Today in History | Sierra Leone Granted Independence from the UK (1961)

[TFD]

[attachimg=1 align=left] The capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, was founded on the coast of West Africa by British abolitionists in 1787 as a haven for freed and runaway slaves. It became a British colony in 1808, and the region became a British protectorate in 1896. It achieved independence in 1961 and became a republic 10 years later, but with independence came a series of military coups. An 11-year civil war marked by horrific atrocities further devastated the country and ended in 2002.

[attachimg=2 align=left]What has occurred since then?



Source: Free Dictionary Encylopedia.