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The Latest Breaking News from Sierra Leone

Synthetic drugs are having devastating effects around the world, from Sierra Leone to the UK

In the blistering heat of Freetown, Sierra Leone, young men gather on street corners, their limbs swollen, eyes glazed. They are the victims of kush, a cheap and deadly synthetic drug sweeping the country.

The Conversation

‘Well, no, you don’t have to have children’: what African women over the age of 60 have learned about life

Women across west Africa have a life expectancy of 59. In a rare project, Sylvia Arthur set out to give voice to those who have lived beyond expectation, whose experiences have been largely overlooked

The Guardian - UK

Chimp refuge shuts doors to tourists in deforestation protest

Workers said deforestation in the area was fuelled by ‘land grabbing’ for development

The Independent UK

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

‘The matter is in his hands alone’: president of Sierra Leone urged to ban FGM as court rules it tantamount to torture

The Ecowas court of justice has ordered the West African country to criminalise female genital mutilation after hearing the case of a woman brutally forced to undergo the practice

The Guardian - UK

The Activist Who Fought For Sierra Leone's First World Heritage Site

Activist Tommy Garnett's decades of work paid off when Sierra Leone's Tiwai island -- a lush forest home to one of the world's highest concentrations of primates -- landed a spot Sunday on the UN cultural agency's World Heritage list.

International Business Times

‘Smoking to survive’: How Sierra Leone’s youth got hooked on kush

A cheap synthetic drug known as kush is ravaging West Africa and its epicentre is Sierra Leone. The government has declared kush a public health emergency, but poverty and trauma are slowing efforts by communities to help unhook young people from its sometimes deadly hold.

Radio France Internationale

Mpox in Sierra Leone: what’s behind the recent surge and why west Africa is at risk

As of 17 June 2025, there have been over 4,000 confirmed cases of mpox and 25 deaths in Sierra Leone, raising the possibility that the virus will spread to neighbouring countries and spark a larger outbreak throughout the densely populated region of west Africa. Cases in Sierra Leone appear to…

The Conversation

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Sierra Leone's President Bio to be the next ECOWAS chairman with region in turmoil

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has been chosen to be the next chairman of the West African economic bloc, ECOWAS

The Independent UK

How technology is helping African countries fight malaria from the skies

A new initiative is using AI-powered drones to identify and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in Ghana and Sierra Leone, in a bid to prevent malaria outbreaks.

Radio France Internationale

From New York to Sierra Leone: the search for a missing sister

Oluwaseun Babalola’s film Fighting Giants is an exploration of the misogyny and racism encountered by her family as they attempted to uncover the truth behind her sibling’s disappearance seven years ago

The Guardian - UK

Guinean troops trigger panic in renewed Sierra Leone border standoff

A long-running border dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea has flared again, after a military incident forced villagers to flee and reignited diplomatic tensions between the two West African neighbours.

Radio France Internationale

‘We’re ready to fight’: activists brace as US anti-rights figures descend on Africa

Ultra-conservative campaigners fly in for ‘family values’ conferences to share tactics with African allies who oppose abortion and LGBTQ+ rights

The Guardian - UK

Ukraine minerals deal: the idea that natural resource extraction can build peace has been around for decades

Ukraine has finally signed its minerals agreement with the US. The deal states that Washington will eventually receive a share of the profits from the sale of Ukrainian natural resources, providing an economic incentive to continue investing in Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction.

The Conversation

Sierra Leone has a problem with the drug Kush. Why are these women not being helped?

Sierra Leone's government has declared a public health emergency over the drug Kush.

The Independent UK

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The Independent UK

Sierra Leone debates decriminalizing abortion as women and girls endanger their lives

Sierra Leone could become the second country in West Africa to decriminalize abortion

The Guardian - UK

Man granted right to remain in UK under Windrush scheme after almost 50 years

Samuel Jarrett-Coker, 61, who arrived from Sierra Leone as a child, had sought to resolve immigration status since 1980s

Evening Standard

Scientists tell life story of ‘beloved’ tea-drinking celebrity chimp

Choppers starred in the 1970s PG Tips adverts after being rescued from poachers in Sierra Leone at just six weeks old.

The Guardian - UK

Sierra Leone’s immigration chief fired after footage showed him with fugitive drug lord

President sacks Alusine Kanneh after video of him with Johannes Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted

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The Guardian - AU

Three suicides at NSW detention centre raise inquest questions over missed medication and care

A New Zealander, Malaysian and Sierra Leone national separately killed themselves inside Villawood over a three-year period

The Conversation

Why Freetown’s celebrated tree planting scheme won’t work for other African cities, or the planet

More than a million trees have been planted in the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone since 2020. This reforestation scheme, known as “FreetownTheTreeTown”, has been celebrated for its innovative approach to climate action, with ambitious plans to plant another 5 million trees by 2030 and 20 million more by…

Top News

New Report Reveals Rise Of Deadly Synthetic Drug Kush

Learn about the rise of synthetic drug kush in West Africa and the urgent need for action against its deadly effects.

The Independent UK

The war on kush: The synthetic drug sweeping through parts of Africa

A new report by an anti-transnational crime group has identified the core chemical components of kush, a synthetic drug that has swept through Sierra Leone and the region in the past few years.

The Guardian - UK

Revealed: fugitive Dutch drug lord has been in Sierra Leone for at least two years

Sources place Johannes Leijdekkers in west African country since at least December 2022

The Guardian - UK

Fears grow for health of social media influencer arrested on live TV in Sierra Leone

Hawa Hunt’s detention a month ago was politically motivated, say daughter and rights groups, who also raise concerns about her treatment in jail

The Guardian - UK

One of Europe’s most-wanted drug traffickers living in Sierra Leone, say Dutch prosecutors

Jos Leijdekkers, reportedly the son-in-law of African country’s president, was sentenced to 24 years in prison

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