Sierra Leone: History

1787 British abolitionists and philanthropists establish a settlement for repatriated and rescued slaves in Freetown.

1808 Freetown becomes a crown colony of Britain.

1896

Britain establishes a protectorate over Freetown.

1961 Sierra Leone gains its independence and chooses to have a parliamentary system within the British Commonwealth.

1991 Former army corporal Foday Sankoh and his Revolutionary United Front (RUF) begin a campaign against President Momoh, marking the beginning of a civil war.

2002 The civil war is declared over. The Sierra Leone government and the United Nations agree to set up a war crimes court.

2006

After negotiations with international creditors, the president states that 90% of the nation's $1.6 billion debt has been written off.

2012 Energy companies report finding oil off the coasts of Liberia and Sierra Leone.