Though it appears like a significantly scaled down delegation, the United States is sending its United Nations Ambassador, Her Excellency Linda Thomas – Greenfield , to Freetown this week to engage the Sierra Leone government, the opposition and the international community in defining political and developmental issues, including the disputed and rigged June 24 elections, democracy, regional peace and security and inclusive governance and the implementation of the agreement of national unity.
The trip by the UN Ambassador to the strife-torn country underscores the continuation of the U.S’ commitment to help bring to an end bad governance , bogus elections, exclusive government and threats to regional peace and security, under the present Sierra Leone People’s Party government, headed by President Maada Bio, whose regime is under strong U.S and international censure for rigging the 2023 elections, resulting in travel restrictions by the U.S and trouble with the U.S. $500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation ( MCC ) grant.
At first , news and a press statement emerged on social media that the U.S. Foreign Secretary, David Binken, who is on a mini- African tour, will be making the trip to Sierra Leone on the identical mission but after opposition All People’s Congress ( APC) and many Sierra Leoneans desiring change rejoiced over it, the U.S Embassy announced that Blinken will not be coming to Sierra Leone.
Though belligerent and extremist supporters of the ruling SLPP are playing down this U.S diplomatic mission to Sierra Leone, there is every indication that it is going to be a very important trip that will once again emphasize the commitment of the U.S to ensure the international community -mediated communique signed by the ruling SLPP and the opposition APC and the forthcoming recommendations from the upcoming tripartite dialogue and investigations of the last elections ( involving the SLPP, APC and the international community ) are fully implemented.
Mrs. Thomas-Greenfield’s mission is to stress that the future of democracy, good governance, inclusive government and peace and stability in Sierra Leone hinges on the serious implementation of the communique and recommendations from the tripartite dialogue which will help to dismantle undemocratic structures that have been set up and unlawful and unconstitutional practices being practiced to ensure that elections in Sierra Leone always end with President Bio’s SLPP winning. It is a message that has also been drummed home by the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone , Bryan Hunt, the British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Lisa Chesney; diplomatic representations of the European Union ( EU ) , UN, African Union ( AU) , ECOWAS and international stakeholders.
Going by the utterances of extremist SLPP supporters and speculations from the ground, the SLPP are not enthusiastic about the tripartite dialogue and are doing everything to abort it, including stage-managing the November 26 shootings in Freetown, which the SLPP said was an abortive coup attempt. However, the U.S Ambassador has strongly warned that bot the November 26 incident and the tripartite dialogue should be treated separately and none should affect the other.
