Yearbook 2010
Sierra Leone. The UN Security Council in September
repealed the remaining sanctions that have been directed at
Sierra Leone since the civil war in the 1990s. The country
is allowed to buy weapons again and no leading persons are
prevented from traveling abroad. The UN commended the
progress made and stated that the government has full
control over its territory. At the same time, the mandate
was extended by another year for UNIPSIL, the UN
organization that helps Sierra Leone to strengthen human
rights, democracy and the rule of law and to fight
corruption.
According to
COUNTRYAAH,
Sierra Leone has a population of 7.65 million (2018). President Ernest Bai Koroma held a high profile in the
fight against corruption. In January, he summoned several
corruptly suspected ministers and senior civil servants and
threatened them with dismissal. Shortly thereafter, he
forced the fisheries minister to resign after being accused
of abuse of power by the anti-corruption authority. Later in
the year, the head of the central tax authority, his wife
and three other persons were also indicted for extensive
corruption.
In July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) made the
first disbursement of a three-year US $ 45 million loan
intended to support infrastructure expansion and strengthen
the financial system. Sierra Leone has reason to look with
some optimism for the future. The country has large reserves
of diamonds, gold and oil that can be properly utilized to
help alleviate poverty. In the first half of the year,
diamonds were exported for USD 51 million, an increase of 43
percent compared to the same period in 2009.
A ten-day strike among health care workers in March ended
with the president agreeing to raise their salaries by 500
percent. In April it was also announced that the state will
provide free care for pregnant and breastfeeding women and
children under five. Many lives are expected to be saved.
The maternal and infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone is
among the highest in the world.
|
