Bai Bureh Uprising

a peasant revolt in Sierra Leone in early 1898 which spread through a number of areas around the city of Port Loko. The armed struggle developed as a protest against the so-called hut tax imposed by the British colonial authorities and quickly spread throughout the country. The rebels were led by a chief named Kabala, a talented military leader more widely known by the name Bai Bureh. The insurgents conducted a successful war against superior repressive forces for several months. More than 2,000 rebels were killed in combat, and approximately 100 villages were burned or destroyed. By the end of May 1898 the British had succeeded in suppressing the revolt. Bai Bureh went into hiding but was captured at the end of 1898 and sent into penal exile in the Gold Coast.