Sierra+Leone+History

Sierra Leone History Below is a brief timeline of Sierra Leone's history. As you read, think about what it might be like to live there.....
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**1787** - British abolitionists and philanthropists establish a settlement in Freetown for repatriated and rescued slaves.

**1808** - Freetown settlement becomes crown colony.

**1961** - Sierra Leone becomes independent.

 **1971** - Sierra Leone declared a republic

**1978** - New constitution proclaims Sierra Leone a one-party state with the All People's Congress as the sole legal party.

 **1991** - Start of civil war. Former army corporal Foday Sankoh and his Revolutionary United Front (RUF) begin campaign against President Momoh

This is a photo of Foday Sankoh from [|LJ World]

**1991** September - New constitution providing for a multiparty system adopted.

 **1996** - Ahmad Tejan Kabbah elected president in February, signs peace accord with Sankoh's rebels in November. This is a photo of Ahmad Tejan Kabbah from [|Awareness Times]

**1997** - Peace deal unravels.

**1997** July - The Commonwealth suspends Sierra Leone.

**1997** October - The UN Security Council imposes sanctions against Sierra Leone, barring the supply of arms and petroleum products. A British company, Sandline, nonetheless supplies "logistical support", including rifles, to Kabbah allies.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**1998** February - Nigerian-led West African intervention force Ecomog storms Freetown and drives rebels out.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**1998** March - Kabbah makes a triumphant return to Freetown amid scenes of public rejoicing.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**1999** January - Rebels backing Revolutionary United Front leader Foday Sankoh seize parts of Freetown from Ecomog. After weeks of bitter fighting they are driven out, leaving behind 5,000 dead and a devastated city.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"> **1999** May - The UN intervenes. A ceasefire is greeted with cautious optimism in Freetown amid hopes that eight years of civil war may soon be over.

This is a photo of UN troops in Africa from [|The Telegraph]

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**1999** July - Six weeks of talks in the Togolese capital, Lome, result in a peace agreement, under which the rebels receive posts in government and assurances they will not be prosecuted for war crimes.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**1999** November/December - UN troops arrive to police the peace agreement - but one rebel leader, Sam Bokari, says they are not welcome. Meanwhile, Ecomog troops are attacked outside Freetown.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**2000** April/May - UN forces come under attack in the east of the country, but far worse is in store when first 50, then several hundred UN troops are abducted.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**2000** September - British forces mount operation to rescue remaining UK hostages.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**2001** January - Government postpones presidential and parliamentary elections - set for February and March - because of continuing insecurity.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**2001** March - UN troops for the first time begin to deploy peacefully in rebel-held territory.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**2001** May - Disarmament of rebels begins, and British-trained Sierra Leone army starts deploying in rebel-held areas.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"> **2004** March - UN-backed war crimes tribunal opens courthouse to try senior militia leaders from both sides of civil war.

**2004** May - First local elections in more than three decades.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;">**2004** June - War crimes trials begin.

**2005** December - The last UN peacekeeping troops leave Sierra Leone, marking the end of a five-year mission to restore order.

<span style="color: #464646; font-size: 110%; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"> **2010** September - UN Security Council lifts last remaining sanctions against Sierra Leone - an arms embargo and a travel ban for rebels.

The above information is from [|BBC News]