The campaign team of one of the leading aspirants of the main opposition All Peoples’ Congress (APC) party, Dr Richard Konteh, popularly known as D-Unifier, has joined the loud call for independent investigation into the deaths caused by the clash between security personnel and protesters during the 10th August 2022 incident, and the immediate and unconditional release of all those who were arrested.
Expressing his heartfelt condolences to families of those who died in the violent clash, Dr Richard Konteh’s campaign team said in a press release issued on Tuesday 16 August 2022: “We convey our sincere condolences to all bereaved families and pray that the souls of all those brutally murdered in the conflict Rest in Peace.”
D-Unifier Campaign Team for Dr Richard Konteh, among other issues, called for independent investigations into the deaths that took place on the day of the protest and during the entire week.
“We are appalled by the heightened state of unrest and chaos we have witnessed over the past weeks. We call on government and our revered International Partners to thoroughly investigate these deaths and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.”
The team also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those in police custody.
“We also call for the immediate release of Med Kay, who was arrested two days before the strike action and is now detained without access to proper medical attention and legal representation,” the release states.
D-Unifier Campaign Team especially condemns the brutal way Mr Hassan S. Dumbuya (aka Evangelist Samson) and others unnamed were murdered in cold blood in Makeni and other parts of the country. The Team also said the extra-judicial killings, indiscriminate arrests, threats, and counter threats on social media continue to be a cause for concern.
The release states further: “We further note with deep concern reports from Bo, Pujehun and other places about threats to attack minority ethnic groups. We have also closely followed President Bio’s address to the nation and pronouncements from Ministers and other senior surrogates of the Government, trading accusations against the opposition APC Party and issuing threats that further deepen the political and ethnic divide in the country.
“We note that the APC Party has officially dissociated itself from the conflict and condemned all forms of violence. We, therefore, call on all Sierra Leoneans and political operatives to exercise the highest degree of restraint and to refrain from all forms of violence and social unrest.”
The campaign team take due note of the fact that the continuation of this crisis, including the threats of arrest, will adversely affect the pending Voter Registration exercise, thus undermining the democratic process and chances for free, fair and credible elections in 2023.
D-Campaign Team maintains the indiscriminate use of force by the security forces that led to the escalation of the crisis and ultimately to the loss of lives. Of concern is the fact that similar protests in the south-eastern part of the country were never met with such excessive force. While we condemn all forms of violence, we believe that the security forces did not handle this issue professionally. D-Unifier campaign Team, said: “The excessive use of force, including high-calibre weapons and live ammunition against civilians as the first line of defence, was unfortunate.”
Also included in the Statement while condemning these excesses, The UNIFIER Campaign Team calls for calm, dialogue and constructive engagement to address the root causes of this crisis and establish a framework for mutual engagement to seek an amicable solution.
D-UNIFIER Campaign Team concludes by appeal to Government, its functionaries and other political and social media operatives to tone down the rhetoric’s. We call on Government to disband the armed gangs parading the streets even at night and terrorizing peaceful civilians.
D-UNIFIER Campaign Team calls on the International Community, the Inter-Religious Council, and the Peace and Social Cohesion Commission, among others, to intervene and take concrete steps to seek an amicable settlement of the crisis.
While D-UNIFIER Campaign Team condemns violence in all its forms, we equally hope that the root causes of this conflict will be addressed and the socio-economic hardship, the hate speech from people in high places and the polarization of the political fabric of our beloved country need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
