Armed Forces Day in Sierra Leone Date in the current year: February 18, 2024

The history of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) began in 1961, following the country’s independence from the United Kingdom. The Royal West African Frontier Force, which had garrisoned The Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, was disbanded, and its Sierra Leone Battalion formed the basis of the national army of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leon Navy was established in 1979, and the Sierra Leone Air Wing was formed in 1995.

In 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attempted to overthrow the government of Sierra Leone, which resulted in a civil war that lasted for more than a decade. During the war, the size of the army grew steadily, but there was no concord among the officers, which led to three military coups between 1992 and 1997. After the war, the number of military personnel began to decline from about 13,000 in 2007 to 8,500 in 2011.

The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces consists of the Sierra Leone Army, the Sierra Leone Navy, and the Sierra Leone Air Force. The RSLAF is a professional army, meaning there is no conscription. It is supervised by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Defense and National Security.

The Sierra Leone Army is the largest branch of the country’s Armed Forces. It is tasked with protecting state borders, ensuring the security of administered territories, and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone within the framework of its international obligations. The Navy has about 500 personnel whose primary responsibility is to patrol the country’s naval borders. The Sierra Leone Air Force isn’t large either.

Since the RSLAF has a very small budget, it has to rely on second-hand arms imported from foreign countries and has very limited modern weaponry. Its key foreign suppliers are China, Russia, and the United States. In 1995, two T-72 tanks were delivered to Sierra Leone from Ukraine via Poland, but their current operational status is doubtful.

Sierra Leone Armed Forces Day was established to commemorate the end of the civil war and the formation of the country’s armed forces in their current form. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah declared the war was officially over in January 2002, and soon after the Sierra Leone Army united with the Air Force and the Navy to form the RSLAF.

Armed Forces Day is a public holiday celebrated with military parades, ceremonies and other events presided over by the president of Sierra Leone, who is the Commander-in-Chief other RSLAF.