Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone emerged from a decade of civil war in early 2002, with the help of British forces and a large U.N. peacekeeping mission. More than 17,000 foreign troops disarmed tens of thousands of rebels and militia fighters in the biggest UN peacekeeping success in Africa for many years. The country's economic and social infrastructure was devastated during the war. A UN-backed war crimes court has been set up to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for the wartime brutalities. Sierra Leone also faces the challenge of reconstruction, while the pre-war problems of poverty, ethnic rivalry and corruption still remain. The 70,000 former combatants who were disarmed and rehabilitated are among the many seeking employment.
The country is rich in diamonds; illegal diamond trafficking fuelled the conflict. The government has attempted to crack down on cross-border diamond trafficking.
President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah first took office in March 1996 following wartime elections the formally ended four years of military rule. Disgruntled soldiers toppled him in May 1997, but a West African intervention force reinstated him within a year. Saved by British military aid, Kabbah agreed a cease-fire in November 2000. The cease-fire enabled U.N. peacekeepers to deploy throughout Sierra Leone and disarm combatants. Kabbah won a new five-year term in elections in May 2002. The presidential polls were peaceful, as were local elections in 2004.
The years since the cease-fire have seen considerable improvement in the security situation in Sierra Leone, with peaceful presidential and legislative elections, as well as the disarmament of former rebels by U.N. peacekeepers. There was a moderate increase in crime following the lifting of the general curfew in early 2002, but the crime rate in Freetown remains relatively low for the region. In July 2002, the U.S. Department of State lifted its long-standing Travel Warning for Sierra Leone, in light of the improved security situation. Within Freetown, crime (especially opportunistic street crime), corruption and demonstrations (which may turn violent) are the primary security concerns.
