Sierra Leone was not actively involved in the process to develop a Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It was, however, among the first group of states to endorse the Political Declaration in Dublin in November 2022. In Dublin, Sierra Leone said that it is a living example of first-hand experience of the impact of EWIPA. It said that the declaration is the beginning of a long-term commitment and effective process to develop stronger standards and change in the use of explosive weapons. Sierra Leone also said that an assistance program would help states to move swiftly to make these changes. 1
Sierra Leone attended the first international implementation conference on the Political Declaration in Oslo, Norway in April 2024, and the second implementation conference in San Jose, Costa Rica in November 2025.
Statements and positions
Sierra Leone has on multiple occasions spoken on EWIPA in multilateral forums, primarily to highlight the harms caused to civilians. At the San Jose conference it emphasised its “unwavering commitment to the protection of civilians and to the humanitarian principles at the core of the EWIPA Political Declaration”, and called on more States, “particularly in Africa and other underrepresented regions” to join the Declaration. 2
At the UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in 2025, referencing ongoing global conflicts, Sierra Leone stated that “civilian casualties remain unacceptably high, particularly as a result of the use of improvised explosive devices and weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas.” 3 Sierra Leone also spoke about the harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and importance of implementing the Political Declaration to mitigate this harm as co-host of a side event alongside the 2024 UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. 4 During the UN General Assembly First Committee in 2023, Sierra Leone said that “the use of explosive weapons in populated areas poses complex challenges and a grave danger for the protection of civilians” 5 a sentiment it echoed in 2025 when at First Committee is reiterated that “the use of explosive weapons in populated areas poses grave humanitarian and ethical challenges”. 6
Alongside its individual statements, Sierra Leone has also signed onto group statements regarding the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. At the UN Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict in May 2025, the Group of Friends of Action on Conflict and Hunger, of which Sierra Leone is a member, said that “overly permissive interpretations of the rules of international humanitarian law are undermining their key objective, that is, the protection of civilians and civilian objects” and, referencing Gaza, decried the “immense civilian harm has been caused by Israel’s indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas and its obstruction of life-saving aid”. In closing, it urged states to “work for the universal endorsement and implementation of the Political Declaration”. 7
Implementation of the Political Declaration
In February 2024, INEW and EWM conducted a survey into endorser states' national efforts to disseminate and implement the Political Declaration; and in May 2025 EWM conducted a second survey. 8 In its responses, Sierra Leone reported that it has appointed point people responsible for the implementation of the Political Declaration in its Commissions on Arms and Ammunition and Armed Forces, an assistant programme officer and a major, respectively. 9 It also reported that the government and the armed forces have conducted workshops or trainings on the content and implementation of the Political Declaration. Sierra Leone also noted its contributions to United Nations and African Union peace operations, where national troops uphold IHL principles and civilian protection standards in conflict environments involving explosive weapons. 10
In its statement to the San Jose conference, Sierra Leone also referenced its implementation of the Declaration, stating that it “continues to integrate responsible use of explosives into training for our military and police, and our new Harmonized Arms and Ammunition Act of 2023 strengthens national control of weapons and explosive materials.” Sierra Leone also stated that it “actively promotes the Declaration through African regional forums and other relevant fora to encourage wider endorsement”. 11