By Sheriff Mahmud Ismail – Tuesday 30 May 2023
Less than a week after the #Commonwealth led the signing of a ‘Peace Pledge’ in Freetown by the leaders of political parties, YvonneAki-Sawyrr, the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) Freetown Mayoral candidate’s vehicle was yesterday vandalized by ruling party assailants. Today, the APC presidential candidate #Samurakamara was refused the use of the Goderich Community Centre and just moments ago in Kono, the residence of the APC East Regional chair, Mdm Diana Konomanyi, has been set ablaze.
All of these acts of political intolerance and violence were perpetuated by thugs of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP). In the case of the Aki-Sawyerr, the perpetrator, a known SLPP thug called ‘Arata’ was actually taken to a police station where he was procedurally released even after eyewitnesses confirmed that he was the perpetrator.
It should be noted that these acts of violence being unleashed are not isolated but while every peaceful loving and patriotic Sierra Leone and stakeholders should be appalled by this barbarity, no one should be surprised. What we have seen is just the beginning, intelligence reports indicate that the SLPP have recruited over three (3,000) thousand thugs to create havoc including to disrupt the elections in some places in the country.
As we have seen in the photos during the ‘Peace Pledge’, only one person appears to be genuinely committed t peace. Therefore, while we appreciate the symbolic acts of promotong tolerance and peace- including through pledges- stakeholders must consider stronger actions to address the ongoing violence.
