Johnny Paul Koroma

Sierra Leonean military officer

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July 17, 2026

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Johnny Paul Koroma was a Sierra Leonean military officer who, in May 1997, seized power in a coup. He formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), which included members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and ruled the country while President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was exiled. Koroma's government faced significant internal resistance and international sanctions. The AFRC was overthrown in February 1998 by troops from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), leading to the restoration of Kabbah's government.12

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Sierra Leone
Civil war
Johnny Paul Koroma seized power. Koroma, who attributed the previous government’s failure to implement the Abidjan Agreement as the reason for the coup, formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), which included members of the RUF, to rule the country; President Kabbah was sent into…
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Johnny Paul Koroma seized power. Koroma, who attributed the previous government’s failure to implement the Abidjan Agreement as the reason for the coup, formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), which included members of the RUF, to rule the country; President Kabbah was sent into…
Read More