Bombali is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

in the Northern Province 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 ...

. Its capital and largest city is Makeni, which is also the largest city in the north. The Bombali district is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Bombali is one of the largest districts in Sierra Leone by

geographical area The geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or ellipsoidal coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on the Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the various ...

, after Koinadugu district, and is the second most populous district in the Northern part of Sierra Leone, after Port Loko district. In the 2015 Sierra Leone national census, the population of Bombali district was 606,183. Other major towns in Bombali District include Kamabai, Karina and Binkolo. The district of Bombali occupies a total area of and comprises thirteen

chiefdoms A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...

. The district borders Karene District to the north,

Port Loko District Port Loko District is a district in the North West Province of Sierra Leone. It is the most populous District in the North and the second most populous District in Sierra Leone, after the Western Area Urban District. As of the 2015 census, Port L ...

, Tonkolili District to the south, and Koinadugu District to the east. The population of Bombali District is ethnically diverse, although the Temne and Limba form the largest ethnic groups. The population of Bombali District is predominantly

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, though with a large

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

minority. Bombali district is the birthplace and home district of the former president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, who was born and raised in the city of Makeni. The district is also the birthplace and home district of former president of Sierra Leone

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 ...

, who was born in the town of Binkolo. The University of Makeni and St. Francis Secondary school are based in Bombali District's largest city, Makeni.

Government and politics

Bombali district is governed with a directly elected district council form of government, which is headed by a district council chairman, who is the highest local government official in the district. The chairman is responsible for the general management of the district. The current chairman is

John Shangai Koruna John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

of the All People's Congress (APC), following his victory in the 2018 Sierra Leone general elections. Bombali district is a

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...

stronghold of the APC, the current ruling party in Sierra Leone; and one of the two major political parties in the country. Currently the APC holds all elected seats from Bombali district to the Parliament of Sierra Leone. The APC also controls the Bombali District Council

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...

and the Makeni

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...

. Two of the three Sierra Leone presidents from the APC party

and Ernest Bai Koroma are natives of Bombali district. The APC has always been overwhelmingly popular in almost all parts of Bombali district since the party was founded; with the exception of the predominantly

ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established fo ...

Mandingo town of Karina and its surrounding villages, located in part of

Biriwa Chiefdom Biriwa Chiefdom is a chiefdom in Bombali District of Sierra Leone. Its capital is Kamabai Kamabai is a small town in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone, with a population of about 4000 within a 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) ...

, which have traditionally supported the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), particularly under the government of president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, who was overwhelmingly popular in Karina and its surrounding villages during his presidency.

Members of Parliament

The district of Bombali has eight Representatives in the Sierra Leonean Parliament, of which seven members were elected for a five-year term. The district is a stronghold of the former ruling government of the APC party. In the second round of the 2007 Sierra Leone presidential election, the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

of Sierra Leone Solomon Berewa and candidate of the then ruling SLPP got 11 percent of the vote in Bombali District, while the leader of the main opposition party and current president of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) got 89 percent in the second round in the district.

Administrative divisions

Chiefdoms

The district is made up of thirteen

as the third level of administrative subdivision. #

Biriwa Biriwa is a town of Mfantsiman Municipal District in the Central Region, Ghana, Central Region of Ghana. According to the Ghana Statistical Service's 2010 Population and Housing Census, the population of Biriwa was 7,086. The main occupation is f ...

– Kamabai # Bombali Shebora – Makeni #

Gbanti Kamaranka Gbanti Kamaranka is a chiefdom of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The principal town lies at Kamaranka Kamaranka is a small town and seat of the chiefdom of Gbanti Kamaranka in Bombali District in the Northern Prov ...

–

Kamaranka Kamaranka is a small town and seat of the chiefdom of Gbanti Kamaranka in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Af ...

# Gbendembu Ngowahun Chiefdom, Gbendembu Ngowahun – Kalangba #

Libeisaygahun Libeisaygahun is a chiefdom of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The principal town lies at Batkanu Batkanu is a village and seat of the chiefdom of Libeisaygahun in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sier ...

–

Batkanu Batkanu is a village and seat of the chiefdom of Libeisaygahun in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Geographic facts Latitude: 9.0833, Longitude: -12.4167, Elevation: . Climate Like almost all of Sierra Leone, Batkanu ...

# Magbaiamba Ndowahun – Hunduwa # Makari Gbanti –

Masongbon Masongbon (Masungbo, Musumbu, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) is a small town and seat of the chiefdom of Makari Gbanti in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the ...

