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- Mandinka people of Sierra Leone (commonly referred to as the Mandingo, Mandinka or Malinke) is a major ethnic group in Sierra Leone and a branch of the Mandinka people of West Africa. Most Sierra Leonean Mandingo are the direct descendants of Mandinka settlers from Guinea, who settled in the north and eastern part of Sierra Leone, beginning in the late 1870s to the 1890s under the rule of prominent Mandinka Muslim cleric Samori Ture. Also later a significantly large population of Mandinka from Guinea migrated and settled in Eastern Sierra Leone and Northern Sierra Leone in the early to mid 20th century. The Mandingo people of Sierra Leone have a very close friendly and allied relationship with their neighbors the Mandingo people of Guinea and Liberia, as they share pretty much identical dialect of the Mandingo language, tradition, culture and food. The Mandingo constitute about 6.9% of Sierra Leone's population. The Mandingo are over 99% Muslim, adherents to the Sunni tradition of Islam. Islam has become the basis of their religious and cultural practices. The Mandingo are well known for their conservative Islamic tradition. The Mandingo people of Sierra Leone are predominantly traders and rural subsistence farmers. Some very prominent and well-known Mandingo in the country have been political leaders, including Sierra Leone's former president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, former Vice President Sorie Ibrahim Koroma, current Sierra Leone First Lady Fatima Maada Bio (nee Jabbie), current chairman of the Sierra Leone national electoral commission Mohamed Nfa Alie Conteh, former Sierra Leone minister of trade Usman Boie Kamara, current Sierra Leone minister of Energy Kanja Ibrahim Sesay, current Sierra Leone National Security Adviser Mohamed Mamadi Keita, former Sierra Leone Information Minister Kanji Daramy, and Sierra Ambassador to the United Nations Alie Kabba. The Mandingo people of Sierra Leone speak the mandinka language as their native language. Like other Sierra Leonean ethnic groups, virtually all of the Mandingo people in this country also speak the Krio language. In the 21st century, the Mandingo live in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone; they make up the majority of the population of several towns in the North and East of Sierra Leone. Their population is largely concentrated in Koinadugu District in the North, particularly in the towns of Kabala and Falaba, where they form the majority of the population. The Mandingo make up the majority of the population in Yengema, Kono District in Eastern Sierra Leone. They also make up the majority of the population in the town of Karina, Bombali District, in the north of Sierra Leone. (en)
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