Sierra Leone - 41.61
119
Underdeveloped but rapidly developing
As the world was celebrating the turn of the millennium, Sierra Leone was in the midst of one of the bloodiest wars in modern history. The war would not end until 2002, and it would take longer than that for the country to restabilize. That was twenty-one short years ago. While Sierra Leone’s development is far from an economic miracle, the country's steps towards government stability are nothing short of miraculous. While other nations further removed from comparable wars continue to languish under mismanaged authoritarian regimes, Sierra Leone is a fairly advanced democracy. Additionally, Sierra Leone is generally open to free discussion and criticism of the government. While the human rights situation in the country is far from ideal, it is a far cry from the depravity of the country’s civil war. This is not to say that the modern Sierra Leone is without problems. The country suffers from a very high poverty rate. Sierra Leone’s life expectancy is below sixty years, in part due to the country’s struggles with malaria and HIV/AIDS, and in the recent past, ebola. Less than a fifth of the country has access to clean, running water, and the country has almost no healthcare infrastructure of any kind. While Sierra Leone’s predicament is not unique, its recovery is rivalled by few, spelling a bright future for the West African nation.
Human Rights - 41
Sierra Leone has functionally abolished the death penalty; the last execution was carried out in 1998. A riot in Pemba Prison led to the deaths of thirty inmates. Guards used live ammo after prisoners took hostages, resulting in the deaths of thirty inmates and one guard, who was a hostage killed by friendly fire. Most arbitrary or unlawful killings by security forces were investigated, some resulting in convictions. Riot control tactics in Sierra Leone were brutal with some regularity. Riot police regularly suppressed protests with excessive force. Peaceful demonstrations held illegally were regularly broken up with tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons. Prison conditions in the country are awful, with prisons at 160% capacity throughout the year. The Freetown Male Correctional Center was of particular note as it was at 434% capacity throughout the year. Prisoners lacked adequate access to food, potable water, medical facilities, and sanitation facilities. Pretrial detainees were regularly held with convicts and cells lacked adequate ventilation and bedding with prisoners often forced to sleep on bare floors. Detainees were subject to lengthy pretrial detention times. Arrest procedures were sometimes ignored and these cases were not thrown out of court. Some opposition figures were arbitrarily arrested and released shortly thereafter. Homosexuality is punishable by penal servitude for life, though this law goes unenforced. Abortion is absolutely illegal.
Democracy - 76
The president and parliament are directly elected. Elections are free and fair but they are consistently marred by allegations of vote-buying and voter intimidation. Even winning parties regularly accuse their opponents of vote-buying. Despite this, however, Sierra Leone’s democracy is one of the best managed in Africa. Opposition candidates frequently face intimidation or arbitrary detention, often being arrested and released without charge shortly thereafter. Sierra Leone has a high bar for candidate participation. A law requires public employees to resign twelve months before elections, favoring members of large parties. Sierra Leone is under a two-party system, with politics dominated by the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (ALP). The presidency and parliamentary majority has been held by one of these two parties since the end of the civil war.
Freedom - 61
Sierra Leone maintains criminal libel and sedition charges that currently go unenforced. These laws have been previously used to silence government critics and Sierra Leonean journalists still practice a degree of self-censorship. Sierra Leonean authorities have been accused of monitoring social media, though the government does not make arrests based on social media posts. Riot control tactics in Sierra Leone were brutal with some regularity. Riot police regularly suppressed protests with excessive force. Sierra Leonean drug laws are generally unenforced and Sierra Leone is a major part of the African Cocaine Run. Sierra Leonean gun laws are ambiguous but generally unenforced, and illegal guns are very easy to obtain as a result of the civil war.
Economy - 5
Health - -3
Sierra Leone has a life expectancy of 55 years and an infant mortality rate of 7.2%. 8.7% of Sierra Leoneans are obese and 10% are malnourished. Sierra Leone has virtually zero healthcare whatsoever and there are very few hospitals outside of Freetown. Those that do exist are of generally poor quality. 12.8% of Sierra Leoneans have access to clean, running water. Sierra Leone has major problems with mosquito-borne tropical diseases, namely malaria. Sierra Leone has major problems with HIV/AIDS.
Corruption - 12
Judicial verdicts are bought and sold at low levels. The Sierra Leonean justice system is generally noncorrupt by West African standards. Police extortion is rampant. Public services must be bribed into action where they are available in the first place. Titl;es and deeds are impossible to obtain without bribery. Border extortion is rampant and legally entering Sierra Leone by land is impossible without paying a bribe. Sierra Leone’s borders are highly porous as the country is a major part of the African Cocaine Run. Public contracts are impossible to obtain without corruption. The government has recently been cracking down on corruption, but corruption cases have been primarily focused on recouping embezzled funds rather than securing convictions. The government is often content to let corrupt officials off the hook with a slap on the wrist if they can recover the funds that they stole.
Competency - 28
The government is failing to provide for the people, as significant portions of the population lack access to even the most basic of necessities. The government is failing to eliminate poverty, which remains rampant in the country. Disease remains rampant in Sierra Leone. A number of unenforced laws remain on the books.
Future - 90
Sierra Leone has made an excellent recovery from the civil war, and the country’s development looks to continue. Despite taking a minor hit due to COVID, the Sierra Leonean economy is growing rapidly. Sierra Leonean democracy is one of the strongest in Africa.
Actions Abroad - 64
Sierra Leone is a major part of the African Cocaine Run. Sierra Leone is generally isolationist and maintains good relations with most nations.
43% of Sierra Leoneans live below the international poverty line and 56.8% live below the national poverty line. 4.6% of Sierra Leoneans are unemployed. Sierra Leone has a high economic disparity. Sierra Leone has a minimum wage of $40.16 per month. Sierra Leone has virtually no healthcare infrastructure of any kind as there are very few hospitals outside of Freetown. Healthcare is of generally poor quality throughout the country, including in Freetown. Healthcare is offered free to children, pregnant women, and the elderly. The Sierra Leonean economy shrunk 2.2% in 2020 and grew 5.6% in 2019.