Jonny Paul Koroma was a Sierra Leonean military figure who played a prominent role during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Born in 1960 in Tombodu, Kono District, Koroma rose to significant prominence in 1997 when he led a military coup that overthrew the government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Koroma and his Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) seized control of the country, accusing Kabbah's government of corruption and marginalization of the military.

Koroma's AFRC aligned with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group infamous for its brutality during the civil war. This alliance intensified the conflict and further destabilized Sierra Leone. However, Koroma's regime was short-lived. In 1998, after approximately nine months in power, the combined forces of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and loyalist Sierra Leonean forces restored President Kabbah to power, forcing Koroma and his forces to flee.

Following the end of his regime, Koroma remained a key figure in the conflict, continuing his involvement with rebel activities. In 2000, he was arrested and charged with crimes related to his involvement in the civil war. He faced accusations from the Special Court for Sierra Leone, an international tribunal set up to prosecute those most responsible for the atrocities committed during the civil war, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Koroma's fate became unclear in 2003. Reports indicated that he had been killed under suspicious circumstances. However, other accounts suggested that he might have faked his death to avoid prosecution. His death was never conclusively confirmed, leaving an air of mystery around the final chapter of his life.

Koroma's legacy is deeply intertwined with the chaos and violence of the Sierra Leone Civil War, and he remains a controversial figure in the country's history, symbolizing the turbulent period of military coups and insurgencies that devastated Sierra Leone for over a decade.

REFERENCE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Paul_Koroma