The 1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'état was a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

against the government of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

by a group of young military officers led by 25-year-old Captain

Valentine Strasser Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser (born 26 April 1967) is an ex-military leader who served as head of state of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996. Previously a junior military officer he became the world's youngest Head of State in 1992, seizin ...

on 29 April 1992. Strasser took control of the government, deposing President

Joseph Saidu Momoh Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh, OOR, OBE (January 26, 1937 – August 3, 2003) served as President of Sierra Leone from November 1985 to 29 April 1992. Early life and education Joseph Saidu Momoh was born on January 26, 1937, in Binkolo, B ...

Background

Sierra Leone had been governed since 1968 by the

All People's Congress The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 Ap ...

, which, after a constitutional referendum in 1978 suspected of being rigged, had become the sole legal party. Corruption and mismanagement had run rampant, both under Momoh and his predecessor,

Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was ofte ...

. In March 1991, the country was plunged into the

Sierra Leone Civil War The Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002), or the Sierra Leonean Civil War, was a civil war in Sierra Leone that began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Liberian dictator Char ...

, pitting the government against the invading

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

, under the command of

Foday Sankoh Foday Saybana Sankoh (17 October 1937 – 29 July 2003) was the founder of the Sierra Leone rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which was supported by Charles Taylor-led NPFL in the 11-year-long Sierra Leone Civil War, starting i ...

. Front-line government soldiers were poorly supplied and fed, and some complained they had not been paid for three months. Captain Strasser witnessed the deplorable conditions firsthand, being assigned to a unit fighting the rebels. When he received a shrapnel wound, he became disgruntled when he found he could not be evacuated.

The coup

Strasser and other junior officers organised a coup. They took a convoy to

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

, the capital, and seized the State House, where Momoh's office was located, though Momoh had not yet arrived. The State House was briefly recovered by loyal troops, but soon fell back into the mutineers' hands. When Momoh was found, he was sent into exile by helicopter to Guinea.

Results

Joseph Opala, an American historian who had spent much of his adult life in the country, was rounded up and dispatched to the American ambassador to see if the US government would recognise the new regime. African-American ambassador

Johnny Young Johnny Young (born Johnny Benjamin de Jong; 12 March 1947) is a Dutch Australian singer, composer, record producer, disc jockey, television producer and host. Originally from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, his family settled in Perth in the early ...

stated that, while it was not generally done, an exception would be made in this case because the previous government had not been democratically elected and also because of the desperate state of the country. Banning all political parties, the

National Provisional Ruling Council Sierra Leone first became inhabited by Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous African peoples at least 2,500 years ago. The Limba people (Sierra Leone), Limba were the first tribe known to inhabit Sierra Leone. The dense tropical rainforest p ...

was formed as the new government.

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

was dissolved.

References

External links

Abstract of "The Military and Civil Society in Sierra Leone: The 1992 Military Coup d'Etat"
by C Magbaily Fyle in ''African Development'' (full article available with JSTOR login) {{DEFAULTSORT:1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'etat Coup History of Sierra Leone Military of Sierra Leone

Military dictatorships, Sierra Leone

April 1992 events in Africa

Background

The coup

Results

See also

References

External links