Widespread allegations of complicity, the United States, the world’s super power, still stands with the people of Sierra Leone withholding much-needed funds from the government of President Julius Maada Bio.
The united Sates and other members of the international community are yet to recognise the legitimacy of the Bio regime, a factor that renders the complicity allegations flimsy.
International community can act in country’s internal affairs but cannot exceed the limit lest they be accused of stepping outside their mandate and interfering with sovereignty.
The US Ambassador, David Hunt has always urged Sierra Leoneans to speak up over national issues. He also reiterated his stance in a media interview few days ago that his country, the United States would not dictate for the government, but Sierra Leoneans’ problem must be handled by Sierra Leoneans.
Even his claims of no rerun since the opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) should not be misunderstood to mean taking sides with the government, but a way of expressing an informed opinion based on the interplay between the country’s legal system and the prevailing political situation. At the moment, the only action the United States would adopt is to stop funding the Bio regime as it is doing now and in the future especially if government fails to implement recommendations that emanated from the election probe.
According Ambassador Hunt, the United States will not send money to Sierra Leone until government shows readiness to implement the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee, a body set up to investigate alleged irregularities of the June 24, 2023 multi-tier elections.
Even the MCC (Millenium Challenge Corporation) compact of $484m meant for Sierra Leone is still in the purse of the United States owing to tight conditions imposed on the Sierra Leone government.
The US diplomat also made it clear that the money in question was still a long way from landing into the hands of government and even if it comes, it will be a different ball game as a different entity will spend the money in several sectors of the economy particularly in the energy sector.
The United States has also refused to cooperate with the Bio regime as he urges them to comply with the resolutions of the October, 2023 communiqué which provides for a thorough election probe.
The current action is a continuation of recent tough actions by the United States to restore democracy, peace, human rights and development, values which the United States has stood for throughout the ages.
Most of the wars fought by the world’s greatest power as seen in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya were for the freedom, civil liberty and dignity of people living thousands of miles away from the United States.
Even the American War of Independence fought on the American soil in 1775 was one meant for the Americans to take back control of their lives and their future. It was a means to assert the right to self-determination which resulted into a wave of democratisation in the United States that swept across the world.
America’s action in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan which led a sudden end of World War Two in 1945 was to free the people of the world from the destructive tendencies and oppression of the German dictator, Adolf Hitler whose aim was to bring the world under his control.
It was in the same year that the world’s biggest organisation, the United Nations was formed to ensure international peace and security with the United States taking the lead.
The UN body has recorded tremendous success stories in various parts of the world particularly Sierra Leone where a decade-long civil war was brought to a sudden halt and peace consolidated by the United Nations.
Sierra Leone, since the end of the war, has sucked and enjoyed the juicy fruits of democracy as the United States is ready to support and work with democratic and peace-loving nations.
Free, fair and credible election is the entry point to democracy and any US leader at every given time often readily congratulates an African President President who comes to power through proper democratic means.
It is no maverick to see US President, Joe Biden congratulates Liberian President, Joseph Boakai and failed to send sentiments of good will for President Bio who many say is not the winner of June polls. Mr Biden also takes some stringent actions against the SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party)-led government which the opposition leader, Samura Kamara constantly refers to an “ethnic militant cabal.” The United States has taken an array of actions to that tighten the screws for the Bio regime.
After allegations of election rigging in June, last year, the United States was the first to impose funding cut on government of President Julius Maada Bio and travel restrictions on its officials.
These measures are meant to cripple the government so that it could comply with the demands of the people of Sierra Leone and the international community of ensuring free and fair elections.
The US’s struggle for the restoration of democracy in Sierra Leone does not stop only with the travel restrictions and funding cut, but also facilitated the formation of the Tripartite Committee.
The role played by former US Ambassador, David Reimer in having an effective Tripartite Committee in Sierra Leone is still fresh in the minds of Several Sierra Leoneans. Ambassador Reimer went as far as casting doubt on Vice President, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh to lead the election probe as he said “a candidate in an election could not head a committee that investigates the same election.” It is all about fair play for the opposition party.
He also assured Sierra Leoneans that his successor, David Hunt would not deviate from US’s main objective of restoring democracy in Sierra Leone although he might have his personal lifestyle.
