Recent Afrobarometer survey data from March–April 2025 reveal a growing public desire in Sierra Leone for political inclusivity and national unity. Large majorities of citizens now support cross-party collaboration over divisive politics and want Governments to promote regional and ethnic balance in political appointments.
This shift follows a turbulent early 2020s marked by rising ethnic and political tensions, including inflammatory rhetoric, violent protests and an attempted coup in November 2023. Those events contributed to Sierra Leone’s decline in the Global Peace Index in 2024, dropping from third to eighth place in Africa.
In response, a U.S.-backed Tripartite Committee, involving Government, opposition and UN representatives, brokered an “Agreement for National Unity” in 2024. Since then, tensions and political violence have lessened, inflammatory rhetoric has decreased, and the country’s peace ranking improved to fifth in Africa in 2025.
Reflecting this progress, Afrobarometer data show increased tolerance among citizens toward different ethnicities, religions and political parties, with a majority believing their ethnic group is fairly treated by the Government. Nonetheless, interpersonal trust remains low, indicating that further reconciliation and trust-building are needed.
While awareness of ongoing electoral reform efforts is limited among citizens, there is strong support for inclusive governance. Most Sierra Leoneans believe that political parties should welcome individuals from diverse regions, ethnicities and opposition groups into key Government roles, signaling broad public appetite for a more united and representative political landscape.
