USA: Sierra Leoneans Protested today & on Monday Compatriots Will Also Protest in London
By Abu Shaw (15/07/2023)
Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora have started a monumental move to protest against Maada Bio’s fraudulent June 24 general elections in Sierra Leone.
The protests by Concerned Sierra Leoneans around the world are continuous until the prize is won. The momentum to demonstrate against the undemocratic and inhumane SLPP regime of Julius Maada Bio has energised Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora who are determined to carry on until democracy and the people’s mandate are restored in Sierra Leone. To achieve this, Sierra Leoneans in the United States and in the United Kingdom will kick the ball rolling to make sure the June 24 elections stolen by Maada Bio are reversed and the people’s votes are respected. (Photo: Tycoon Jagaban joined protesters yesterday in Washington DC).
Sierra Leoneans clearly voted for the main opposition APC leader Dr Samura Kamara but Maada Bio’s gang of SLPP thieves stole the elections much to the annoyance of citizens. Yesterday, the demonstration against Maada Bio’s barbarism started at Capitol Hill in Washington DC where dozens of Sierra Leoneans converged to vent out their anger and frustration by highlighting the continuous human rights violations and the absence of democratic rule as exemplified by the recent June 24, 2023, general elections which were stolen in broad daylight.
All the international elections observers namely EU, UK, US, Carter Centre, etc, and the National Elections Watch NEW described the June 24 elections as fraud. Sierra Leoneans back home who brave the storm to vote against Maada Bio’s tyranny, are still fuming in rage that the actual results were not released by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone ECSL chaired by the crook Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. Dressed in white T-Shirts and displaying placards heralding clear messages in support for democracy, dozens of Sierra Leoneans protested in DC much to the delight of all patriotic Sierra Leoneans. (Photos: Protesters yesterday).
Remarkable speeches were made through loudspeakers by various protesting Sierra Leoneans in front of the imposing Capitol Building all of which were posted on social media platforms for all to see. “We are delighted for our compatriots who took their time and energy to come out in full force to spread the message to the US government,” citizens in Freetown praised. The most famous protester yesterday was the US-based APC politician and business tycoon Alhaji Mohamed Kamara aka Jagaban, a man who aided and abetted the APC party’s moral big time in the southeast of Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leoneans in the UK have all their battle gears in place to carry out a similar thing by protesting in London on Monday, July 17, where they would eventually present a letter of petition to 10 Downing Street, the home and office of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Diasporans are slated to meet the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who is incidentally an origin of Sierra Leone. His mother Evelyn Suna Cleverly, a midwife, came from Sierra Leone. His father James Philips is British and worked as a Surveyor.
More broadly, the protest will commence at the Elephant & Castle area in southeast London where protesters are scheduled to assemble in front of the Tabernacle Church, and from there the protesters will march through the streets of London en route to Downing Street with the Metropolitan Police and Marshalls providing tight security. The Monday, July 17 demonstration is organised by the Concerned Sierra Leoneans CSL UK. Many other Sierra Leone groups in the UK will participate in the protest to send a clear message to Maada Bio and his gang of SLPP robbers that the people’s mandate must be restored. (Photo: US State Department Mathew Miller).
US Department of State Office – Statement by Matthew Miller, Spokesperson July 14, 2023
On Sierra Leone’s Election – The United States continues to be concerned about irregularities in the election results announced by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone ECSL. Independent parallel vote tabulations and analyses by accredited national and international observation missions raise questions about the integrity of the official results. We call on the government to institute an independent, outside investigation of the elections process and integrate observer recommendations to improve the electoral modalities for future elections. We are also disturbed by the reports of intimidation – including death threats – against domestic and international observers, civil society organizations, and ECSL personnel. We call on all actors to exercise restraint and engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve disputes. The resolve and determination of Sierra Leoneans who went out to the polls on June 24 to make their voices heard was inspiring. Free and fair elections are essential for any democracy. The government and political parties must commit to strengthening democratic institutions to better protect the rights and reflect the aspirations of the people of Sierra Leone.
