Isatu Kamara, a native of Sierra Leone from Kambia District, Northern Sierra Leone, has been declared wanted by the traditional Bondo Society elders in Mambolo Chiefdom, Kambia District. She is being accused of destroying all the bondo paraphernalia belonging to the traditional society. This happened after the victim’s daughter died through a forceful Female Genital Mutilation initiation exercise.
According to the local radio station, Radio Kolenten, the 38 years old widow, who is also a nurse at Freetown’s 34 Military Hospital, lost her husband in January, 2017 and was left with three children to take care of as a mother.
The local radio reports further state that Isatu was invited to witness her mother’s funeral service at the Mambolo Chiefdom in July 2018. She had no option but to take along her eldest daughter, who was 13 years, leaving the other two in Freetown with a friend.
After the burial of her mother, who was also a native traditional and spiritual head responsible for the cutting of the clitoris during the FGM ceremony, Isatu, according to the reports, was not pleased with the burial ceremonies involved.
She was later approached, according to the local radio reports, to replace her mother as the head of the society, but her refusal led to a huge crowd of initiates and other senior society members to surround her house, demanding to take her forcefully to the bush.
The attempts failed, but they succeeded to whisk away her 13 years old daughter, who was later that day was initiated into the bondo society. However, her 13 years old daughter later died in the process. As a result, Isatu, in her frustration, secretly found her way into the bush and set ablaze the entire society bush, torching the entire shrine, including all its paraphernalia.
Recent reports have indicated that the whereabouts of Isatu are not known. There is a desperate search for Isatu. The elders of the society, the District and national structure have agreed that Isatu has committed taboo and should not go free.
The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gendre and Children’s Affairs, together with the United Nations Community in the country, have, over the years, done a lot in stopping Female Genital Mutilation, which is believed to have devastating impacts on the girl child.
The heads of these secret societies, known as Soweis, have been trained and capacitated to understand the negative health consequences of FGM. They have also been warned not to initiate girls who are below 18 years. But this practice still continues occurring in very remote parts of the country. Sometimes girls below age 5 are initiated into the Bondo society. Many end up dying. Some incur life threatening complications that would later affect them while giving birth.