A country is a mine of two of the most expensive minerals: diamonds and gold, but for years it has been among the poorest countries in the world. Civil war and coups have destroyed it, not only local forces, however the presidents of neighboring countries have been involved in the war, but they have finally had to rewrite the story of peace. This is the story of Sierra Leone. Around 1787, a British army regiment settled in the north of the Sierra Leone peninsula to fight slavery, but the nature of the place aroused the interest of the British. In 1896, they declared Sierra Leone a British protectorate. This is where the conflict began and the consequences continue to this day.
“Britain: Division and Chaos”
During their occupation, the British resorted to dividing Sierra Leone into small principalities to control them indirectly, and entrusted the power of the principalities to the most prominent known tribal chiefs, especially those who wished the presidency to be hereditary forever. After the partition of the country, the British began to sow the seeds of discrimination, encouraging competition among prominent leaders and supporting the ruling families to deepen their conflicts. However, they unnoticed the violations of the tribal chiefs, their excesses in taxes and forced labor, and the exclusion of important groups such as youth and women from the public sphere, spreading tensions in the villages. This policy made them put all their anger and grievances on their feet and being ready for any act of violence.
“The Republic of Poverty and Diamonds”
The Republic of Sierra Leone is a small country in West Africa, on the Atlantic coast, covering an area of about (71,740) square kilometers, rich in natural resources such as diamonds, gold, iron, fish, coffee and cocoa, while it was classified as one of the poorest countries in the world.
Sierra Leone is bordered by Kenya to the north and Liberia to the southeast. The most important cities in Sierra Leone are Koido, Uyo and Kenma. Sierra Leone is named after a Portuguese traveler named Pedro Cintra, who gave it the name from the words Sierra and Leon, meaning peak and Leon, meaning lion peak.
“Development and Litigation”
After the end of the war in 2002, Sierra Leone’s economy gradually began to recover, with GDP growth of 7.4 percent in 2008, but despite its wealth, Sierra Leone is still one of the poorest countries.
Under UN Security Council Resolution No 1315 of 2000, the establishment of an international tribunal for Sierra Leone was announced in 2002 to sentence those who have committed crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone, especially leaders, including foreigners. In April 2012, the court charged former Liberian President Charles Taylor with 11 counts of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity, rape, murder, and arming children during the civil war in Sierra Leone. His trial lasted five years and he was eventually sentenced to fifty years in prison.
