Refworld Case Law Collection Survey
Sierra Leone: The Madingo tribe of Sierra Leone, including the part of Sierra Leone they inhabit, number of people, language, political party, reports of violence against them by Mende tribe members or those opposed to the Kabbah government
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SLE30980.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sierra Leone: The Madingo tribe of Sierra Leone, including the part of Sierra Leone they inhabit, number of people, language, political party, reports of violence against them by Mende tribe members or those opposed to the Kabbah government, 1 January 1999, SLE30980.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abe97b.html [accessed 11 January 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to Country Reports 1997, the total population of Sierra Leone is 4.5 million people (1998, 298). The Encyclopedia of the Third World states that the Madingo are concentrated in the east part of the country, and comprise 2.3% of the total population (1992,1714). Ethnologue corroborates this information and estimates the numbers of the Madingo at 90,000 people. It states that the Madingo speak the Maninka language (1992, 365).
Reports specific to the political party supported by the Madingo, of violence against them by members of the Mende tribe members, and/or those opposed to the Kabbah government could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, President Kabbah is reportedly a member of the Mende tribe (The Washington Post 25 Oct. 1998), the main ethnic group dominant in the east and south of the country (Machester Guardian Weekly 22 March 1998). President Kabbah came to power in 1996 but was overthrown in May 1997 "as a result of the ruling rite becoming increasingly dominated by the Mende and because "the peace process between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), brokered by Ivory Coast, became increasingly bogged down" (Manchester Guardian Weekly 22 Mar. 1998).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please see the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1997. 1998. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Encylopedia of the Third World. 1992. 4th ed. Vol. 1. Edited by Geroge Thomas Kurian. New York: Facts on File.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 1992. 12th ed. Edited by Barbra F. Grimes. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential [London]. January-December 1998. Vol. 39. Nos. 1-25.
Africa Research Bulletin [London]. January-December 1998. Vol. 35. Nos. 1-12.
The Political Handbook of the World:1998. 1998. Edited by Arthur S. Banks. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.
Electronic sources: IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).
