S. Leone President Reshuffles Gvt For First Time

Sierra Leone is recovering from a 1991-2002 war which killed over 50,000 people but remains mired in poverty.

Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma has reshuffled his government, changing the heads of nine ministries, including those in charge of finance and mines in the diamond-producing West African nation, a statement said.

No reason was given for the reshuffle that took place late on Friday. It is Koroma's first cabinet change since he won a 2007 election in the former British colony.

Former Central Bank Governor Samuel Kamara takes over in the finance ministry while Abubakarr Jalloh has been replaced by Alpha Saahid Kanu in the mining ministry, according to a statement from the president's office, seen by Reuters.

Four ministers dropped out of the 24 seat cabinet entirely.

Sierra Leone is recovering from a 1991-2002 war which killed over 50,000 people but remains mired in poverty.

Aside from diamonds, which became a source of much of the fighting, the tiny nation is also rich in gold, bauxite and titanium ore.

But Koroma has said he wants to shift the focus of economy away from mining to agriculture and tourism.