Oipnion : ECOWAS is a shame: They just crowned a human butcher as Chairman

ECOWAS IS A SHAME: YOU CROWNED A BUTCHER, NOT A LEADER

So ECOWAS has spoken , and their latest declaration is a slap in the face to every grieving Sierra Leonean, to every silenced voice, to every mother whose child was gunned down in cold blood under Maada Bio’s tyrannical regime. You made him Chairman? What exactly are you rewarding bloodshed, tribalism, rape, or dictatorship?

How dare you parade this man as a leader of peace and governance when his hands are stained with the blood of his own people? How dare you give legitimacy to a man who used live bullets on peaceful protesters on August 10th, who locked up opposition voices, who turned Sierra Leone’s democracy into a criminal enterprise?

ECOWAS , you have not just failed Sierra Leone; you have insulted the entire West African region. You’re supposed to stand for democracy, accountability, and regional stability, yet you honour a man who embodies the exact opposite. Are you blind, or have you been bought?

Let’s be clear: Maada Bio is not a statesman , he is a bloody tyrant.
• Under his watch, dozens were killed in extrajudicial crackdowns.
• Political opponents have been jailed, tortured, exiled.
• Elections were rigged, citizens silenced, tribal lines deepened.
• He has used state resources to polish his international image while ordinary Sierra Leoneans starve.
• Human rights abuses have become standard operating procedure.
• And women — yes, let’s talk about the rumoured sexual violence and coercive silence within the corridors of power.

This is who ECOWAS sees as fit to lead West Africa? Then West Africa is finished. If the price of leadership is blood, fear, and propaganda, then we are heading straight to hell as a continent. You have crowned the destroyer of dreams.

Let’s stop pretending. ECOWAS no longer represents the people , it represents the elite cabal, where killers dine with kings, and oppressors are draped in honors while nations bleed behind the curtains.

Maada Bio has not earned this role , he has bought it. With stolen state resources. With backdoor diplomacy. With the same manipulative PR tactics that hide his brutal repression from the world stage. You don’t see the suffering in Sierra Leone because you are paid not to see it.

But history will remember. And your betrayal will not be forgotten.

To ECOWAS , this is a warning:
You are losing your soul.
You are losing the people.
And you are digging the grave of African integrity with your own hands.

Enough is enough.
One day, the people will rise , and no title, no chair, no polished speech will shield the truth.
The blood of Sierra Leone cries out. And no title can silence it.

By Komeh Tonkolili
Secretary General
APC Australia Branch