About Sierra Leone

 

    The civil war in Sierra Leone lasted from 1991 to 2002 and resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about a third of the population). The military took over responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 and 2012 national elections but still look to the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.

 
   According to the 2008 census, the diverse ethnic population of Sierra Leone is as follows: Temne 35 percent, Mende 31 percent, Limba 8 percent, Kono 5percent, Kriole 2 percent (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), Mandingo 2 percent, Loko 2 percent, other 15 percent (includes refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians).

    The median age is nineteen years. Life expectancy at birth is fifty-seven years.