History of Sierra Leone Timeline

In 1951 the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) was formed under Milton Margai, followed by the All People's Congress (APC) in 1960 led by Siaka Stevens, laying the groundwork for competitive electoral politics ahead of independence.

Image source: Sierra Leone People's Party

A series of constitutional advances gave Sierra Leone ministerial government in 1953 and full internal self-government in 1958, culminating in the London constitutional conference of 1960 which set a date for independence.

Sir Milton Margai led Sierra Leone to independence within the Commonwealth on April 27, 1961, serving as its first prime minister until his death in 1964. He was celebrated for his moderate leadership and nation-building efforts.

Image source: Milton Margai

Sir Albert Margai succeeded his brother Milton as prime minister in 1964. His tenure was marked by growing authoritarianism, favoritism toward the Mende, and increasing political tension with the opposition APC.

APC leader Siaka Stevens won the closely contested 1967 election, but a military coup prevented him from taking office. After a counter-coup in April 1968, Stevens was finally installed as prime minister, beginning decades of APC dominance.

Image source: Siaka Stevens

On April 19, 1971, Sierra Leone became a republic with Siaka Stevens as executive president. Over the following years he consolidated power, suppressing opposition and moving toward a one-party state.

In 1978 a new constitution made the APC the sole legal party, formalizing single-party rule. Stevens governed until 1985, presiding over widespread corruption and economic decline despite the country's mineral wealth.

Image source: All People's Congress

Stevens handpicked Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh as his successor in 1985. Momoh's weak presidency saw continued corruption, economic collapse, and mounting grievances among youth and soldiers, setting the stage for civil war.

Image source: Joseph Saidu Momoh

On March 23, 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led by Foday Sankoh and backed by Liberian warlord Charles Taylor, invaded eastern Sierra Leone, igniting a brutal eleven-year civil war marked by massacres and mutilations.

Image source: Sierra Leone Civil War

In April 1992, young army captain Valentine Strasser ousted Momoh, establishing the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC). The junta fought the RUF but struggled with indiscipline and economic crisis before being ousted itself in 1996.

Image source: Valentine Strasser

In March 1996, Sierra Leone held multiparty elections and Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP became president. His first term was cut short when he signed the Abidjan Accord with the RUF in November 1996, a peace deal that soon collapsed.

Image source: Ahmad Tejan Kabbah

Major Johnny Paul Koroma's Armed Forces Revolutionary Council seized power in May 1997 and allied with the RUF, unleashing terror on civilians. A West African intervention force (ECOMOG) drove the junta from Freetown in February 1998, restoring Kabbah.

Signed in Togo on July 7, 1999, the Lomé Peace Accord granted the RUF amnesty and government posts, including the vice presidency for Foday Sankoh, and mandated a UN peacekeeping force. The deal proved fragile as rebels continued fighting.

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) deployed beginning in October 1999, eventually becoming one of the largest UN peacekeeping operations. Despite setbacks including hostage-taking by the RUF in 2000, it helped stabilize the country.

Image source: United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone

When RUF fighters advanced toward Freetown and seized UN peacekeepers in May 2000, Britain launched Operation Palliser, deploying troops to secure the airport and stabilize the capital. RUF leader Foday Sankoh was captured shortly afterward.

Image source: British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War

Ceasefire agreements signed in Abuja in late 2000 led to the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of more than 70,000 combatants, effectively ending hostilities by January 2002 and paving the way for formal peace.

President Kabbah formally declared the war over on January 18, 2002. The conflict had killed some 50,000 people and displaced millions, leaving Sierra Leone ranked among the world's least developed countries.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone, a hybrid tribunal backed by the UN, prosecuted those bearing greatest responsibility for wartime atrocities. In 2012 it convicted Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor, the first head of state convicted by an international court since Nuremberg.

Image source: Special Court for Sierra Leone

The TRC published its final report in October 2004, documenting the causes of the war and abuses by all sides, recommending reforms and reparations as part of the country's postwar healing process.

Opposition APC candidate Ernest Bai Koroma won the 2007 presidential election and was inaugurated in September, winning re-election in 2012. His tenure focused on infrastructure development but ended amid controversy over the Ebola response and constitutional term limits.

Image source: Ernest Bai Koroma

Sierra Leone suffered severely in the 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic, recording around 14,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths. The outbreak devastated health systems and the economy before being contained in 2016.

Image source: Ebola virus epidemic in Guinea

On August 14, 2017, heavy rains triggered mudslides on Sugar Loaf mountain in Regent, near Freetown, killing over 400 people and destroying hundreds of homes, highlighting risks from deforestation and unplanned urbanization.

Image source: 2017 Sierra Leone mudslides

Former junta leader Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP narrowly won the runoff presidential election in March 2018 and was sworn in on April 4, 2018, succeeding Ernest Bai Koroma and launching programs including free secondary education.

Image source: Julius Maada Bio