AP
President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah File photo

Sierra Leone President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has lifted a three year-old state of emergency to allow political parties to freely campaign for this year's general election.

The president made the announcement late Friday on national television, saying the need for what he called "extraordinary" security measures no longer exists.

Sierra Leone imposed the state of emergency in 1999, in the midst of a bloody civil war between Mr. Kabbah's government and rebels from the Revolutionary United Front. Political activity had been severely restricted under the emergency measures.

Fighting has largely subsided in the past year as the United Nations has brokered a peace agreement and sent soldiers to disarm the rebels.

The elections are scheduled for May 14.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

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