The Government of Sierra Leone has declared Wednesday, February 22 as a national public holiday to mark the 2023 Armed Forces Day.

The Armed Forces Day is dedicated to commemorating and appreciating the Armed Forces who fought in the second world war and 11 years of civil war in Sierra Leone.

The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) is responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone’s border and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of its international obligations.

On the 18th of February 2002, the late former president Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah declared in his solemn voice in Krio that the “war don don” – “the war is over” and that henceforth, 18th of February shall be a national public holiday in commemoration of the fearless efforts of the country’s Armed Forces in the various wars to uphold peace and democracy.

Over 200,000 Sierra Leoneans died in the ten year civil war that left 5,000 people amputated by drugged up power-drunk rebels between 1991 and 2001.

Sierra Leone is yet to fully recover from the effects of the war, especially the youth, many of whom have been psychologically scarred for life.