In the late 18th century, Freetown, its capital, was founded by the British as a settlement for recaptured and repatriated enslaved Africans, establishing a unique Krio culture that blends various African ethnicities with European influences. This act of liberation earned Freetown the moniker "Province of Freedom." Over the next decades British rule extended either by treaty, agreement or by other means until it exerted full control over the area, mainly in order to exclude the French. After decades as a British colony, Sierra Leone gained independence in 1961. The subsequent decades were marked by political shifts, but the most devastating period was the brutal civil war (1991-2002). This was fuelled by the illicit diamond trade and profound socio-economic grievances, with an underlying sense of injustice that the ruling classes were benefiting from the income generated from alluvial diamond mining whilst the poor remained poor. The conflict ravaged the nation, claiming tens of thousands of lives, especially children, while other were tortured and maimed. The war's end brought a fragile peace, ushering in a long and arduous process of reconciliation, reconstruction, and democratic institution-building with a population deeply committed to peace and progress. At the time, over one third of the population was displaced. Cont/...