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Brigadier General (Ret.) Julius Maada Bio (born on October 30, 1964 in Segbwema, Kailahun District) is a former Sierra Leonean Head of State. He led a coup in Sierra Leone on January 16 1996, ousting president Valentine Strasser. He was previously Strasser's deputy and was a participant in the April 1992 coup that ousted the All Peoples Congress (APC) government. Bio is an ethnic Mende.

Although there were some who questioned Bio's motives, primarily because his sister, Agnes Deen Jalloh, was a member of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), civil society organisations rejected Bio's "peace before elections" campaign and forced his junta to proceed with elections and the restoration of constitutional order. A clear winner was determined after the second round of elections on March 15, 1996, and he handed power over to Ahmad Tejan Kabbah on March 29 1996.

Bio now serves as the president of International Systems Science Corporation, a consulting and investment management firm and lives in Fairfax, Virginia in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Bio sought the leadership of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) at its national convention in Makeni on September 3–4, 2005; he took third place, with 33 votes, behind Vice President Solomon Berewa, who received 291 votes, and Charles Margai, who won 34 votes.^[1] In the Sierra Leonean press, Bio was quoted in 2007 as saying he would overthrow a new APC government if the APC won the 2007 election. According to Bio, this was taken out of context, and he said that if the "appalling" conditions that existed in 1992 were to return, he would seize power.^[2]

References

Heads of government of Sierra Leone Prime Ministers, 1961-1971 Milton Margai • Albert Margai • Siaka Stevens • David Lansana† • Ambrose Patrick Genda† • Andrew Juxon-Smith† • Patrick Conteh • Siaka Stevens Presidents, 1971- Christopher Cole • Siaka Stevens • Joseph Saidu Momoh • Yahya Kanu† • Valentine Strasser† • Julius Maada Bio† • Ahmad Tejan Kabbah • Johnny Paul Koroma† • Ahmad Tejan Kabbah • Ernest Bai Koroma  †denotes military ruler