Foundation Islamic Union
Sierra Leone
Official name: Republic of Sierra Leone (SL)
Capital city : Freetown
Important cities: 3 provinces and regions; East, North, South, West Bo, Kemema,
Makeni, Koldu.
Area: 71,740 km²
Population : 8,160,000 (2021)[1]
Ethnicity: African tribe 90%, (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole
10%, Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, Iranians.
Language: English, Mende language, Temne language, Krio language.
Religion: Muslim 60%, local beliefs 30%, Christian 10%.
Geography: It is located in West Africa, on the North Atlantic coast, between Guinea and Liberia. It has a tropical climate.
Mode of Government: Presidential Republic
Political Parties: Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), All People's Congress (APC) and People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC).
History: Like its neighbour Liberia, it was founded by freed African slaves (1791). After a British protectorate, it became independent in 1961. Sierra Leone's colonial past was not peaceful. The indigenous population organised a series of unsuccessful uprisings against British rule and Krio domination. Independence finally came in April 1961 and Sierra Leone opted for a parliamentary system within the British Commonwealth. The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), headed by Sir Milton, led to the first general election for independence in May 1962. In 1964, Sir Milton died and his half-brother Sir Albert Margai became Prime Minister.
In contested elections in March 1967, the All People's Congress (APC) won a majority in parliament. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, a diplomat who had worked at the UN for more than 20 years, won the presidential elections. This was the first time that parliamentary elections had been held under the proportional representation system, because of the prevailing war conditions.
However, on 25 May 1997 the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), then led by Major Johnny Paul Koroma, overthrew the government of President Kabbah and invited the RUF to join the government. 10 months later in March 1998 Nigerian-led ECOMOG forces in office overthrew the AFRC junta and President Kabbah re-established the democratically elected government in January 1999.
In May 2002 President Kabbah was re-elected for a 5-year term in a landslide victory for the SLPP. The RUF political wing, the RUFP, failed to win a single seat in parliament. The elections were marred by allegations of irregularities and fraud, but did not affect the outcome. On 28 July 2002, the British withdrew a 200-strong military contingent that had been in the country since the summer of 2000, leaving behind a 105-strong military training team to work on professionalising the British Sierra Leonean army. In November 2002, following the expiry of the UNAMSIL mandate, UN peacekeeping force Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) established a UN Integrated Office.
Internal Problems: As a result of the civil war instigated and condoned by the Western colonialists, it has become very poor. During the civil war, children were forcibly recruited as soldiers by the rebels, and the hands and feet of thousands of children and young people who refused to be soldiers were cut off. There are thousands of handless and footless cripples in the country.
Islamism in the country: Today, the vast majority of the country's population is Muslim, making it one of the countries where Islam has spread most rapidly in the last two centuries. According to 2015 estimates, 78 per cent of the country's population is Muslim. The vast majority are Sunni and Maliki.
Economy: The economy of Sierra Leone, which is rich in minerals, is generally based on the mining sector. Diamonds are particularly important. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the rate of economic growth slowed due to a decline in the mining sector and increasing corruption among government officials. In the 1990s, economic activity declined and the country's economic infrastructure deteriorated seriously. Sierra Leone's economy was destroyed in several civil wars. After the hostilities in January 2002, Sierra Leone has entered a period of recovery with the major impact of foreign aid. In 2009 the Bumbuna Dam hydroelectric project and a 10 megawatt thermal power generating machine assembly line from Japan alleviated chronic power outages.
Since 2007, the Government of Sierra Leone has placed emphasis on three programmes. These are infrastructure improvement, free health programme for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children. Poverty has declined. In November 2009, the government's focus on agriculture, which employs more than half of the labour force, initiated anti-corruption efforts. About two-thirds of the population, accounting for 49 per cent of national income, depends on agriculture for its livelihood. The government is working to increase production of food and cash crops and to upgrade the skills of small farmers. The government is working with many foreign countries, including the United States, to study integrated rural development and agricultural projects.
Currency: Leone (LE)
National Income per Capita: 542 USD[2]
Export products: Diamonds, cocoa, coffee, fish.
Export partners: Belgium 38%, USA 6%, Italy 4%, UK 4% (1999)
Imports: $145 million (2000)
Import products: Foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and oils, chemicals
Import partners: UK 34%, USA 8%, Italy 7%, Nigeria 5% (1999)
Industry: Mining, small-scale industrial enterprises (soft drinks, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), oil refining
Energy: Electricity production: 240 million kWh (1999)
Electricity consumption: 223.2 million kWh (1999)
Transport: Railways, 84 km; Roads, 11,300 km (1997); Waterways, 800 km; Waterways, Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel; Airports, 11 (2000); Heliports, 1 (2000).
Education: Literacy rate: 31.4
Natural Resources: Diamonds, titanium, bauxite, iron, gold, chromium.)
International Organisations and Institutions: OIC[3], ACP (African - Caribbean - Pacific Countries), AfDB (African Development Bank), CCC (Customs Cooperation Council)
[1] www.ticaret.gov.tr (Accessed November-2021)
[2] www.ticaret.gov.tr (November-2021 Access)
[3] www.oic-oci.org