When the Tripartite Committee stalled owing to financial constraint after its launching in November, last year, the United States offered $1.5m to the committee for work to commence.
Sierra Leoneans saw the momentum the committee gained after such a huge sum of money was offered to government.
The terms of reference that should guide the committee in the investigation of the allegedly flawed elections was speedily launched at the New Brookfields hotel in Freetown. Despite the challenges, the committee has completed its work and submitted recommendations to the international community.
An 80-point recommendation is now on the desk of the international community and it is hoped that its recommendations would transform Sierra Leone’s electoral legal and policy system for which the people of Sierra Leone are pleased with the United States and other foreign missions that immensely contributed to the election probe.
In addition, two sets of recommendations bordering on results examination and electoral justice are also pending, thanks to the United States for a tough job done.
According to reliable sources, the Australian judge, Kate Sullivan who heads the committee’s secretariat has gone through with her work and tough recommendations would be out next week, and victory for the people of Sierra Leone is highly expected.
Even it came as a mistake, Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, David Monina Sengeh said recently that “the recommendations will be a victory for the people of Sierra Leone.” The State Department has also repeatedly expressed interest over the current political situation in Sierra Leone. Its Spokesman, Matthew Millar has tweeted on several occasions that democracy must be restored in Sierra Leone.
America’s effort in ensuring accountability for all those who rigged the election is also well appreciated by the people of Sierra Leone as such step will deter would-be election thieves that might drag the country to another all-out conflict in the future.
The recommendation by the Carter Center report on Sierra Leone’s election and the declaration for justice for the people of Sierra Leone by the US Ambassador to the United Nations is a testament to America’s role in ensuring accountability in Sierra Leone. In a recent Media interview, Dr Beth Van Schaack said the only way to stop another war in Sierra Leone is to bring to justice who accused of rigging the June 24, 2023 election.
America’s move for justice in Sierra Leone is also supported by the ICC (International Criminal Court) whose flag has been hoisted and the flame justice burned bright again years after the defunct Special Court for Sierra Leone.
The ICC prosecutor, Karim Kahn has visited Sierra Leone twice after a short meeting with President Bio in New York after a UN summit.
Counsel Kahn made it clear that the ICC would end impunity in Sierra Leone and that the prosecutions would not be confined at the Hague in Netherlands as the people of Freetown, Lungi and other parts upcountry would like to see justice at work.
It goes without saying that US’s action also triggered similar measures by several diplomatic communities in Sierra Leone in respect of the election rigging.
European Union also hit hard on the Bio regime after it stopped funding most of the development projects in Sierra Leone as well as other funds for budget support.
EU used to support Sierra Leone’s infrastructure projects evidenced by the construction of Masiaka-Bo, Freetown-Kambia and Masiaka-Kambia highways as well as Mabgele, Mabang and Moala bridges.
EU’s tough actions is also a follow-up of a promise made by its ambassador in Sierra Leone, Manuel Muller who once assured the people of Sierra Leone that their last vote would be counted and protected and that government would make a sad mistake if it attempted to rig the election.
EU’s Ambassador also had it hot with government particularly the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) for failing to implement most of the recommendations that emanated from the 2018 polls.
The election boss, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh was also at loggerheads with the European Union when he attempted to postpone the elections to 2024 instead of 2023 citing Corona Virus outbreak in March, 2020.
An alleged disruption of Bio’s rule could be the reason for the proposed postponement, but the claim was considered far-fetched by the international community since Corona Virus was not as disruptive as it was in China, Europe and the United States.
Government, by all indications, was trying to make mountains out of a mole hill to undermine democracy by delaying the election.
The move to hold the election in 2024 was also a revenge-seeking measure by the PAOPA government as they cited the measure taken by former President Ernest Bai Koroma in postponing the 2017 general election to 2018.
SLPP was however insistent on the 2024 election agenda even when a wise counsel was made by Sierra Leone’s most educated man, Karim Bangura that African countries should not pamper the outbreak of Coroan Virus to make gains such as soft loans and grants from the world powers and inter-governmental financial institutions.
Rather, they should work hard to roll back corona if at all it had broken out in their countries or fend off their borders to forestall its outbreak to save economies. He argued that what African countries stand to lose through Covid-19 restrictions is not commensurate to what they would be offered by the West.
