Capital : Freetown

Population: 5,485,998 (July 2012 est.)

People groups: Temne 35%, Mende 31%, Limba 8%, Kono 5%, Kriole 2% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century; also known as Krio), Mandingo 2%, Loko 2%, other 15% (includes refugees from Liberia’s recent civil war, and small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians) (2008 census).

Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

Religion: Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%

Living Conditions: Infant mortality – total: 76.64 deaths/1,000 live births, Life expectancy 56.55 years. Literacy – total population: 35.1%

Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure has yet to recover from the civil war, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. A number of offshore oil discoveries were announced in 2009 and 2010. The development on these reserves, which could be significant, is still several years away

Government: constitutional democracy.

Executive – chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note – the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president.

Legislative: unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held on 17 November 2012)

Judicial: Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court

History: Sierra Leone began as a colony of freed American slaves on March 11, 1792

Many of these had gone to Britain after the American war of independence and constituted the London Black Poor. The British government then devised the scheme of starting the colony with them, which became known as Sierra Leone. The British further drew up treaties with various tribal chiefs and then declared the area a protectorate without the agreement of the indigenous populations, resulting in many minor conflicts. Independence was granted in 1961. Things started well but after the death of the President his half-brother assumed power and there followed a series of coups and a 10 year civil war from 1991 to 2001. Even after peace was restored, government was still unstable with military involvement until the election of the current president. There has been an increase in activity by Columbian drug cartels which use the country as a way point for entry to America and Europe.

Pray for:

• A vision for the Christians to bring the gospel to the unreached groups.

• Men of peace who will open the way for CPM.

• Peaceful and fair elections in November, resulting in God’s man or woman becoming president.

• Labourers to go into the harvest field.

• A fair distribution of wealth when the oil fields come into production.