— Child soldiers and blood diamonds —
It has been a decade since the end of the war which left the world with images of child soldiers and rebels funded by the sale of “blood diamonds” hacking limbs off their victims.
Starting from scratch, its infrastructure devastated in the conflict, Sierra Leone has come a long way in the past decade.
Koroma came to power in 2007. While that election was marked by several incidents of violence, it was followed by a peaceful transfer of power between the ousted Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the APC.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned Friday of the importance of a peaceful election.
“Peaceful elections resulting in a credible outcome are critical for consolidating Sierra Leone’s hard-won peace and for demonstrating that the tremendous progress the country has made since the end of hostilities one decade ago is irreversible.”
Presidential candidates need 55 percent of the vote to avoid a second round vote.
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