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| 1997, May 25 |
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| Dissident members of the armed forces, led by Maj. Johnny Paul Koroma, seized power and deposed Pres. Kabbah. Widespread looting in Freetown followed the coup, and most foreign nationals were evacuated. On June 2 rebels in Sierra Leone seized power in a coup. The Nigerian government demanded that the junta relinquish power and began a naval bombardment of the capital. Instability in Sierra Leone was linked to the outbreak of a regional crisis centered in Liberia. Still in power in mid-July, the Koroma junta formed a new government, comprising members of the military and the rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Civilians, however, continued to observe a campaign of civil disobedience organized by the Sierra Leone labor congress. Kabbah remained in neighboring Guinea. | 1 |
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| 1998, Feb. 13 |
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| Nigerian troops defeated the ruling military government and ousted Lt. Col. Johnny Paul Koromah from power. | 2 |
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| March 10 |
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| Pres. Kabbah resumed his rule over Sierra Leone after ten months in exile due to ongoing junta and other rebel violence against the military and civilians. Nigerian military intervention helped Kabbah regain power, but ARFC leader Johnny Paul Koromah continued to pursue his reign of terror, though his power was temporarily compromised. | 3 |
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| Oct. 23 |
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| Foday Sankoh, founder of the RUF, was sentenced to die for treason by a Sierra Leonean court. | 4 |
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