Vol 48 No 25 | SIERRA LEONE With a little help from his friends 14th December 2007 Election fever is over and President Koroma must start to deliver With new promises of debt relief, road-building deals, new power stations and Chinese credit, President Ernest Bai Koroma's government has been buoyed by overseas support since his election...
Vol 48 No 24 | SIERRA LEONE Koroma's Christmas present 30th November 2007 Two months after his election, life for Sierra Leone's new President Ernest Bai Koroma has been full of pageantry and confusion. Three hours late for his own inauguration,...
Vol 48 No 21 | SIERRA LEONE The new man picks his team 19th October 2007 President Koroma wants to run the country as a business, but its managers are mostly politicians Sierra Leone's promised turnaround is beginning to take shape. Incoming President Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) has appointed 20 ministers to his new cabinet....
Vol 48 No 19 | SIERRA LEONE A clean sweep, maybe 21st September 2007 A peaceful transfer of power bodes well for serious reform and fresh aid for a broken country Sierra Leone joined an African elite on Monday when its opposition party was voted into power. Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People’s Congress (APC) becomes President, with...
Vol 48 No 18 | SIERRA LEONE A turn for the worse 7th September 2007 Praised for their peaceful and credible conduct at first, the elections turned violent when rivals clashed a week before the presidential runoff on 8 September.
Vol 48 No 17 | SIERRA LEONE Doing good, not doing well 24th August 2007 Reforms and the inflow of money have helped the ruling party more than the people A decade ago, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was driven from power and Sierra Leone was gripped by a military junta. The entire region faced destabilisation. Troops were sent...
Vol 48 No 17 | SIERRA LEONE Closer and more credible 24th August 2007 The presidential and parliamentary elections on 11 August have turned out to be closer and more credible than expected. Now they will be decided in a run-off vote...
Vol 48 No 17 | SIERRA LEONE Breaking the political mould 24th August 2007 Horse-trading aside, front running presidential candidate Ernest Bai Koroma and the People's Movement for Democratic Change's (PMDC) Charles Margai say their alliance will produce an inclusive government offering...
Vol 48 No 16 | SIERRA LEONE The first-round fight 3rd August 2007 The governing party may be on its way out and the campaign seems to be turning nasty Solomon Berewa wants a first-round victory on 11 August. As more than 2.6 million Sierra Leoneans prepare to elect a new president and 112 members of parliament, the...
Vol 48 No 16 | SIERRA LEONE Personal not proportional 3rd August 2007 In these elections, the proportional representation system is replaced by voting in first-past-the-post constituencies. This makes personalities more important and increases the sway of paramount chiefs, almost all...
Vol 48 No 15 | SIERRA LEONE Justice at a price 20th July 2007 The court that is trying Sierra Leone's war-crimes is costly and, so far, not very effective The Special Court for Sierra Leone is well past its sell-by date. Intended to last only three years, until 2005, the SCSL now aims to wind up at...
Vol 48 No 15 | SIERRA LEONE Judging the judges 20th July 2007 By local standards, the 13 judges serving on the Sierra Leone Special Court are well paid. Critics say this explains why the trials are dragging on.
Vol 48 No 10 | SIERRA LEONE Vote later, vote often 11th May 2007 The governing Sierra Leone People's Party is coming under fire for postponing this year's elections, which its candidate, incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa, is expected to win.
Vol 48 No 8 | SIERRA LEONE Aid and votes 13th April 2007 Proper politics begins again, as the country lurches towards elections and a referendum The key political issue at stake is how well President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has managed the post-war transition. He pledged to bring political stability and economic recovery and...
Vol 48 No 8 | SIERRA LEONE Kabbah in a hurry 13th April 2007 If President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has his way, Sierra Leoneans will be voting for a revised constitution as well as a new government this year.
Vol 48 No 5 | SIERRA LEONE Hinga's death hits home 2nd March 2007 The loss of its main defendant further weakens the slow and costly Special Court The death of Chief Sam Hinga Norman, former Defence Minister and leader of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF), is a hammer blow to the Special Court of Sierra...
Vol 48 No 5 | SIERRA LEONE A rare soldiering success 2nd March 2007 Security in Sierra Leone has been managed much better than the economy and politics. A British-led international training team has sharply improved the professionalism and dependability of the...