By Kabs Kanu
Everybody wants peace in Sierra Leone. Nobody wants chaos and instability . Though I admire radical and revolutionary leaders of the past like Jerry Rawlings and Thomas Sankara, I do not support military coups anywhere and I do not wish them in my country but at times we have to face reality. The plans of the SLPP Government —-which are for evil and never for the good of the country —- make people wish for a Jerry Rawlings at times. May God save us from that fate because all we want for Sierra Leone is peace and prosperity.
However, it should be conceded that the international community , including our partnets in progress and stakeholders like the the U. S . have failed the people of Sierra Leone in ways I will discuss below and this is what hardens our hearts at times to consider drastic solutions for our country. We have lost confidence in our government and our only hope now is the international community .
But my sincere belief is that our international stakeholders and moral guarantors are not doing their jobs .
The African Union ( AU) established the African Union’s Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) to identify potential conflicts based on indicators of tension, providing early information about developing situations. The UN also set up a range of systems , initiatives and specialized offices that work collectively on early warning signs for different types of hazards like natural disasters, public health crises, mass atrocities, political disturbances and threats to peace and security . But how effectively are these mechanism used to elicit a coordinated process that ends in timely, actionable tesponses.
These systems should have been used to foster and enhance Fact-Finding and Monitoring Missions . Stakeholders and their envoys should have used the processes to gather information to understand the root causes of disputes and to track escalating tensions, but they are not doing so. Since Maada Bio stole the 2023 elections , Sorrra Leone has been riven by divisions and threats of strife, but neither the UN nor the U. S. has taken time to investigate the crisis impartially and see the side of the suffering masses .
Diplomats have failed to facilitate dialogue and negotiation between parties to find mutually acceptable solutions, preventing disputes from escalating. The Agreement of National Unity and the Tripartite agreements are tilted in favour of the ruling SLPP and the opposition APC’s presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara, who was cheated and is seeking Electoral Justice, has since abandoned the process .
Strengthening the ability of African states and regional actors to manage tensions peacefully is a key component of regional preventive diplomacy efforts. But neither the UN or the U.S . has built the capacity of preventive diplomacy.
Preventive diplomacy is urgently needed in Sierra Leone to enhance regional stability. Instability in one African country , it has been learnt, can trigger refugee flows and spill over into neighboring nations, making a coordinated preventive approach crucial. But it is not forthcoming.
Also, more credible , sustained and inclusive Preventive diplomacy should have been deployed in Sierra Leone to address structural problems like democratic backsliding, corruption, economic inequality, and human rights abuses before they lead to further chaos and violence. But this was not done.
TO BE CONTINUED
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