November 23

• Sierra Leone: Closure in Dutch Murder Case Opens Old Wounds

  In 1999, the rape and killing of a 16-year-old girl in a quiet rural area of the Netherlands had many rushing to blame the residents of a nearby asylum seekers centre for the... Read more »

October 24

• Sierra Leone: Poaching Threatens Fishing

  Living in a country with a 70 percent youth unemployment rate, fishing along the long Atlantic Coast is one of the few options left for Sierra Leonian youth in terms of work. But... Read more »

September 3

• Sierra Leone: Africans Going Dutch - Part 41

  The Dutch will save for tomorrow and the day after. They are like cows living in the wild, always grazing in a hurry out of fear that predators attack them. Later, at a more... Read more »

August 31

• Sierra Leone: A War Victim, Now a Paralympic Hero

  Mohamed Kamara was only 4 when he was captured and his arm cut off by rebel fighters during Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war, which ended just over 10 years ago. Systematic... Read more »

June 4

• Sierra Leone: World-Class Pianist Unlocks the Rhythm At Freetown Jail

  Concert pianist Panos Karan has played to a sold-out Carnegie Hall three times. He's played in villages along the Amazon River twice and for communities hit by last year's tsunami... Read more »

May 31

• Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor to Serve 50 Years

  Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for "some of the most heinous crimes recorded in human history" following a hearing at the Special... Read more »

May 17

• Sierra Leone: Why Sierra Leone Calls Me Back [opinion]

  A once newcomer to the Netherlands becomes a critical insider as he contemplates life, death and repatriation. Read more »

May 4

• Africa: The Real Invisible Children - Female Child Soldiers

  The plight of child soldiers in Africa has grabbed the headlines in recent weeks, first with the 'Kony 2012' video from the Invisible Children pressure group, and this week with... Read more »

April 30

• Sierra Leone: The Taylor Verdict - Victory for Justice? [analysis]

  Right. Can we just step away from the euphoria for a little while? Charles Taylor has been declared 'guilty' for having aided and abetted murder, rape, the use of child soldiers,... Read more »

April 26

• Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor Found Guilty on War Crimes Charges

  In a tense courtroom in The Hague today, Charles Taylor became the first former president to be convicted by a modern international tribunal. He will be sentenced on 30 May. Read more »

April 25

• West Africa: Liberians On Edge As They Await Charles Taylor Verdict

  Judgment Day looms. Six years on, and former Liberian president Charles Taylor is about to learn his fate. What do his compatriots have to say? Read more »

• Sierra Leone: Taylor Trial Stirs up Cordoned-Off Past

  Charles Ghankay Taylor awaits the dubious honour of becoming the first former head of state to be judged before an international criminal tribunal. Read more »

January 17

• Sierra Leone: Police Quell By-Election Riot

  Police used live bullets and tear gas to quell rioting between followers of Sierra Leone's ruling party and opposition where several people suffered stab wounds, police and... Read more »

• Sierra Leone: Blair Says Nation Has 'Much to Celebrate'

  When Sierra Leone's brutal civil war was declared over in January 2002, Britain's then-prime minister Tony Blair was welcomed as a hero for the role his troops played in pushing... Read more »

December 13, 2011

• Sierra Leone: Govt Lifts Ban On Political Rallies

  Police in Sierra Leone on Tuesday announced an end to a three-month ban on political rallies which was imposed after clashes between supporters of the ruling party and opposition... Read more »

December 7, 2011

• Sierra Leone: Understanding the Sounds of Freetown [opinion]

  As I sit on my flight back to Sierra Leone from a visit to Ghana, a Nigerian trader sitting next to me starts cursing about Freetown. "This place is such a noise! When I come to... Read more »

November 9, 2011

• Sierra Leone: Local Political, Church Leaders Oppose Same-Sex Marriage

  Sierra Leone's political and Church leaders on Tuesday ruled out legalising same-sex marriages in the West African state, after a British threat to cut aid to nations not... Read more »

October 19, 2011

• Sierra Leone: Govt Warns Against Use of Ex-Fighters Ahead of 2012 Vote

  Sierra Leone's national security bureau on Tuesday warned of a "violent" threat posed by politicians using former fighters in the nation's decade-long civil war ahead of 2012... Read more »

September 28, 2011

• Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor Trial Draws to Close [interview]

  The judgement in the high-profile trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor is expected within months. Read more »

July 18, 2011

• West Africa: Mercenaries Threaten Ivorian-Liberian Border, Say Leaders

  West Africa leaders have requested the military assistance of the UN and ECOWAS, the regional political union, to improve monitoring of the Liberia-Ivory Coast border, which they... Read more »