Sierra Leone: Background
The British Government founded Sierra Leone in the late 18th century after Britain outlawed slave trade. British sailors were sent to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to intercept American ships that were transporting slaves from southwest Africa. These rescued slaves were then taken to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. There are two ethnic groups present in Sierra Leone, the Mende and the Temne. The British officials that were in-charge of running the colony did not allow Sierra Leoneans to assist in the government. Because of this on April 27, 1961 when Sierra Leone declared independence from Britain they had no idea how to run a “healthy” country. The country inherited a poor economy considering Britain had taken most of the money from diamonds that were mined in Sierra Leone. Also, Sierra Leoneans worried about creating a successful nation with such a diversity of people. Sierra Leone had 30% Muslim, 30% indigenous religion, and 10% Christian. Sierra Leoneans were poorly educated on how to run a country and were then handed a poor country to run, these were some causes of the war.