When Sierra Leone’s boundary tensions with Guinea flared again, exposing gaps in our military readiness, it was not just a diplomatic problem. It was a mirror held up to our national priorities. This is not a moment for nostalgia. It is a moment that demands honesty. Sierra Leone’s army remains critically under-equipped, under-resourced, and under-prioritised, not because we lack the means, but because we have long feared the very force meant to defend us.
History teaches us why this weakness is dangerous.
During the brutal civil war of the 1990s, the Revolutionary United Front carved through large swathes of this country with alarming ease. Our national army struggled against a determined insurgency, not for lack of courage, but for lack of equipment, training, and logistical support. It took external partners, first mercenaries, then the Nigerian-led ECOWAS Monitoring Group, and eventually British and United Nations forces, to blunt and then reverse the rebellion. Sierra Leonean troops fought hard, but they were often fighting with one hand tied behind their back.
The consequence of this neglect was not only battlefield failure. It was a fracture in the bond of trust between those who serve and those who govern. In April 1992, soldiers frustrated by poor conditions, lack of supplies, and a sense that they were forgotten at the front rose up and ousted the government of President Joseph Saidu Momoh. Among those soldiers was Julius Maada Bio, then a young lieutenant. That coup and the second internal coup he led in January 1996 were born not of ambition alone, but of desperation and perceived neglect.
Bio would later step aside to return the country to democratic civilian rule. But the memory of those years lingers. Given his personal history within the military, one might have expected that his presidency would bring a decisive upgrade in the condition and capability of Sierra Leone’s armed forces. Instead, nearly three decades later, our army is still insufficiently equipped to independently defend our borders, protect our people, or deter external threats.Much of its arsenal -rifles, mortars, and armoured vehicles -dates back decades, with limited modernization, leaving it far behind contemporary standards. While some steps have been taken to remove unserviceable weapons and acquire new vehicles, Sierra Leone’s military remains behind global trends, where armies increasingly invest in advanced aircraft, drones, and modern combat systems.
This reality is reflected in global military rankings. According to the Global Firepower Index 2026, Sierra Leone ranks around 124 out of 140 countries, well behind regional neighbors such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Guinea. This ranking measures troop numbers, equipment, logistics, air power, and financial resources. It underscores the stark reality that while the world invests heavily in modernized vehicles, advanced aircraft, drones, and even space capabilities, Sierra Leone continues to rely on outdated weapons and limited armored vehicles.
The problem is compounded by recruitment practices. Able-bodied, young, and energetic men are often left out, while those with connections or political patronage are admitted. Merit and capability are too often secondary to who you know. This weakens the force further, reducing its professionalism, effectiveness, and readiness to respond to both internal and external threats.
This fragility is visible in recent events. On August 10, 2022, protests over rising living costs escalated into deadly violence, killing at least six police officers and 27 civilians. The government described the unrest as politically motivated, while independent observers framed it primarily as deadly political protests rather than a fully organised coup. On November 26, 2023, an attack on military barracks in Freetown was described as an attempted coup. Security forces restored order, but there is no verified evidence that the opposition All People’s Congress orchestrated the attack. Both events underscore the vulnerabilities of a poorly equipped military and the dangers of neglecting national defense.
Make no mistake. Equipping the army does not empower it to overthrow governments. That is a different problem entirely, rooted in political culture and civilian oversight, not in material capability. A modern, professional, constitutionally-controlled army is not a threat to democracy. It is its guarantor. The fear that investment in defence will lead to coups reflects a failure to build robust democratic institutions, not a reason to deny the country essential defensive capacity.
As Sierra Leone negotiates border incidents with Guinea, and reflects on past internal unrest, we must recognize that diplomacy alone cannot safeguard our territorial integrity. Sovereignty must be backed by the credible force of a national army capable of defending it, not for conquest, but for deterrence and stability.
If the lesson of the civil war was that Sierra Leone cannot fend for itself without support, then today’s lesson must be the opposite. We owe it to our citizens, our history, and our future to build an army that can defend this nation with dignity and professionalism.
We can pay to defend ourselves. What we must overcome is the fear of doing so.
