the All Peoples Congress (APC) won a plurality
of the parliamentary seats.
 Declared Siaka Stevens as the new Prime Minister.
 Within a few hours, Stevens and Lightfoot-Boston were placed under
house arrest on grounds that the determination of office should await
the election of the tribal representatives to the house.
 A group of senior military officers, the National Reformation Council,
overrode this action by seizing control of the government on 23
March, arresting Brigadier Lansana, and suspending the constitution.
Sergeant’s Revolt
 NRC in turn was overthrown in April 1968 by a
"sergeants' revolt", the Anti-Corruption
Revolutionary Movement.
 In April 1968, Stevens assumed the office of
Prime Minister under the restored constitution.
 He 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.
Characteristics of the State
 Redistribution of natural resources based on personal
favor to the leader
 Stevens as the “ultimate leader”
 Benefits to army officers
 No finance to army for fighting capacity
 No proper training and weapons (fear for threat to
power)
 Deficit of governmental budget
President Momoh and RUF
 Dr. Joseph Saidu Momoh was elected President in a one-party
referendum on October 1, 1985.
 In October 1991 Momoh had the constitution amended once
again, re-establishing a multi-party system.
 In 1991 the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) under the
leadership of Foday Sankoh began to attack villages in
eastern Sierra Leone on the Liberian border.
 On April 29, 1992 military coup was launched
 Sent Momoh into exile in Guinea
 Established the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC)
as the ruling authority
Economic Problems
 Momoh’s government pursued IMF financial support
 Austerity measures: major budget cuts on heath and
education and reduced subsides in petrol and food
 Withdrawal of foreign firms due to high levels of
corruption
 Speech delivered by Momoh saying that education
was not a right but a privilege
 RUF used this as a justification to go to war
 “They (the RUF) told us that they are fighting to overthrow the
APC government because they exploited the people and
were taking all the money to Europe to build mighty houses or
buy luxurious cars and forgetting about the youth. We, the
young people, do suffer a lot in this country. Greed and
selfishness was another factor which made the rebel war
come to Sierra Leone. Nobody was willing to help the young
men, especially the politicians have no sympathy for the
young men. (….) Actually we were fighting for awareness and
also to have justice in the country. (…) We fought against
bribery and corruption in the country. (…) If I become the
president I will make all the youth to be engaged in skill
training to avoid (the) idleness that will create confusion or
make people commit crimes. If you do that for the youth they
will not be any problem in this country. The young men should
be encouraged by providing them with jobs. I think that will
make the country stable. If I have my tools I will not go round
town just being idle. I will survive through my trade.”
 - Interview with on former RUF combatant
NPRC and AFRC
 The NPRC hired several hundred mercenaries from the private
firm Executive Outcomes.
 Within a month they had driven RUF fighters back to enclaves
along Sierra Leone’s borders.
 The NPRC handed over power to a civilian government.
 Presidential and parliamentary elections held in April 1996
 Ahmad Tejan Kabbah won the presidential election.
AFRC
 On May 25, 1997 the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), led
by Maj. Johnny Paul Koroma, overthrew President Kabbah
 Later invited the RUF to join the government
 In March 1998 the AFRC regime was ousted after 10 months in office
 reinstated the democratically elected government of President
Kabbah.
RUF Attacks
 The RUF’s renewed attempts to overthrow the
government in January 1999 brought the fighting to
parts of Freetown
Left thousands dead and wounded before RUF
was driven back weeks later.
Peace Agreement
 With the assistance of the international community, President Kabbah and
RUF leader Sankoh signed the Lome Peace Agreement in 1999.
 The accord called for an international peacekeeping force run initially by
both ECOMOG and the United Nations.
 Almost immediately the RUF began to violate the agreement.
 On May 8, 2000, members of the RUF shot and killed as many as 20
people demonstrating against the RUF violations outside Sankoh's house
in Freetown.
 As a result, Sankoh and other senior members of
 the RUF were arrested and the group was stripped
 of its positions in government.
Peace
 After the events of May 2000 an agreement was signed in Abuja.
 Demobilization, Disarmament, Reintegration (DDR) did not resume, and
fighting continued.
