Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone Temne predominate in the Northern Sierra Leone and the areas around the capital of Sierra Leone. The vast majority of Temne are Muslims, with a small Christian minority. The Temne are thought to have come from Futa Jallon, which is in present-day Guinea. Sierra Leone's former president Ernest Bai Koroma is the first ethnic Temne to be elected to the office. The majority of the Temne support the All People's Congress (APC). A major ethnic group are the Mende, at about 33% of Sierra Leone's population. The Mende predominate in the Southern Province and Eastern Sierra Leone (with the exception
History of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone. Elections were held in May 2002. President Kabbah was re-elected, and the SLPP won a majority of the parliamentary seats. In June 2003, the UN ban on the sale of Sierra Leone diamonds expired and was not renewed. The UN disarmament and rehabilitation program for Sierra Leone's fighters was completed in February 2004, by which time more than 70,000 former-combatants had been helped. UN forces returned primary responsibility for security in the area around the capital to Sierra Leone's police and armed forces in September 2004; it was the last part of the country to be turned over.