Washington, Aug 30 (PTI) Expressing concern over reports of violence in Sierra Leone after the first round of elections, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has urged all political parties and leaders in the country to do “everything necessary” to prevent the situation from escalating.
“The Secretary-General once again commends the people for the peaceful and orderly manner in which the first round of the electoral process was held,” the Secretary General’s Spokesperson said in a Statement.
“He is however concerned about the tensions and violence that have been increasing in Sierra Leone since last week. He calls on the ll parties and their leaders to do everything necessary to prevent the situation from escalating,” the statement said.
The August 11 presidential and parliamentary elections were it’s second since the end of the decade-long civil war in 2002, and the first since the withdrawal of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) in December 2005.
The UN Security Council earlier this week issued a statement hailing the “exemplary conduct” of Sierra Leoneans during the first round of the polls.
The Council also urged the public to maintain the same sense of purpose, discipline and patience as the electoral process enters it’s final and decisive phase, the run-off in the presidential election on September 8 between Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People’s Congress (APC) and incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). PTI
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