1. CRY FREETOWN Director Sorious Samura
Year 2000 Documentary of Sierra Leone Civil War

2. Sorious Samura (born 1964) Amy Awards Peabody Awards
Filmmaker’s info:
Sorious Samura (born 1964)
Journalist at Sierra Leon
Film awards:
Amy Awards
Peabody Awards
Film background:
Sierra Leone Civil War (1991~2002)
Revolution United Front (RUF),
supported from Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).
Attempted to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government.
The war lasted for 11 years, enveloped the country, left over 50,000 dead.

3. Sierra Leone

4. Republic of Sierra Leone
Location: West Africa
Border: Guinea (NE), Liberia (SE), Atlantic Ocean (SW)
Capital: Freetown
Climate: Tropical (Rain season, Dry season)
Average temperature: 26°C (78.8 °F)
Population: 6 million, comprise 16 ethnic groups
Official Language: English
Religion: 60% Muslim, 30% Christian, 10% Indigenous animist beliefs

5. History
Portuguess exploer names Serra Leoa, meaning Lioness Mountain.
Sierra Leone became important center of transatlantic trade in slaves.
Freetown was founded by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for
former enslaved from (or freed by) the British Empire
1808
Freetown became a British Crown Colony
1896
The interior of the country became a
British Protectorate
1961
Independence from the Great Britain
and became the country’s first Prime Minister
1962
First general election, The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won,
Prime minister: Milton Margai

7. 1967
The APC’s (All People’s congress) narrowly won a small majority seats
in Parliament over the SLPP, Siaka Stevens sworn in as Prime Minister.
1968
Steven rule grew more and more authoritarian,
he removed the SLPP party from competitive politics in general elections.
1970
Bangura, the popular head of Sierra Leone Armed Forces,
was arrested and charged with conspiracy, executed by hanging in Freetown.
1973
SLPP boycotted the General election, APC won 84 of 85 elected seats.
1976
Stevens was elected without opposition for a second five-year term as president.
1978
The APC dominant parliament approved a new constitution making the country a one-party state
1985
Stevens retired from politics.
Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh was elected President as the only candidate.

8. 1991-2002 Sierra Leone Civil War
1987
More than 60 senior government officials were arrested,
Vice-President Francis Minah was convicted plotting the coup,
and executed by hanging in 1989 along with 5 others.
Sierra Leone Civil War
1991
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF), supported by the special forces of
Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front Liberia (NPFL), intervened in Sierra Leone
in an attempt to overthrow the Jospeh Momoh government.
During the first year of the war, the RUF took control of large territory
in eastern and southern Sierra Leone, which were rich in alluvial diamonds.
1993
The Sierra Leone Army (SLA) had succeeded in pushing the RUF rebels back to the Liberian border.
1995
A South Africa-based private military company Executive Outcomes (EO) was hired to repel the RUF.
1996
Sierra Leone installed an elected civilian government,
the retreating RUF signed the Abidjan Peace Accord.
The government terminated its contract with EO, hostilities recommenced.

9. 1997
A group of disgruntled SLA officers staged a coup and established
the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) as the new government of Sierra Leone.
The new government, led by Jonny Paul Koroma, declared the war officially over.
A wave of looting, rape and murder followed the announcement.
ECOMOG (Economic Community Of West African States Monitoring Group) forces
Intervened and retook Freetown on behalf of the government.
1999
World leaders intervened diplomatically to promote
negotiations between the RUF and the government, The Lome Peace Accord was signed.
2000
The rebels were advancing again upon Freetown.
With Help from a renewed UN mandate and Guinean air support,
the British Operation Palliser finally defeAted the RUF
2002
President Kabbah declared the Sierra Leone Civil War Officially Over.