# Paki Massabong Chiefdom, Paki Massabong –

Mapaki Mapaki is a small town and seat of the chiefdom of Paki Massabong in Bombali District Bombali is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Makeni, which is also the largest city in the north. The Bo ...

Safroko Limba Safroko Limba is a chiefdom of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The principal town lies at Binkolo Binkolo is a rural town in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officia ...

– Binkolo # Sanda Loko Chiefdom, Sanda Loko – Kamalo #

Sanda Tenraren Sanda Tenraren is a chiefdom of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The principal town lies at Mateboi Mateboi is a small town and seat of the chiefdom of Sanda Tenraren in Bombali District in the Northern Province of ...

–

Mateboi Mateboi is a small town and seat of the chiefdom of Sanda Tenraren in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa ...

# Sella Limba Chiefdom, Sella Limba – Kamakwie #

Tambakha Tambakha is a chiefdom of Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The principal town lies at Fintonia Fintonia is a village and seat of the chiefdom of Tambakha in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone ...

–

Fintonia Fintonia is a village and seat of the chiefdom of Tambakha in Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is ...

Major towns

* Makeni, largest city * Kamakwie * Kamabai * Karina * Binkolo

Towns and villages

* Kagber * Kalangba * Kangbori *

* Lowoma * Hunduwa *

* Gbendembu *

Tambiama Tambiama is a town in Sierra Leone. {{Bombali District Populated places in Sierra Leone Northern Province, Sierra Leone ...

* Masingbi *

* Moriba * Rokulan * Kamalo * Sanda * Tonko

Effects of the civil war

Bombali was a principal former rebel stronghold and experienced considerable displacement, destruction and trauma as a result of the conflict. While progress has been made since the conflict, particularly in restoration of state authority, the level of social services and economic recovery remains unsatisfactory throughout the district. The provincial importance of Makeni is in contrast with the current lack of water and power supply in the township, and the bad road network and large distances in the district have meant that limited intervention has been made in chiefdoms outside of the Makeni area, particularly in the far north.

Health

Medical services are provided by a mix of government, private and

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

(NGOs). The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) shifted to a decentralized health system structure after the end of the civil in war in 2002, in an effort to increase coverage. Bombali has 16 community health centers (CHC), 18 community health posts (CHP), 48 maternal child health posts (MCHP), 1 government hospital, 1 military hospital, 1 community hospital, 3 mission Clinics, 3 mission hospitals and 3 private clinics. Traditional medicine forms part of the primary health care system in Sierra Leone. Diseases endemic to Bombali are

Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

and

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. ...

. Holy Spirit Hospital (Makeni), largest private hospital in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone, is located in Bombali District in the town of Makeni. In 2019, the First Responder Coalition of Sierra Leone (FRCSL) was created in Makeni, the largest city of Bombali District. The five founding members included the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, LFR International, the University of Makeni, Agency for Rural Community Transformation, and Holy Spirit Hospital. 1,000 community members from Bombali were trained to be first responders by the Coalition and equipped with first aid kits between June and July 2019.

Religion

Notable people

* Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2018 *

, President of Sierra Leone from 1985 to 1992 *

Almamy Suluku Almamy Suluku (1820 - 1906) was a Limba ruler from Sierra Leone who maintained his independence as long as possible through political strategy. Early life Almamy Suluku was born in 1820 in Kamabai, Biriwa country, in the Northern Province of Sie ...

, was a powerful Limba ruler who maintained his independence as long as possible through brilliant political strategy during colonial era. * Edward Turay, Politician *

Brima Koroma Brima Koroma (born 8 July 1984) is a professional Sierra Leonean Association football, footballer. Career Koroma played as a striker for Anagennisi Dherynia in the Cypriot First Division. He has also played for Sierra Leone, scoring a goal ...

, football star *

Mohamed Kamara Mohamed Kamara (born 16 November 1987), widely known as Medo, is a Sierra Leonean professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Gnistan and Sierra Leone national team. He also holds Finnish citizenship ...

, football star *

Daddi Cool Daddi Cool (born in Makeni, Sierra Leone) is a Sierra Leonean-born Guinean reggae musician. He was born and raised in Makeni, Sierra Leone. Daddi Cool served in the Sierra Leonean army, but fled the country during the early years of the Sierra L ...

, Guinean reggae musician

Notes

Sources

*Parts of this article reproduced with permission fro

*https://web.archive.org/web/20070121122533/http://www.statehouse-sl.org/member-parliament.html {{Districts of Sierra Leone Districts of Sierra Leone Northern Province, Sierra Leone