Early History of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone's dense tropical rainforests have largely protected it from the influence of any pre-colonial African empires and from further Islamic colonization, which was unable to penetrate through it, until the 18th century. European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa.
In 1462, Portuguese explorer, Pedro da Cintra, mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming shaped formation Serra de Leão (Portuguese for Lion Mountains). Its Italian rendering is Sierra Leone, which became the country's name.
The Intervention of United Nations
In October 1999, the United Nations agreed to send peacekeepers to help restore order and disarm the rebels. The first of the 6,000-member force began arriving in December, and the UN Security Council voted in February 2000 to increase the force to 11,000, and later to 13,000.
But in May, when nearly all Nigerian forces had left and UN forces were trying to disarm the RUF in eastern Sierra Leone, Sankoh's forces clashed with the UN troops, and some 500 peacekeepers were taken hostage as the peace accord effectively collapsed. The hostage crisis resulted in more fighting between the RUF and the government.
His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio
Julius Maada Bio is the current President of Sierra Leone. He has been in the office since April 4, 2018. In 1996, he served briefly as the leader of the NPRC military government. He was born as the 33rd child of the paramount chief of the Sogbini Chiefdom in Southern Sierra Leone. An ethnic Sherbo, he is also a practicing Roman Catholic.
After completing his secondary education at Bo School, he joined the Military Academy of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces, graduating from there, as a Second Lieutenant at the age of 23. Julius Maada Bio also contested in the 2012 election.
