By Abubakar Taylor-Conteh
Family members of a resident of Wellington community in the East end of Freetown, are now seriously concerned about the whereabouts of Kalisu Kallon since he disappeared in the aftermath of the August 10, 2022 violent protest in Freetown during which period disgruntled Sierra Leoneans including youth, women, girls, etc., called on President Julius Maada Bio to relinquish power on ground that he hasn’t met the expectations of the majority of citizens as President of the country.
Kalisu Kallon who is a younger brother to Ismail Kallon an influential member of the Youth League (the Youth Wing) of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party, got involved in this protest as a cause of his elder brother, Ismail Kallon. Ismail was not just a participant in the protest, he was a key organizer. He was in the frontline of the public outcry, accompanied by his younger brother, Kalisu as they reportedly were voicing their frustrations about the state of the country’s economy and the repression of fundamental rights of freedom of assembly and expression, rights guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Sierra Leone is also a party.
However, following the chaos that ensuing violent actions-some of which involved looting and the destruction of property—Ismail became a specific target for the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) party loyalists and state security agents. Kalisu and Ismail were reportedly captured in video footages by SLPP party loyalists that appeared to implicate him in the destruction and setting ablaze of the Wellington Police Post and Calaba Town Police Station, which led to the release of inmates.
Ismail was reportedly traced by Secret Service Agents to his family home in Wellington which was subsequently raided and ransacked in the middle of the night of 12th August, 2022.
Kalisu’s elder brother, Ismail was reportedly shot at point blank in the ensuing fracas.
According to family sources, Kalisu’s name was being called by the intruding security agents, which family sources maintain was an indication that his life was also in danger.
In the defence of party politics in Sierra Leone, the actions of the country’s security agencies and agents are far from being in the public interest. Opponents are always considered a threat to their personal partisan interests which makes them very ruthless with opposition elements when they are arrested.
Kalisu, was reportedly initially arrested that night and detained at Camp Benghazi, a notorious detention and torture center operated by the Operation Support Division (OSD), an armed wing of the Sierra Leone Police. Camp Benghazi is notorious for its systemic use of arbitrary arrests and use of and other inhumane treatments of political opponents and has been roundly criticized by local and international human rights monitors.
Family sources contacted afterwards say since Kalisu’s arrest, they have not been able to establish contacts with him because of police restrictions, which a member of the Kallon family said, has heightened fears of his death within the family, as all efforts at reaching out to him have been restricted by the police.
Shockingly to the family, reports have indicated, they were devastated by word from the police that Kalisu has been declared wanted by the police and a bounty of NLe 50, 000 put for anyone giving information that could lead to his arrest.
“As a family, we are devastated by this and it has come as a double tragedy to the family. At first, we lost Ismail and now we have almost lost Kalisu since we have not seen or heard from him for over three years now,” an older member of the Kallon family lamented.
Whatever may have befallen Kalisu Kallon since then cannot be ascertained; whether he is dead or alive remains the biggest concern and worry in the family and among his friends.
As an individual who might be possibly running for his life in the estimation of his family members and friends, they are appealing for protection to be granted to him since there is a well-founded fear of persecution based on his political opinion or activism, among other grounds.
If he is alive and he resurfaces in Sierra Leone, he risks being rearrested with a very high possibility of him facing torture and inhumane treatments; a state of being that aligns with documented patterns of inhumane treatments and disappearances orchestrated by the State against political dissidents.
In Sierra Leone there is no certainty that the state will accord Kalisu Kallon due protection under the laws. The Sierra Leone security and judicial systems have historically failed to protect individuals in such situations, making internal relocation unfeasible.
On August 10, 2022, Sierra Leone witnessed one of its most violent civil protest in recent history. The protest, primarily staged in Freetown’s eastern suburbs, was fueled by mounting socio-economic hardships, public frustration, and government’s excesses. The protesters demanded the resignation of President Julius Maada Bio, citing issues of corruption, political intimidation, and worsening living conditions.
While the government classified the protest as a security threat, human rights organizations documented a disproportionate response, including summary executions, mass arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances.