User:Choozy78/National Provisional Ruling Council

National Provisional Ruling Council
Leaders	Valentine Strasser
Dates of operation	1992-1996
Headquarters	Freetown
Active regions	Sierra Leone

The National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) was the name adopted by the military junta which took over the government of Sierra Leone in a coup d'etat on April 29, 1992. The NPRC ruled Sierra Leone until March 1996, when power was transferred to a democratically elected civilian government.

Background

In 1991 the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) of Sierra Leone invaded eastern Sierra Leone from Libera, declaring its intention to overthrow the government of Joseph Momoh. The response of the Sierra Leone Army was weak and within a year the RUF was able to gain control of key diamond mining areas in Sierra Leone's Southern and Eastern areas. Soon the government was unable to pay both its civil servants and the SLA. As a result, the Momoh regime lost all remaining credibility and a group of disgruntled junior officers led by Captain Valentine Strasser overthrew Momoh on 29 April 1992. Strasser justified the coup and the establishment of the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) by referencing the corrupt Momoh regime and its inability to resuscitate the economy, provide for the people of Sierra Leone, and repel the rebel invaders. The NPRC’s coup was largely popular because it promised to bring peace to Sierra Leone. But the NPRC’s promise would prove to be short lived.

References

• Gberie, Lansana (2005). A Dirty War in West Africa: the RUF and the Destruction of Sierra Leone. Indiana UP. {{cite book}}: Text "Bloomington, IN" ignored (help)