Vol 48 No 16 | SIERRA LEONE Personal not proportional 3rd August 2007 In these elections, the proportional representation system is replaced by voting in first-past-the-post constituencies. This makes personalities more important and increases the sway of paramount chiefs, almost all...
Vol 48 No 15 | SIERRA LEONE Justice at a price 20th July 2007 The court that is trying Sierra Leone's war-crimes is costly and, so far, not very effective The Special Court for Sierra Leone is well past its sell-by date. Intended to last only three years, until 2005, the SCSL now aims to wind up at...
Vol 48 No 15 | SIERRA LEONE Judging the judges 20th July 2007 By local standards, the 13 judges serving on the Sierra Leone Special Court are well paid. Critics say this explains why the trials are dragging on.
Vol 48 No 10 | SIERRA LEONE Vote later, vote often 11th May 2007 The governing Sierra Leone People's Party is coming under fire for postponing this year's elections, which its candidate, incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa, is expected to win.
Vol 48 No 8 | SIERRA LEONE Aid and votes 13th April 2007 Proper politics begins again, as the country lurches towards elections and a referendum The key political issue at stake is how well President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has managed the post-war transition. He pledged to bring political stability and economic recovery and...
Vol 48 No 8 | SIERRA LEONE Kabbah in a hurry 13th April 2007 If President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has his way, Sierra Leoneans will be voting for a revised constitution as well as a new government this year.
Vol 48 No 5 | SIERRA LEONE Hinga's death hits home 2nd March 2007 The loss of its main defendant further weakens the slow and costly Special Court The death of Chief Sam Hinga Norman, former Defence Minister and leader of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF), is a hammer blow to the Special Court of Sierra...
Vol 48 No 5 | SIERRA LEONE A rare soldiering success 2nd March 2007 Security in Sierra Leone has been managed much better than the economy and politics. A British-led international training team has sharply improved the professionalism and dependability of the...
Vol 47 No 12 | SIERRA LEONE The signs are rusting 9th June 2006 Politicians compete to lead a government with big changes to make At the Lumley Beach roundabout, the bar sign that said 'Sweet Salone 2025' has rusted over and nearly collapsed, leaving only Sweet Sal. With the other places of...
Vol 47 No 8 | SIERRA LEONE Courting disaster 14th April 2006 Arrogance and ineptitude may allow the warlords to get away with murder When Liberia's ex-President Charles Ghankay Taylor finally arrived at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, he joined nine other indicted war criminals, both rebel commanders whom he is...