Republic of Sierra Leone
SIERRA LEONE. Republic of Sierra Leone
A state in West Africa. Area - 12.3 thousand km². Capital - Freetown (515 thousand). Administrative-territorial division - 3 provinces and the capital district. Population - 5.7 million, two main ethnic groups: peoples of the Atlantic family (Temne, Bullom, Fulbe, Limba, etc.) and peoples of the Mende language family (Mende, Kono, Kuranko). There are also large Lebanese and Creole communities.
Official language - English. Religion: about 75% - Muslims (in the northern part of the country), in the south - Christians (15%); the rest adhere to traditional local beliefs. Currency - leone.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on January 18, 1962).
National holiday - April 21 - Independence Day (1961).
Sierra Leone is a republic; it is part of the Commonwealth, headed by Great Britain.
In 1462, Portuguese navigators landed on the coast of present-day Sierra Leone, exploring the coastal territory and mapping it, naming it "the land of the lion mountains," which later became established in the name. At the end of the 18th century, the coast came under British control; in 1808, they declared the coastal part of Sierra Leone their colony, and from 1896, the interior regions became a protectorate. In 1961, Sierra Leone declared independence, but until 1971 it remained a dominion of Great Britain. In 1971, it became a republic.
Member of the UN (since 1961), OAU, ECOWAS, OIC, Mano River Union.
The early years of post-colonial history were marked by fierce competition among political parties. In 1967, with the support of the military and neighboring Guinea, the leader of the All People's Congress (APC), Siaka Stevens, came to power, ruling the country for 18 years. In 1985, S. Stevens transferred leadership of the country and the party to his successor, General Joseph Saidu Momoh (S. Stevens himself died in 1988). In the elections of September 1, 1985, J. Momoh was elected president for a 7-year term. However, the government's inability to alleviate social problems led to increased unrest within the army, exacerbated by moral decay among the military, civil war in neighboring Liberia, and military actions in the northern regions of Sierra Leone. Corruption and embezzlement flourished in the country, along with bureaucratic arbitrariness. On April 30, 1992, a military coup occurred.
Power in the country was taken by the National Interim Ruling Council (since July 1992 - the Supreme State Council - SSC) led by Captain V. Strasser. Strasser's attempts, relying on military contingents from Nigeria, Guinea, and Ghana, as well as military advisors from South Africa, to eliminate armed rebel groups did not yield positive results. On January 16, 1996, a new coup occurred in Sierra Leone. The leadership of the country was taken over by former deputy V. Strasser, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio. The new head of state declared his commitment to the course of democratization and his intention to hold elections. In the parliamentary elections held in March 1996, the National Party of Sierra Leone won, and its leader Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was elected president of the country.
On November 29, 1996, a peace agreement was signed in Abidjan between the government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). In May 1997, as a result of another military coup, President A. Kabbah was overthrown. The military leadership was headed by Major J. Koroma, who received support from the RUF.
The new regime was not recognized by any state. From August 1997, members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed an economic and military blockade on Sierra Leone, which was carried out by a combined military contingent of this subregional organization - ECOMOG. Nigeria played a leading role in it. In October 1997, the UN Security Council also imposed an embargo on the supply of weapons and petroleum products to Sierra Leone. In February 1998, ECOMOG troops expelled the rebels from the capital and then from most of the territory of the country. On March 10, 1998, President A. Kabbah was officially restored to his previous functions. At the end of December 1998, supporters of the RUF and J. Koroma launched a large-scale offensive across the country and effectively blockaded the capital Freetown and the ECOMOG forces located there. In January 1999, the rebels launched an offensive on Freetown, which led to the deaths of an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 Sierra Leoneans. On May 18, 1999, in the Togolese capital Lomé, President A. Kabbah and RUF leader F. Sanko signed a ceasefire agreement, and on July 7, 1999 - a peace agreement. Since 1999, a peacekeeping contingent of the UN Mission (UNAMSIL) has been in the country.
On May 14, 2002, presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Sierra Leone. According to official data, the current president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah won by a large margin (over 70% of the votes). In the parliamentary elections, candidates from the People's Party led by A. T. Kabbah received 83 seats. The remaining mandates were divided between the All People's Congress of E. Koroma (27) and the Peace and Liberation Party of D. P. Koroma (2).
In recent years, the situation in Sierra Leone has remained generally stable. Efforts are being made to strengthen local government bodies, create effective and sustainable police forces, army, judicial, and penitentiary systems.
The economy of Sierra Leone is in a state of deep crisis. Over the years of civil war, all major sectors of industry and agriculture have fallen into complete decline. The country is among the least economically developed states (per capita income - $215). External debt exceeds $1.6 billion. Despite the difficult conditions, the country is slowly but surely moving along the path of market reform, implementing a program of structural adjustment developed in cooperation with the IMF and the World Bank, and receiving certain support from international financial institutions and major creditors.
Industry is essentially entirely represented by mining sectors. The most important of these - diamond mining - is experiencing a crisis; the reserves of alluvial deposits have been depleted.
Sierra Leone produces rutile, and there are ongoing developments of gold and bauxite deposits, as well as iron ore and other minerals. Industry is represented by small enterprises producing soft drinks, shoes, furniture, cigarettes, etc. Electricity production amounts to about 300 million kWh, of which 96% is generated at thermal power plants.
Agriculture occupies a leading place in the economy. Its share in GDP is about 45%. Up to 80% of the economically active population of the country is employed in it. Agriculture does not meet the internal food needs, with over 100 thousand tons of rice - the main food product for the population - imported annually. Animal husbandry is extremely poorly developed, hindered by the spread of the tsetse fly. Coffee and cocoa are exported.
The economic zone of Sierra Leone is rich in fish.
Main trading partners are EU countries, the USA, and ECOWAS countries.
According to the UNDP scale (2004), Sierra Leone ranks 177th. 70% of the population lives below the poverty line. About 70% of Sierra Leoneans are illiterate. The situation is particularly dire for refugees and internally displaced persons.
In 2004, GDP growth was 7.2%, inflation - 14.6%. Significant improvements in economic indicators are attributed to financial inflows from the IMF/World Bank. Major assistance comes from Great Britain, the USA, and China.
The country has 11,700 km of roads, of which 1,287 km are paved; the length of railways is 84 km. During the civil war, most of the previously operational transport arteries were destroyed and rendered unusable. The main seaport is Freetown, and there are also ports in Bonthe, Pepel, and Sulima. Most rivers in Sierra Leone are navigable in their lower reaches (internal navigable routes total about 800 km). The international airport is Lungi.
Sierra Leone has 2,300 primary schools, 232 secondary schools, and 16 technical schools and colleges. The university (with over 2,000 students) consists of the Fourah Bay College (6 faculties) in Freetown and Njala College (2 faculties).
Several periodicals are published in English. The Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA) is located in Freetown.
