THE NEWSWATCH newspaper of Freetown, Sierra Leone, has said the hope of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) getting away with the stolen votes remains very slim as the international community still relentlessly pursue the regime. The newspaper was commenting on the mediated dialogue between the SLPP and the opposition All People’s Congress ( APC ) to break the stalemate in Sierra Leone.
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‘EU Report Must Guide The Dialogue’ -US Embassy
Hope of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) getting away with the stolen votes remains very slim as the international community still relentlessly pursue the regime.
A Commonwealth-led peace brokers are already on the ground ahead of a dialogue due to take place in four days’ time at Bintumani hall in Freetown. As all ears kept to the ground on what will come out of the peace talks as the United States Embassy wanted to see that the recently published EU report guide the dialogue.
“We hope that the final EU report would guide discussions in the upcoming mediated dialogue and shape the resulting proposals. All stakeholders can learn from its recommendations,” the US expressed hope ahead of the mediation.
It is also hoped that the US’s hope will not be betrayed in the Commonwealth-led talks as the report has created an impartial historical accounts of all that has taken place in Sierra Leone during the elections.
Should the peace brokers go by the wish of the United States by adhering to the EU report when resolving the conflict, Bio‘s hope of ruling Sierra Leone for another five years should start to wind down.
The report captured diverse rigging tactics employed by ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) as well as brutality perpetrated by the security forces during and after voting. The ECSL is a body mandated by law to conduct and supervise all public elections in Sierra Leone.
In several polling stations, according to the report, live ammunition and teargas were fired thus creating an atmosphere of panic and fear that kept several voters in their homes.
Deaths caused by police shoot-outs on APC (All People’s Congress)’s headquarters were also captured by the report. Situations in which the opposition leader, Dr Samura Kamara was stopped from campaigning in the South-East regions, heartlands of the ruling SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) also take a prominent space in the report.
The voters’ register was also never published so also was the election results which were never published by polling stations and districts as demanded by the international community as well as Sierra Leoneans.
Sources stated that the results published by ECSL were those allegedly concocted by State House and passed on the election Chief, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. For several stakeholders, the US’s advice is in place in that it is the first country to take tough action on government after President Julius Maada Bio was fraudulently declared President of Sierra Leone by way of an election said to lacked transparency.
The absence of credibility in the election spurred the United States into action stopping funds and slamming travel bans on selected government officials and most likely champion an ICC (International Criminal Court) investigation of those who committed serious human rights abuses. The United States has cancelled USD450m due to Sierra Leone after it qualifies for the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Sierra Leone, according to former United States Ambassador, passed all benchmarks but failed on free and fair election which is more crucial in getting the money.
Sierra Leone’s election, according to the EU report, means no election has been conducted in Sierra Leone since it riddled with clear rigging and an unparalleled thuggery. The report pointed out several instances of naked rigging and unprecedented scale of political thuggery that rendered the election a mere sham.
The United States is the only country at the moment that has imposed a travel ban on government officials said to have played key role in rigging the electoral process. Sons and daughters of the election riggers too who reside in the United States will be affected by the travel ban.
They will have their passports and other travelling documents nullified until the right thing is done. The embassy however does not specify the names of those affected by the travel, ban but speculations are rife that senior government officials including President Maada Bio will fall victim.
Recently, the ban became a blanket one when the United States issued an order that visa application for all Sierra Leoneans be stopped. The Blanket action followed a recent row between President Bio himself and the United States over the disputed election results.
Speaking at a ceremony in an American university in Washington, President Bio alleged that he was incited by the United States to interfere with the June election, but turned down the call for incitement.
According to President Bio, he lacked the power and authority to instruct ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) what to do since the institution is an independent and semi-autonomous body.
Bio’s allegation against the greatest world power is damaging and it prompts a response from the United States who said they made no such incitement to Bio.
However, the United States’ punitive measures against the Bio regime continues and more to follow should Bio force his way through on the negotiation table. Like the US, other inter-governmental agencies such as EU, AU and ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) have also recently taken similar actions by cutting off financial support for Sierra Leone.
EU has held back millions of Euros form Sierra Leone owing to election rigging, and the action is sure to stand until democracy is restored. EU parliament has also not recognised Sierra Leonean parliamentarians after the Clerk, Umar Paran Tarawallie wrote a letter to them about the opening of the sixth parliament.
AU and ECOWAS parliaments also took similar actions against Sierra Leone parliament to make it compliant with the aspirations of the people of Sierra Leone. They all agreed that they should not recognise and accept parliamentarians who came to power through stolen votes.
By his actions, President Bio is known over the years as a man who drive roughshod on diplomatic officials and later send emissaries for forgiveness. Amid the disagreement between him and the international community, Bio’s Chief Minister has been actively engaging the diplomatic officials for a reversal of decision.
David Moinina Sengeh recently met with the EU Ambassador, Manuel Muller who he held discussion with, but the outcome remains a closely guarded secret. Mr Sengeh has also discussed with the new Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryan David Hunt and about the MCC compact which, he said, Sierra Leone had qualified for.
He used the revamp of the electricity as one of the key areas into which the grant would go. The disbursement of the money in question still remains a wait-and-see affair as the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh still remains stubborn about publishing the results by polling stations and districts.
According to US stance, there will hardly be normal relationship between the United States and President Bio until correct election results are published. If the US maintains tough stance, it would appear as if the Chief Minister is beating a dead horse.
His desperation in canvassing financial support from the United States when the real results are still not released portrays himself as one who does not understand the language of the former Ambassador. Ambassador Reimer previously informed Sierra Leoneans that “the incoming Ambassador, Bryan Hunt will have his personal lifestyle but will not go against the position of the United States.”
If the EU report forms the basis of the dialogue as advised by the United States, it would be extremely difficult for the Bio regime in light of the findings and recommendations.
