Sierra Leone is a country that has faced appalling atrocities, from horror in the diamond industry in the 1990s to a Civil War that killed 70,000 people and displaced many millions. While global powers have taken many measures to incarcerate individuals responsible for much of the damage, there are still many problems that are left unaddressed concerning the region, one being the massive amounts of drug trafficking that now occurs in Sierra Leone decades after the civil war’s end.
To provide context, Sierra Leone’s difficulties started in 1991, when conflict with rebels in Liberia spilled across the country’s border. This time in history was extremely dark for Africa, as in many countries, respectively, rebels were finding ways to conquer federal governments. According to Brittanica, The Sierra Leonian rebels –National Patriotic Front of Liberia, led by Charles Taylor – were driven by a desire for bloodshed and the acquisition of natural resources (diamonds). They were met by the Revolutionary United Front, an army led by a former Sierra Leone army corporal Foday Shankoh, who ended up being of great help to them, as he was revealed to have been collaborating with the rebels, thus began a bloody civil war within the nation.
The war left many parts of the country in shambles, as the government and civilians alike. Officials have been scrambling to repair damages from the fighting, in both legislation and physical measures such as regulations for working conditions. Unfortunately, Sierra Leon’es fragility has made it subject to a massive amount of sex and drug trafficking. According to the Africa Organized Crime Index, the cocaine trade has been increasing in recent years, following a growing regional trend. Criminal groups in South America and other parts of Africa have been using Sierra Leone as a transit zone, as the drugs are meant to reach markets in Europe, South/East Asia, and North America via maritime routes. Additionally, “Kush” – a new synthetic drug – has taken off among the Sierra Leonian youth. It has inflicted major harm upon civilian communities and continues to dominate the drug market, pushing the country into a deeper state of despondency.
Regarding measures to be taken against trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of State, the government of Sierra Leone doesn’t fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. As a result of COVID-19’s impact on the region, the government has reportedly been working on diminishing the amount of trafficking within the country’s borders with the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrants Smuggling Act of 2022. This act increased penalties given for trafficking crimes and removed the option for a fine in place of imprisonment for convicted traffickers. Even so, the government did not meet the minimum standards in many key areas of reparations needing to be enacted. They convicted progressively fewer traffickers and victims and did not provide financial aid for civil organizations to aid efforts against the injustices.
Today, Sierra Leone is still recovering from the deadly effects of its civil war. As the future remains unclear for the nation, only time will truly tell of new steps that will be taken to aid the territory.
Written by Alexandra Kwitkowski
