Declaration:

"With regard to article 3, paragraph 2, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the participation of Children in Armed Conflict, the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone declares that:

1. The minimum age for voluntary recruitment into the Armed Forces is 18 years;

2. There is no compulsory, forced or coerced recruitment into the National Armed Forces;

3. Recruitment is exclusively on a voluntary basis."

Declaration upon signature:

"The Government of Sierra Leone wishes to state with regard to article 17 (2) that Sierra Leone does not consider itself bound to grant to refugees the rights stipulated therein.

Further, with regard to article 17 as a whole, the Government of Sierra Leone wishes to state that it considers the article to be a recommendation only and not a binding obligation.