The slave trade began in the late 16th century. In the late 18th century, the first freed slaves from Britain arrived in Sierra Leone. In 1808, Sierra Leone became a British Crown Colony. 70,000 freed slaves resettled in Sierra Leone during the 19th century, but the slave trade did not come to an end until 1865.

In 1961, Sierra Leone obtained independence from Britain, and a decade later, it became a republic. Economic mismanagement, stagnation and massive corruption have plagued Sierra Leone ever since.

Coup
The 1990s have been marred by coups and war. In 1992, the elected but highly unpopular president, Major General Joseph Momoh was overthrown by a group of young military officers, led by 26-year-old Captain Valentine Strasser. The coup leaders soon became as fond of the good life as their predecessor, and people, particularly in the provinces, turned against the coup. The military regime quickly lost international credibility and financial support.

Civil War
The civil war began in 1991, when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) entered the country from Liberia to overthrow one-party rule. The RUF is led by Foday Sankoh, a former corporal in the Sierra Leone Army. Lacking a clear ideology, the RUF seems to be driven by a desire to gain access to the country's diamond and mineral wealth.

In 1996, Captain Strasser was himself overthrown. A few months later, multi-party elections were held and won by Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. He pledged to end the war, and in late 1996, Kabbah's government signed a peace agreement with the RUF. But the "Abidjan Agreement" – which called for a cease-fire, disarmament and demobilisation – was broken a few months later.

A little over a year after his election, President Kabbah was also overthrown, in a coup led by Army Major Johnny Paul Koroma. Kabbah fled to neighbouring Guinea and began to lobby the international community to condemn the coup. West African nations imposed an almost total embargo, and the United Nations Security Council adopted mandatory sanctions. In 1997, Nigerian troops moved into Sierra Leone to reinforce the soldiers of ECOMOG, the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group. In 1998, President Kabbah and the rebels signed an agreement, which the rebels soon underminded. Fighting broke out, and by late 1998, the rebels controlled over half the country, including the areas rich in resources.

1999 - On January 6th,RUF/AFRC rebels enter Freetown. They are expelled 3 weeks later by ECOMOG. The government and the rebels sign a ceasefire in May and a formal peace accord in July.

Home
Human Rights Watch Report Sierra Leone's Unjust Peace
Amnesty International Report Us mission to aid Sierra Leone
MSF Report Torture Victims Center
chronology Truth and Reconciliation Commission
BBC : Rape, mutilation continue