By Musa Paul Feika
Since the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government led by President Julius Maada Bio assumed office in March 2018 there have been massive human rights violations especially against the youth in Sierra Leone.
The 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone spells it out clearly under the ‘Fundamental State Police’ that every citizen has the right to life. In the 10 August 2022 demonstrations across the country, a very large number of youth were out there to express their feelings against the SLPP government’s actions, but the newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP), Williams Fayia Sellu, for reason best known to him, and his men denied them this right and were out in force to stop them from exercising such a constitutional guarantee. It was the IG’s first action in relation to the public, which seemed like a continuation of the IG Sovula era.
Lansana Bonnah, a youth chairman, told Nightwatch that the idea that protesters should take permission for a protest action against the government’s action from a man or woman appointed by the President is absolutely against the principle of organised protest action.
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) force with its motto “Force for Good” is charged with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties as mandated by the Constitution of Sierra Leone. The youth whose permission was turned down by the IG were left with no option but to they take the law into their own hands and went on with their protest. This resulted into serious clashes between the security forces and youth across the country, in which many of them lost their lives including some police officers.
Unfortunately, the painful events which unfolded on 10 August 2022 continued for some days hence. One of the youths in Makeni city, Hassan Dumbuya, commonly called Evangelist Samson, and others were allegedly gunned down by police officers.
A youth chairman at the Wellington Carwash in Freetown said since the killings at Pademba Road prison, in Lunsar town, Tombo and recently during the 10 August 10, Sierra Leoneans are still waiting on the investigations into those killings and other acts of police of brutality against the youth.
‘IG Sellu should have convinced President Bio to allow or permit us the space to have a protest action along the major streets and roads in the cities with armed officers escorting to make sure that we don’t cause mayhem. That would have been better for us,’ Santigie Karbgo told Nightwatch.
He continued that on 10 August 2022, the entire city appeared like a war zone due to armed to the tooth police officers including military aid to civil power, common called “MAC-P”, were walking the empty streets while the youth were locked in their homes looking through their windows and balconies.
Santigie Kargbo said that was a clear indication that they were displeasured with the police’s strategy of using deadly force. During the protests government properties including police stations were set on fire and some were vandalised.
Mohamed Kamara, a youth residing at Texaco, Freetown, told Nightwatch that the Sierra Leone Police and the youth across the country are the greatest of enemies, the reason being that the SLP personnel routinely deprive them of their daily bread. He furthered that the youths and SLP personnel will never agree with each other due to the police’s wickedness and brutality against the youth.
Kamara said he witnessed at PZ in Freetown police officers running after motorists, which has also created serious enmity between police officers and the youth. Police stations the likes of Approved School, Kamakwie, Tonko, Calaba Town, Kissy Police, and Allentown Stations among others were vandalised.
After the protest the main opposition leader of All People’s Congress (APC) in the House of Parliament, Hon Chernor Maju Bah, called on the government to take immediate steps to ameliorate the situation at hand. Honourable Bah furthered that the unfortunate event was a clear manifestation that there had been erosion in the gains made in strengthening reconciliation, social cohesion and more importantly peace building in post-war Sierra Leone.
‘We want peace! Maada Bio must go! Police brutality must stop! We are hungry,’ said angry protesters on the day.
The youth from across the length and breadth of the city said there were too many scenarios of killings for which they were out to express their democratic rights to peaceful assembly amid human rights violations by the security forces.
The government depends on the police to maintain peace and tranquillity; but, however, they are not known for such.
The formation of the National Security Council is in line with a key recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and requires the government of Sierra Leone to develop new principles of the national security that mirrors the will of Sierra Leoneans to live peacefully and in harmony.
The TRC made the recommendation due to findings from the investigations of the eleven-year brutal civil war in Sierra Leone.
The Commission stated that the neglect of the youth by authorities was one of the bad indicators that led to guerrilla warfare that tore the country apart. According to the TRC there was disrespect of citizens’ fundamental human rights, failing to provide for the people’s welfare among others.
Sierra Leone continues to face human rights and democracy challenges. Prison conditions remain a cause for concern, with detention facilities overcrowded and short of minimum international standards regarding access to food, water, sanitation and healthcare. Women and girls remain at high risk of sexual and gender-based violence, including rape, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child marriage and teenage pregnancies.
Impunity remains high especially among youths, and women are still struggling with marginalisation and discrimination, particularly for education, employment, access to and control over resources, decision-making and political participation. During the run-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections slated for mid-2023, high political division and increasing tensions between the ruling SLPP and the main opposition APC can be observed, intensified by recurring inflammatory messages.
The lack of inclusive governance continued, with a “winner-takes-all” and “State-capture” system deepening the political, tribal and regional divide in the country. This situation, coupled with dire socio-economic conditions and widespread perception of persistent corruption, continues to undermine the social contract, public trust in the elected institutions and the dividends of peace and democracy.
Economically, the youth remain prone to political instrumentalisation, and participated in incidents of intimidation and violence during some by-elections in Koinadugu and Kono districts.
This article is produced by MRCG with support from ATJLF project on “Engaging the media to change the narrative on transitional justice (TJ) in Sierra Leone”.