 In late 2000, Guinean forces entered Sierra Leone to attack RUF bases.
 A second Abuja Agreement took place in 2002
 President Kabbah declared the civil war officially over.
 In May 2002 President Kabbah was re-elected to a 5-year term
 The RUF political wing failed to win a single seat in parliament.
 Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the
Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) attempted to reconcile between
victims and perpetrators involved in the conflict
 Special court established to try war crimes
Natural Resources
Rich in minerals
 Diamonds
 Titanium ore
 Bauxite
 Iron ore
 Gold
 Chromite
 Mining of diamonds is Sierra Leone’s
 economic base.
Resources
Much of Sierra Leone’s formal economy
was destroyed in the civil war in the
1990’s.
Full recovery to pre-war economic levels
will require effective government
management of natural resources.
Conflict Diamonds
Originate from areas controlled by forces or
factions opposed to legitimate and
internationally recognized governments
used to fund military action in opposition to
those governments
Diamonds
 Mineral exports remain Sierra Leone's principal
foreign exchange earner.
 Sierra Leone is a major producer of gem-quality
diamonds.
 Annual production estimates range between $250-$300
million
 In October 2000, a UN-approved export
certification system for exporting diamonds led to a
dramatic increase in legal
Liberia
Location
Founding
In 1816, a group of white Americans founded the American
Colonization Society (ACS) to deal with the “problem” of the growing
number of free blacks in the United States.
They aimed to resettle them in Africa.
An initial group of 86 immigrants, who came to be called AmericoLiberians, established a settlement in Christopolis (now Monrovia) in
1820.
The resulting state of Liberia would become the second (after Haiti)
black republic in the world at that time.
Joseph Jenkins
Roberts
Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, USA,
Roberts emigrated to Liberia in 1829 as a
young man. He opened a trading store
in Monrovia, and later engaged in
politics.
When Liberia became independent in
1847, Roberts was elected the first
president, serving until 1856. In 1872 he
was elected again to serve as Liberia's
seventh president.
First President of Liberia
( 1848 – 1856 )
Samuel Kanyon
Doe
21st President of Liberia ( 1986 – 1990 )
First Indigenous Head of State in Liberian
First Liberian Civil War
( 1989 – 1996 )
A small band of rebels led by Charles
Taylor, invaded Liberia from Cote
d'Ivoire. Taylor and his National
Patriotic Front rebels rapidly gained
the support of many Liberians.
They reached the outskirts of Monrovia
within 6 months.
It claimed the lives of more than
200,000 Liberians and further displaced
a million others into refugee camps in
neighboring countries.
Charles Taylor
Elected in
special
election in July
of 1997.
22nd President of Liberia ( 1997 – 2003 )
Leader of National Patriotic Front
Revolutionary United Front
( RUF )
Charles Taylor funded and
armed RUF rebels in Sierra
Leone. The rebels were
known for hacking off the
hands and arms of tens of
thousands of men, women
and children.
Second Liberian Civil
War
( 1997 – 2003 )
Women of Liberia Mass
Action for Peace
Started with local women praying in a fish market.
Helped end the Second Liberian Civil War
Leymah Gbowee won Nobel Peace Prize in 2011
Free Elections
The October 11, 2005 presidential and legislative elections and the
subsequent November 8, 2005 presidential run-off were the most free, fair,
and peaceful elections in Liberia's history.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf defeated international soccer star George Weah 59.4%
to 40.6% to become Africa's first democratically elected female president.
Resources
iron ore
timber
diamonds
gold
hydropower
Firestone Natural Rubber
Company
Largest rubber plantation in world - Harbel,
Liberia
Artisanal Diamond
Mining
Mano River Union
International association between the countries of
Liberia, Sierra Leone , Guinea and Cote d”Ivoire to
foster economic cooperation.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the current
chairperson.
Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme
Today
 Sierra Leone today
 Road to change
 Liberian Returnees
 Mining in Liberia
 The Vice Guide to Liberia
Ebola
 https://soundcloud.com/bbc-world-service/24-yearold-ebola-survivor-dauda-tells-hisstory?ocid=socialflow_twitter
 http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28105531