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A Long Way Gone:Sierra Leone BackgroundWrite the information in GREEN!
Sierra Leone Profile! Full Name: Republic of SierraLeone! Population: 5.7 million (2009)! Capital: Freetown! Major Languages: English, Krio,and various African languages.! Major Religions: Islam andChristianity! Monetary Unit: Leone! Major Exports: Diamonds, Rutile,Cocoa, Coffee, and Fish
History of Sierra Leone! Sierra Leone: Name means “LionMountains”! 1462: Portuguese explorers arrive inSierra Leone, which was also alreadyoccupied by several African tribes thathad migrated to the area.! 1500s-1700s: Traders stopped in SierraLeone to exchange cloth and metalgoods for ivory, timber, and slaves.*Abolitionists later help slavesreturn to Africa in what is now the“Province of Freedom” or Freetownin Sierra Leone. They came to becalled Krio.
History of Sierra Leone! 1808: Sierra Leone became a Britishcrown colony! 1839: Slaves aboard the Amistad revolt tosecure their freedom. Their leader isSengbe Pieh (Joseph Cinque), a youngMende from Sierra Leone.! 1951: A constitution is enacted by theBritish to begin the process ofdecolonization (or when a colonybecomes self-governing)! April 27, 1961: Sierra Leone becomesindependent with Sir Milton Margai asits first prime minister.Sir Milton MargaiSengbe Pieh(Joseph Cinque)
History of Sierra Leone! 1971: Sierra Leone was declared arepublic, and Siaka Stevens becameexecutive president.! 1978: Sierra Leone became a oneparty state with the All People’sCongress as the sole legal party.! 1985: Stevens retired and appointedMajor General Joseph Saidu Momohthe next president. Momoh’s APCrule was marked by increased abuseof power.Siaka Stevens
Civil War in Sierra Leone! March 1991: The RevolutionaryUnited Front (RUF) began attackingvillages in eastern Sierra Leone.*Goal: To rid the country of theAPC government* Rebel leader: Foday Sankoh! April 1992: The National ProvisionalRuling Council (NPRC) wasestablished, but it proved to be asineffective as the APC at repellingthe RUF.! 1995: The RUF held much of thecountryside in their control.
Civil War in Sierra Leone! 1996-2000: Sierra Leone tries variouscampaigns to stop the RUF,including signing a peace deal in1996 that unraveled in 1997.! 1999: The United Nations finallybecame involved in the effort todisarm the rebels! 2001: A second peace agreement wassigned that allowed disarmament tobegin as the government regainedauthority in rebel-held areas.! January 2002: President AhmadTejan Kabbah (elected in 1996)declared the civil war officially over.
Recovery in Sierra Leone! 2002: British troops left Sierra Leoneand President Kabbah is reelected.! Summer 2002: A Sierra Leone SpecialCourt begins holding a series of warcrimes trials that lasted until 2006.! 2003: Rebel leader Foday Sankohdied.! Many child soldiers, like IshmaelBeah, also had to begin a personalhealing process to restore their senseof humanity and to forgivethemselves.
Ishmael Beah! At 15, UNICEF removed Beah fromfighting and helped him beginrehabilitating.! In 1998 he moved to the U.S. andfinished high school. He graduatedfrom Oberlin College in 2004.! He is a member of the HumanRights Watch Children’s RightsDivision Advisory Committee andspeaks on behalf of children affectedby war.! He began the Ishmael BeahFoundation to help former childsoldiers.
The Diamond Trade in Sierra Leone! During the civil war in Sierra Leone,people who purchased diamonds inthe West unknowingly funded themission of Foday Sankoh and theRUF! These diamonds came to be knownas “blood diamonds” or “conflictdiamonds”! These diamonds were specificallymined in war zones of Africa to fundthe invading army’s efforts.! Liberia would trade weapons andtraining to Sierra Leone in exchangeof their diamonds.
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme! Created in 2002 to control the flowblood diamonds.! A Kimberley Certification must bepresented by a gems owner before itcan leave the country.! This forces the government to keeptrack of the diamonds they areimporting and exporting and theirvalue.
Blood Diamonds in the U.S.! Executive Order 13194 ( Jan 2001)and 13213 (May 2001) specifically banthe importation of rough diamondsfrom Sierra Leone and Liberia.! Clean Diamond Trade Act (2003):U.S. recognizes that as a majorconsumer of diamonds, it has aresponsibility to severe its ties to anydiamond trade that funds war andconflict.! This was crucial to the success ofthe KPCS.
A Long Way Gone: Sierra Leone Background Write the information in GREEN! Sierra Leone Profile ! Full Name: Republic of Sierra Leone ! Population: 5.7 million (2009) ! Capital: Freetown ! Major Languages: English, Krio, and va
