Super World Power, the United States is the first to take tough action against the PAOPA regime after an alleged rigging of Sierra Leone’s June 24, 2023 elections.
It announced funding cut and travel restrictions for officials serving the government of President Julius Maada Bio.
Such decisions will remain in force until democracy is restored in the country by showing who the real winner is.
The United States also recently supported the Tripartite Committee with $1.5m to boost its work although the probe is being carried out on a snail-pace mode owing to non-cooperation of such key agencies as the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone and the National Civil Registration Authority.
As the probe continues, the United States, through the State Department, has voiced out fresh concerns over democracy in Sierra Leone.
Spokesman for the US State Department, Mathew Miller said recently that “the United States remain concerned about significant irregularities in the results of June 24, 2023 elections in Sierra Leone. An investigation will restore public confidence in the election,” the US State Department assures Sierra Leoneans who have always wanted to see their votes reflect their will.
The US’s show of concern comes at a time the Tripartite Committee is almost folding up the investigation.
Political analysts who have read between the lines of the US’s latest appeal hold the view that it is a wake-up call for the Tripartite Committee to flex its muscles and does what is right without fear or favour.
Too much time has been spent on an investigation which was supposed to be carried out in a six-month period.
The committee was launched by President Julius Maada Bio in early November last year and the investigation should have ended last month if justice is to be offered to the people of Sierra Leone.
It has been mooted on several quarters that government itself never dreamed about such actions from the United States as they expected an easy pushover.
Chief Minister, Dr David Moinina Sengeh went to the negotiation table only with the hope that once the document was inked, everything was over: the PAOPA regime will once more gain international recognition and funding from development partners.
These expectations were however contrary to the current political reality as Sierra Leone government still grapples with legitimacy crisis, a situation that raised critical questions about the country’s the future as well as that of the Bio regime.
The waste of time in the enforcement of Resolution-3 of the October, 2023 Communique also generated heated discussions and debates at the launch of the terms of reference shortly after the United States donated $1.5m to the committee to speed up its work, but another delay tactics by government through proclamation of a state of emergency, non-cooperation by key election management bodies particularly the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, National Commission for Civil registration might have prompted the US’s concern over the probe.
The expression of interest is the latest among a number of repeated actions taken by the United States to restore democracy in Sierra Leone at the annoyance of the PAOPA regime.
The United States has resorted to strict actions against Sierra Leone’s government after the elections through funding cut and travel restrictions of key government officials who played key role in undermining the elections.
The Super World Power deprived Sierra Leone of the much-needed and long-awaited $500m under the MCC (Millenium Challenge Corporation) compact and another whooping sum of $292m meant for the energy sector.
The US maintains that the money will only come to Sierra Leone when democracy shall have been restored. In other words, there is no democracy at the moment as one voted for by the people is not on the driving seat.
The prediction of former US Ambassador to Sierra Leone, David Reimer has come to pass although he is no more in Sierra Leone.
Mr Reimer said over a year ago that Sierra Leone had made significant progress in the MCC scorecard but failed miserably in ensuring free, fair and credible elections, and that no money would come here until the electoral irregularities are investigated and appropriate recommendations made to government for speedy implementation.
The former Ambassador also condemned outright any attempt by government to interfere with any election probe to unearth what had gone wrong with the June polls. He was opposed to government’s move of making Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh heading the Election Investigation Committee known as the Tripartite Committee saying “the Vice President is a candidate in the past election and therefore doubts his neutrality.”
Ambassador Reimer also assured Sierra Leoneans that the US’s stance would not change and no diplomat including Bryan David Hunt would dare go against a US policy.
Since his posting to Sierra Leone, David Hunt seems to have shown more zeal in the fight towards the restoration of democracy than even his predecessor.
He has been there for the investigation of the allegedly flawed results even when attacks on police and military facilities as well as coup attempt were reported.
As a seasoned diplomat, Bryan Hunt urged government to investigate the coup allegations but must not walk away from the Tripartite Committee.
Hunt’s call was later supported by the British High Commissioner, Lisa Chesney who also called on government to cooperate with the election probe.
Subsequently, the United Nations and the sub-regional bloc, ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) also convened meetings where they urged the Bio regime to comply with Resulution-3 of the communiqué which hinges on the investigation of the election results with a view to unearth the hard truth. All these actions came after Ambassador David Hunt was deployed in Sierra Leone. An experienced writer and journalist, Kabs Kanu recently reported that the people of Sierra Leone wanted Hunt to stay until the will of the people is restored. At the moment, nothing significant goes on Sierra Leone as there is no money to provide essential services for the people.
Once the United States frowns at a particular country, other inter-governmental agencies especially would also do the same.
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have lately resorted to similar action. World Bank recently reportedly deprived Sierra Leone of about over $200m as a grant. IMF also has been withholding loans from the government so that President Bio could comply with the investigation.
The appeal is also in line with several local and international reports that heavily criticised the elections. Of all reports on Sierra Leone’s elections, the EU and US’s Carter Center reports appear to be the most damaging of the Bio regime.
EU reports delved in detail on the alleged use of violence, political intimidation and harassment by government to rig the elections citing instances of fatal shootings carried out at APC (All People’s Congress) headquarters.
Similarly, the Carter Centre report does not only bring out issues of election rigging but also called for punishment of all those who played a role in undermining democracy in Sierra Leone. Current realities on the ground show that the United States will not waver, fail and falter in the struggle to restore democratic order in Sierra Leone.