Sierra Leone

  SIERRA LEONE

A. THE COUNTRY

The Republic of Sierra Leone is a small coastal state in West Africa.
Eleven years of civil war over efforts to control the lucrative diamond
fields ended with the defeat of rebels and mercenaries and establishment
of a democratic constitutional government in 2002.  The people continue
in terrible suffering, being physical, psychological/emotional, social
and spiritual victims of the conflict.  Life expectancy is age 47.
Current government priorities are combating corruption, poverty and
joblessness.
The country is rich in natural resources – diamonds, gold, titanium,
iron ore, cocoa, coffee, fish and others.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~6,000,000 and official language English.  Trade
language is Krio.  ~38.4% are Atlantic, ~32.1% Mande, ~11.4% Krio
(Creole), ~8.3% Malinke, ~4.8% Fulbe, ~3.2% Susu, ~1.8% Other.

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

Islam steadily increases in influence, but the power of ethnic
religions, the occult, secret societies and Freemasonry permeates the
practice of both Islam and Christianity.
~63% are Muslims, ~23.3% Ethnoreligionist, ~13.15% claim to be
Christian, ~0.5% Non-religious, ~0.04% Hindu.
In the Christian category:
~5.94% are Protestant, ~3.68% Catholic, ~2.8% Independent, ~0.44%
Anglican, ~0.28% are considered ‘marginal’, ~0.01% Orthodox.
Evangelicals represent ~3.9% of the population.
Charismatics represent ~3.9% and of those ~1.6% are Pentecostals.

Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.