In the weeks preceding the coup, a new wave of violence hit Sierra Leone's eastern and northern regions, far from Freetown, killing scores, and prompting renewed refugee flight to neighboring countries. The current violence is an extension of more than six years of conflict and insecurity involving the Sierra Leonean army, the Revolutionary United Front rebel group, mercenaries, bandits, and a civilian militia strongly supported by President Kabbah. It is high time to put aside policies based on the hope that the situation in Sierra Leone may improve. It is time to implement a more pragmatic and realistic approach that takes into account the cyclical nature of this persistent conflict. Because of the May violence, nearly all international humanitarian agencies have evacuated from Sierra Leone.
Humanitarian conditions are therefore likely to deteriorate rapidly.
The flight of more than 11,000 Sierra Leoneans to neighboring Guinea in May indicates that Sierra Leoneans believe the situation will get worse before it gets better. An estimated 250,000 or more Sierra Leonean refugees are now in Guinea, and some 100,000 are believed to be in Liberia. More than a half-million Sierra Leoneans are displaced within their own country. Sierra Leone's total population is an estimated 4.5 million. USCR first called on the U.S. government to provide TPS for Sierra Leoneans in November 1995.