This project will explore the causes of the Sierra Leone civil war of 1991-2002. It will also evaluate its impact on the affected region and the country as a whole. Sierra Leone is a small country located on the west coast of Africa. It borders the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia. It has an estimated population of 5.4 million. The country is divided into four geographical regions: the Northern Province, the Eastern Province, the Southern Province and the Western Area (not a province), divided into fourteen districts. Freetown is the capital, largest city and economic center, located in the west. Sierra Leone is rich in natural and mineral resources, including iron ore, bauxite, gold and diamonds. . This information can be found online http://www.atlapedia.com. Although the country is rich in minerals, it is said to be one of the poorest countries in the world. There has been a struggle for political power since the country was granted independence in 1961. These struggles have been seen to have their roots in colonialism, Alie (1990). It has also been said that the main factor in the outbreak of the civil war in Sierra Leone was the struggle over the diamond trade and the political situation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay According to Alie (1990), many problems resulted from the colonization of Sierra Leone by the British. He believed that Sierra Leoneans were very independent on themselves before the English came and imposed their customs on them. Since the country's ways of survival and life were different from that of the English, they were believed to be dependent on the English and the English had to show the Sierra Leoneans a better and new way of life. He implies that Sierra Leoneans "have been made to believe that everything African is bad and inferior and that everything European is good and superior, and unfortunately this attitude has persisted to the present day and some Sierra Leoneans continue to measure their way of life according to Western standards''. His statement indicates that.... It also states that colonialism denied Sierra Leoneans the right to self-determination, and this "weakened traditional chieftaincy institutions and destroyed the indigenous governance system' Alie (1990). For example, British forces conquered the hinterland tribes and “introduced their own system of ruling houses among the Mende tribes,” Alie (1990). Natives believed in emphasizing individual qualities and achievements rather than birthright in acquiring political leadership, Alie (1990). This creates tensions between countrymen (people from the inland protectorate) and the Krios (or descendants of freed slaves from America and elsewhere) who had a better relationship with the colonial administration. The tension created separations between the Krios and their countrymen, this was never recovered and a new government was formed after the country gained independence in 1961. His point could be that....Sierra Leone got its independence from British rule in 1961 under the leadership of Sir Milton Margai and the Sierra Leone People's Party. During its period under British rule, Sierra Leone adopted a parliamentary democracy. Margai died in 1964 and was succeeded by his half-brother Albert Margai. In 1967 there was a general election in which the army overthrew the government and established a National Reform Council (NRC) which was itself overthrown in April 1968. In 1967, Siaka Probyn Stevens who won the election was reinstated as Prime Minister, http:// www.atlapedia.com. According to Alie (1990), there were riots.