Relationship dossier
Sierra Leone
United States
Relationship assessment
Development and public-health cooperation, alongside U.S. concerns over Sierra Leone’s 2023 election
Sierra Leone toward United States
+30Sierra Leone signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact with the United States in 2024 and coordinated with U.S. authorities during the Ebola response.
United States toward Sierra Leone
+40The United States provided assistance to Sierra Leone, including substantial support during the Ebola response, and entered into a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact with the country. It also imposed visa restrictions following concerns about the 2023 election.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a substantive development and public-health cooperation component, including the 2024 Millennium Challenge Corporation compact and coordination during the Ebola crisis. U.S. concerns about democratic governance, reflected in visa restrictions following the 2023 election, are a significant point of friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Sierra Leone and the United States have cooperated on development and public health. Sierra Leone signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact with the United States in 2024, and the two governments coordinated during the Ebola response. The United States has also provided substantial assistance to Sierra Leone. Relations have included tensions over democratic governance, including U.S. measures following the 2023 election.
Areas of tension
- U.S. concerns about irregularities and violence surrounding Sierra Leone’s 2023 election, followed by visa restrictions.
Key developments
The governments signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact focused on development in Sierra Leone.
The United States and Sierra Leone coordinated during the Ebola epidemic response.
The United States announced visa restrictions related to concerns about Sierra Leone’s 2023 election.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing bilateral cooperation beyond development and public health is unclear.