By Alpha Kargbo
Alusine Rahman Kallay and his gay partner John Kamara fled Sierra Leone to an undisclosed destination after being caught in an intimate moment by John’s elder brother Mohamed Kamara.
The incident occurred on the 27th of February, 2024, at the Magazine community. The two were at John’s house in Magazine, in the east end of Freetown, when John’s brother Mohamed Kamara suddenly walked in on them. In a rush of surprise and fear, Mohamed reportedly tried to restrain them and raise an alarm.
The neighbours informed that while Mohamed was intending on exposing them, he went into a fight with them, and Mohamed was hit with a chair on his head that rendered him unconscious as they tried to escape.
“At that point, Mohamed was laying on the floor,” said Abass Turay, a neighbour familiar with the incident. According to Abass, by the time the neighbours arrived there, Alusine and John had fled the scene.
It was only after they had fled that John learned – through a phone call that his brother had been taken to the emergency hospital as a result of the injuries sustained.
The Sierra Leone constitution of 1861, under section 61 of the offences against the person’s Act of 186, same-sex sexual activity between men remains illegal in Sierra Leone and is puninishable by up to life imprisonment. Even though prosecutions are rare, the social stigma, religious condemnation, and threat of mob justice make such incidents life-threatening.
Fearing of arrest and retaliation amidst growing tensions and reports of angry youths and police raids, Alusine and his partner initially fled to Songo, about 51 kilometres from east end of Freetown. But as word of the incident spread rapidly, they crossed into a neighbouring West African country. As it stands, their exact location remains unknown.
“It was either run or risk their lives,” Alusine Rahman Kallay said.
The fallout was swift. In communities like the Magazine community, where religious and tradition leave little space for tolerance, especially around LGBTQ and other issues.
“They have brought shame and disgrace to their family and the Muslim community at large,” said the chief imam of prominent mosque in the Magazine community, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Their action is beyond forgiveness, and they must pay with their lives.”
Such views reflect the harsh reality LGBTQ+ individuals face in Sierra Leone. The law may criminalize them, but it’s the social environment-marked by threats of violence, family rejection, and public humiliation that drives many into silence or exile.
Human rights advocates say Alusine and John’s experience is far from isolated. Many young people in Sierra Leone are forced into hiding simply for expressing their sexual orientation for who they are.
“These are young men who are not protected – they were criminalized,” an LGBTQ+ rights advocate said. “Now they are in hiding, and we don’t know if they are safe.”
“They didn’t mean to hurt anyone. They just wanted to be free and express their sexaul identity. But there is no freedom for people like them in Sierra Leone.”
Authorities are still investigating the assault and related events, and the police have issued a warrant of arrest for Alusine Rahman Kallay and John Kamara.
For now, Alusine and John remain across the border – scare to speak openly, unable to return, and unsure of what lies ahead.
There story highlights more than just a personal tragedy. It reflects a larger pattern of fear, persecution, faced by queen youth under outdated laws unforgiving social norms.
