28. Sierra Leone Civil War (1991-2002)
The Sierra Leone Civil War was notorious for its brutality, as rebel groups fought government forces in a conflict fueled by the illicit diamond trade. Widespread use of child soldiers, systematic mutilations, and mass atrocities shocked the international community.
UN intervention and peacekeeping forces finally helped end the fighting in 2002. The war’s grim legacy—marked by trauma, lost generations, and lingering instability—continues to affect Sierra Leone’s attempts at recovery and reconciliation.
