I have heard that in 2000 there was a massive rally in Freetown asking to be re-admitted to the British empire. This was after the country had been ravaged by a horrific civil war caused by criminal elements from Liberia infiltrating the country to steal its natural resources. First the RUF then an off shoot of it called the "West Side Boys" - they committed atrocities that would cause most people here to be sick if I described them. An endless brutal campaign of rape, torture, chopping off of limbs (especially of children) and murder.

The country hired Western mercenaries from Britain and South Africa to deal with the RUF but western governments bullied them into getting rid of them and having the UN instead. The UN mission was quickly defeated by the militants and at one point the only thing holding the rebels back from Freetown was a lone Hind gunship piloted by former South African Airforce Colonel Nial Ellis. The British army had to intervene eventually and made very short work of the militants. At one point the West Side Boys captured a patrol from the Royal Irish regiment as part of their leaders cunning "Operation: Kill British" plan. It backfired badly when pretty much the entire SAS landed right on top of his headquarters the one morning and captured him hiding under his bed and retrieving the hostages.