Sierra Leone

The U.S. established diplomatic relations with Sierra Leone in 1961, following its independence from the United Kingdom. The U.S. and Sierra Leone enjoy a warm and cordial relationship. The two countries are linked by the history of slavery in the U.S., an institution that would send a large number of African slaves from present-day Sierra Leone to the then-colonies of Georgia and South Carolina. In early 2014, the United Nations hailed Sierra Leone as a success story due to its remarkable post-conflict transition following a brutal civil war (1991-2002), which destroyed the country’s infrastructure and hampered it’s political, social, and economic development. Sierra Leone’s positive trajectory was interrupted in May 2014 when the deadly Ebola epidemic struck and quickly overtook the country’s fragile health care system. The outbreak was declared contained in November 2015. Since, the government launched an ambitious recovery plan that has received significant donor support.