( CNN ) -- The United Nations Security Council has ended sanctions against Sierra Leone , restrictions originally imposed during the nation 's brutal civil war , the Security Council announced Wednesday . The Council ended a 1997 arms embargo and a travel ban among other sanctions , in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the West African nation . While the Security Council praised Sierra Leone for its progress since the end of the decade-long conflict in 2002 , it maintained the need for peacekeepers in the formerly war-torn nation . `` Sierra Leone may today no longer be one of your most critical concerns , '' said Michael von der Schulenburg , head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone . `` But we urge you not to abandon Sierra Leone completely . It is a potential success story , not only for Sierra Leone but for the Security Council . '' U.S . Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice commended the decision to end sanctions . `` Because of the much-improved situation in Sierra Leone , including the work of its special courts and the demobilization of armed groups , the remaining sanctions can now be lifted , '' she said in a statement . Tens of thousands of Sierra Leone 's 6 million population were believed killed in the war , and more than 2 million were forced to flee their homes amid the mayhem that was fueled by riches from the diamond trade or so called `` blood diamonds . ''
Sierra Leone endured a bloody civil war that ended in 2002 . The country is still recovering from the effects of years of conflict and poverty. The U.N. Security Council says the situation has improved .