Bandela
Encyclopedia
Bandelє is a village Garwula District
, Grand Cape Mount, in north-west Liberia
.
As of January, 2006, the population was approximately 1,165. The area was settled by the Bande clan of the Mende people
. Residents speak a dialect of the Mende language
(Mєnde yia) called Bandi. However, the language of school instruction and local administration is Liberian English
. The area contains several abandoned small scale mines
. Bandelє sometimes serves as an informal trading post due to its proximity to the Sierra Leone
border and the major road to Sierra Leone's diamond mining region. The area suffered during both the Liberian Civil War
and the Sierra Leone Civil War
. Currently, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) provides most security and other basic services.
Garwula District
Garwula District is one of five districts located in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia....
, Grand Cape Mount, in north-west Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
.
As of January, 2006, the population was approximately 1,165. The area was settled by the Bande clan of the Mende people
Mende people
The Mende people are one of the two largest and most dominant ethnic group in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. The Mende make up 30% of Sierra Leone's total population or 1,932,015 members...
. Residents speak a dialect of the Mende language
Mende language
Mende is a major language of Sierra Leone, with some speakers in neighboring Liberia. It is spoken by the Mende people and by other ethnic groups as a regional lingua franca in southern Sierra Leone....
(Mєnde yia) called Bandi. However, the language of school instruction and local administration is Liberian English
Liberian English
Liberian English is a term used to refer to the varieties of English spoken in the African country of Liberia. There are four such varieties:* Standard Liberian English or Liberian Settler English;* Kru Pidgin English;...
. The area contains several abandoned small scale mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. Bandelє sometimes serves as an informal trading post due to its proximity to the Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
border and the major road to Sierra Leone's diamond mining region. The area suffered during both the Liberian Civil War
Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia running from 1989 until 1996. The conflict killed over 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations...
and the Sierra Leone Civil War
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...
. Currently, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) provides most security and other basic services.