Court is still in operation and is expected to close at the end of 2013however there will be a Residual Special Court in operation for the immediate future after the 4 Peaceful Presidential and Parliamentary elections were held in May 2002. President Kabbah of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) prevailed with over 70% of the vote and the SLPP won a large majority in Parliament. The next presidential elections were held in May 2007. President Ernest Bai Koroma won in a Presidential run-off election with 54.6% of the vote and the APC won a large majority in Parliament with 59 seats. The civil war, social unrest and an unstable government led to disruptions in the social and economic life of the country. Over 20,000 people lost their lives and about two million people were displaced in addition to over half a million who fled to neighbouring states as refugees.5 Consequently, the dual effects of poverty and a devastating civil war hampered government activities and weakened the government’s capacity to fulfil its international reporting obligations to treaty monitoring bodies. Land Sierra Leone is a small coastal country located on the west coast of Africa covering an area of 71,620 square kilometres. It is bounded on the north and northeast by the Republic of Guinea, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by the Republic of Liberia. Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Cote D’Ivoire together form the Mano River Union. The tropical climate supports a dense rainforest in the southern and eastern provinces. There are two distinct seasons in Sierra Leone. November to April is the dry season and May to October is the wet (rainy) season. Very dry winds arrive from the Sahara during the Harmattan period during the months of December to February. The country is divided into four administrative units constituting the Southern, Eastern and Northern provinces and the Western Area. There are twelve districts and one hundred and forty nine chiefdoms. The chiefdoms are under the control of traditional leaders called Paramount Chiefs and their sub-chiefs. The division of the country into these administrative units is meant to provide better control and governance. There are also local government bodies in the district and city councils which compliment the efforts of the central government in providing basic amenities to their localities. Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone. Population According to the World Bank, the 2008 population of Sierra Leone is approximately 5,560,000 people. The annual growth rate is 2.3 percent. As of 2007, 42% of the population was urbanized, and 58% lived in rural areas. The 4 5 The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone Agreement (Ratifcation) Act, 2011 Government of Sierra Leone Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, 2005-2007, (2005) The Civil War and its Aftermath. 5