Guinean junta leader Mamady Doumbuya knows better than to interfere in Sierra Leone’s internal affairs

By KABS KANU

Sierra Leoneans, their country sitting on a tinderbox and many people  fearing that it will explode if next year’s elections are rigged by the unpopular regime of President Maada Bio, were apprehensive when Guinea’s junta leader, Col. Mamady Doumbuya came to visit his counterpart , President Bio last weekend. There was no prior government announcement about the visit or its purpose.

What was more concerning was the heavy artillery and security the Guinean leader entered with in Sierra Leone. Many Sierra Leoneans complained about the massive show of  military might by the Guinean head of state. To them, it was intimidating and some thought it was deliberately authorized by President Bio to send fear into his opponents .

With Sierra Leoneans ill at ease with all the subterranean moves President Bio is presently making to win a second term at all costs next year, such an unannounced visit ,marked by a war-zone like heavy artillery parade, made Sierra Leoneans suspicious that the two leaders may have been up to something sinister.

But COCORIOKO wants to assure Sierra Leoneans. Col. Mamadu Dumbuya knows better. GUINEA will not interfere in our national affairs. They know the diplomatic, economic and political ramifications. They know what happened to CHARLES TAYLOR of Liberia.

The Guinea military junta is already under strong and sustained international pressure to hand power back to a civilian government and they will not incur further international wrath by interfering in the internal politics of a neighboring country , knowing how it will destabilize the West African subregion and even make Guinea a pariah state in Africa.

In Siaka Stevens‘ case, he and the late President Sekou Toure had signed a defence pact. Guinea would not have however attempted to overturn the coup, if Brig. John Bangura had succeeded to overthrow Siaka Stevens in 1971, if it had been a popular coup. Leaders know when to intervene in a country- Not during a popular uprising against an unpopular and abusive government.

Guinean forces who came to defend Shaki knew their limits. When students rose up against Stevens in 1977 and came very close to overthrowing him, but for the loyalty of the army under the late Brig. Joseph Momoh and the Sierra Leone Labour Congress Guinea knew that it was a people’s movement and did not intervene.

The Guinea junta leader has problems of his own and that was possibly why he came to visit one of his neighbors, Sierra Leone. It was to help build goodwill in the face of the international furor over his takeover in Conakry and the increased threats of economic and diplomatic sanctions if he continues holding on to power and refuse to hand over to a civilian government.

There are also many international threats being faced by West African countries that leaders do not discuss publicly, like transnational crime, the use of porous borders to import dangerous drugs and small firearms, all capable of destabilizing a nation. It is within the diplomatic rights of these West African nations to cooperate to ensure that none of them allows their borders to be used to destabilize the other. Col. Dumbuya’ s visit to Sierra Leone may not be unconnected with these issues.

Everybody knows the needful in Sierrra Leone. Everybody knows what President Maada Bio needs to do—He came to power through democratic elections and he has an obligation to maintain the culture of democracy by conducting democratic elections in Sierra Leone next year. Col. Dumbuya himself is fully aware of Maada Bio’s obligations to the people of Sierra Leone and the international community and will think twice to collaborate with Bio to destabilize Sierra Leone by denying the people their Democratic and constitutional rights. He has bad name of his own already .

We therefore want to assure all Sierra Leoneans that the visit of the Guinea junta leader to Freetown had nothing to do with support for President Bio’s megalomania and his desires to rig next year’s elections. Col. Dumbuya and the Guinea junta know better than interfere in Sierra Leone at a time like this when majority of the people are craving a regime change.