Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone performs in the mid-range across all four categories of the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) framework. However, it ranks among the top 25 per cent of countries in the world with regard to Participation. Compared to 2018, Sierra Leone has experienced significant declines in Credible Elections and Elected Government. It is a low-income country and its ranked among the lowest ten countries globally with regard to human development. The economy is principally dependent on subsistence agriculture and the mining and export of diamonds, gold, and iron ore.
Present-day Sierra Leone has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Bullom, Temne, and Limba and other groups. Portuguese voyagers in the 15th century commenced a trade in ivory and slaves. Islam arrived between the late 15th to early 17th centuries. Starting in 1787, former slaves arrived from the United Kingdom and the country eventually became a British protectorate in 1808. After independence in 1961, Sierra Leone gained some experience of democracy with a two-party system developing between the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC). A chaotic period followed in the 1960s with a series of coups and mutinies, before a one-party state was established in 1978 under the APC. During the subsequent decades, political oppression, poor state governance and corruption perpetuated poverty, inequality, and ethno-regionalism.
In the 1990s, the country suffered a brutal civil war (1991-2002) that claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced a third of the population. Fueled by control over the country’s diamond wealth and military assistance from Liberia, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and other armed groups sought to take control of the country. After the war, Sierra Leone saw a substantial increase in public safety and security and a return to multiparty democracy. Sierra Leonean politics has since been dominated by the APC and the SLPP, while smaller parties have limited followings. Since the contested parliamentary elections in June 2023, political tensions in the country has been high, culminating in allegations of a coup attempt in November 2023.
Ethno-regionalism is a key political cleavage in Sierra Leone, as the electorate tends to vote along ethnic lines. Survey research before the 2023 election found that inter-group tolerance may be waning while polarization is increasing. A small minority of Creoles, or Krios, continue to occupy a privileged position in society. Sierra Leone is also religiously diverse, with a Muslim majority and a Christian minority that generally coexist peacefully but occasionally experience tensions. While a landmark law on women’s rights was enacted in early 2023, women face widespread gender-based violence and hold few parliamentary seats. LGBTQIA+ people face pernicious discrimination, and consensual same-sex conduct is criminalized under a law that was inherited from the British during the colonial period. The country continues to struggle with some of the world’s poorest health outcomes and persistent deficiencies in the education sector. Many Sierra Leoneans face extreme poverty and hunger. Political corruption is widespread and reflected in citizen’s perception of their country.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch the country’s performance in Absence of Corruption, Basic Welfare, and Personal Integrity and Security, as the Sierra Leone continues to face significant governance and economic challenges, while also experiencing a rise in political violence. Additionally, the participation of opposition parties in the parliament was not assured after disputes relating to the 2023 election. In light of this, Effective Parliament and Free Political Parties should also be monitored.
(Last updated September 2024)
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
June 2024
Sierra Leone’s parliament passes legislation banning child marriage
On 20 June, Sierra Leone’s parliament passed a bill banning child marriage. Child marriage is a long-standing and widespread problem in the country, where 30 per cent of girls and 4 per cent of boys are married before the age of 18, with rates reported to be even higher in rural areas. Girls affected by the practice suffer a range of damaging impacts, including diminished access to education, health problems and greater vulnerability to domestic violence. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill criminalises marriage for anyone under the age of 18 and creates a number of related offences, including conducting a child marriage, promoting child marriage and attending a child marriage. Amongst other things, it also automatically voids child marriages contracted after the law’s enactment and provides for the safeguarding and care of child marriage victims. The bill was signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio on 2 July.
Sources: Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2024, Office of the First Lady, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, The State House
January 2024
Former president charged with treason following alleged coup attempt
On 3 January, four charges were filed against former president Ernest Bai Koroma, including treason, misprision of treason and the crime of “harbouring”. Charges were also filed against eleven others on the same day, including one person who had been a bodyguard to Mr. Koroma. The charges relate to an outbreak of violence in November 2023, in which hundreds of inmates were freed from the central prison in Freetown, and 18 members of the security services were killed. The government described the violence as an attempted coup d’état. The charges, and the allegations of an attempted coup, follow on from the disputed election result in June 2023, in which current President Julius Maada Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) was declared the winner of the elections (by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) over Dr Samura Kamara, the candidate of the All People’s Congress (APC), the party of former president Koroma. The election appeared to fall short of international standards for electoral integrity.
Sources: Africa News, British Broadcasting Corporation, Deutsche Welle
November 2023
Government declares attacks on barracks and prison a coup attempt
In what Sierra Leone’s Information Minister described as an attempted coup, on 26 November, gunmen in the country’s capital Freetown attacked military barracks and a prison before being overwhelmed by the security forces. On 28 November it was reported that 20 people had been killed in the fighting and that almost 2,000 inmates had escaped. The government blamed the attack on ‘renegade soldiers’ but did not identify the coup leaders. Political tensions in the country have been high since its disputed general election in June and in August a number of soldiers were arrested in connection with an alleged coup plot.
Sources: Africa Confidential, Politico SL, Reuters, British Broadcasting Corporation, The Sierra Leone Telegraph, The Africa Report
October 2023
Opposition party ends institutional boycott in deal with government
Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), has ended its boycott of the country’s governance institutions following an agreement struck with the government on 19 October. The APC began its boycott in the wake of the June general election, which it alleged had been rigged. The agreement was facilitated by the Independent Commission for Peace and Social Cohesion (ICPSC) and mediated by the Commonwealth, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. Under its terms the APC members agreed to take up their seats in parliament and local councils in exchange for an end to the detentions and court cases that it claims are politically motivated. The parties also agreed to set up a cross-party committee to review the June election with development partners. The committee’s recommendations will be actionable and implementable. APC members of parliament were sworn in on 7 November.
Sources: The Sierra Leone Telegraph, Barrons, Africa News, Associated Press News, Economic Community of West African States, Politico SL
See all event reports for this country
Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2023
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
State party
Signatory
No action
Performance by category over the last 6 months
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time
