The United States Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield has announced today in Freetown that the U.S. government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide US$1.5 million to support electoral reforms in Sierra Leone.
The support will be focused on three key priority areas which are technical assistance, funding for an international and a Sierra Leonean legal analyst, and helping to engage citizens through civil society.
Dr. Samura Kamara, leader of the main opposition APC and the 2023 election Presidential candidate, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, and the Co-Chairs of the Tripartite Committee for Electoral Reforms, Dr. Emmanuel Gaima, Dr. Kaifala Marah, and the UN Resident Representative, Seraphine Wakana were at at the U.S Ambassador’s residence where the announcement was made this evening.
AMADU LAMRANA BAH
COCORIOKO OPINION
We laud the U.S. Government for its commendable gesture to fund electoral reforms in Sierra Leone. It demonstrates the seriousness of America’ s commitment to bring sustainable democracy to Sierra Leone.
However, we want to sound a very strong warning to the U.S. that, if the opposition did not tell the visiting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations , Madam Linda Thomas-Greenfield , Sierra Leone does not have a civil society. What exists as civil society is a caricature , a plethora of compromised, tribalized and partisan rag-tag individuals masquerading as advocates when they are in fact part of the very tyrannical SLPP Government destroying democracy in Sierra Leone.
COCORIOKO is writing a special editorial on the issue to accentuate the problem.