Despite the warning, the Bio-led administration was still was still ready to take the elections to 2024 with ECSL boss constantly arguing that Sierra Leone “is a sovereign state.”
Such argument means that the ECSL boss is either ignorant about conventions, treaties and other international agreements signed, ratified and domesticated by his country or he was ready to risk it all to rig the elections at all cost.
Although the PAOPA government fought hard to hold the elections in 2024, the move was however thwarted by the international community with Ambassador Muller taking the lead in anti-2024 election campaign. Government, at last, bowed to international pressure but their actions in the polls however proved to be the worst.
As a response to the call of the Americans, the United Kingdom also resorted to tough measures of funding cut and cutting off cooperation with the embattled government.
UK’s development wing, Department For International Development (DFID) stopped its assistance to most government agencies with an aim of crippling the Bio regime since it is difficult to run a government without adequate financial resources.
Governments, all over the world, are under obligation to deliver services to their people especially when they come to power amid growing expectations particularly in Sierra Leone where the people expected the new government of President Bio to provide food and stabilise the economy for the welfare of the people.
The people of Sierra Leone also recalled the action taken by UK in replacing ex-British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverley with former British Prime Minister, David Cameron at the peak of the election controversy in Sierra Leone.
Reliable sources said the replacement was not unconnected to downplaying Sierra Leone’s deterioration political and fragile security situation.
James Cleverley Visited Sierra Leone following a row between Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden and British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Lisa Chesney who was accused of meddling with Sierra Leone’s politics contrary to the spirit and letter of the Vienna Convention.
Ambassador Muller also had tough time with SLPP as he was also subjected to similar attacks by Emmerson Lamnina, a former member of the Coalition For Change, the party of former Vice President, Chief Sam Sumana.
It was a dominant public view that then foreign Secretary never did much on his visit to Sierra Leone, a factor that might have led to his removal from his post and confined to the Home Office.
In Sierra Leone, Lisa Chesney never sit back to see SLPP government walk away from the Tripartite Committee even when a treason investigation was on going as a result of the November 26/23 attacks which led to the deaths of dozens of Sierra Leoneans including members of the state security forces.
In as much as the British High Commissioner recognised the felonious nature of the coup she equally recognised the importance of the election probe and urged government to cooperate with the investigators.
The United Nations Development Programme which used to assist the judiciary by paying salaries to magistrates, judges and other judicial officers has stopped such assistance after the alleged election rigging. World Bank and the International Monetary Fund also withheld loans and grants from the government of Sierra Leone since they are not ready to work with a government whose election victory is still questionable.
Treading on the same path, Commonwealth, African Union and the sub-regional bloc, Economic Community Of West African States also adopted tough measures through the effort of the United States. Before APC’s elected officials (parliamentarians, mayors, chairmen and councillors) took their seats in parliament and local councils across the country, Commonwealth initially failed to recognise parliament in Sierra Leone after President Bio was controversially declared winner of the elections.
African Union and ECOWAS also stopped cooperation with Sierra Leone’s parliament not until a peace deal was brokered between the opposition APC and the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) by the international community led by Gambian’s former Vice President, Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang.
Few of the obligations in the peace communiqué require the government of Sierra Leone to release political prisoners, discontinue political trials, resettle victims of political violence and pay backlogs to APC members of parliament and councillors although it is a wait-and-see affair at the moment.
The deployment of ECOMOG (ECOWAS Monitoring Group) troops in Sierra Leone to keep the peace was also reported to have been sponsored by the United States government as is the case in the restoration of peace and democracy in 1998 after a democratic government was toppled by the khaki boys.
ECOMOG also known as ECOMSIL (ECOWAS Mission to Sierra Leone) troops jetted in after US foreign Secretary State, Antony Blinken held meeting with ECOWAS leaders in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital where ex-President, Ernest Bai Koroma is currently seeking asylum after his house arrest for alleged treason.
The troops are here to ensure peace and stability, and could intervene when there is a flare-up of violence, crime and disorder in any part of the country which the local forces could not contain. It is a confidence-building measure for the people of Sierra Leone who seem worried and jittery about the country’s volatile security situation.
Owing to the mobilisation of effort made so far in the restoration of democracy in Sierra Leone, local activists and human rights campaigners call on the people of Sierra Leone to stand with diplomatic missions to save Sierra Leone.