Sewa News Stream

In words that echoed around the world, a commission of inquiry in Sierra Leone held the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) responsible for extrajudicial killings in1992. The junta's attempt to justify these executions retrospectively by decree, on the basis that the 26 people were alleged coup plotters, was an unlawful abuse of executive power, the commission said. In particular, the Commission found that the deputy chairman of the NPRC, Solomon A.J. Musa, was personally responsible for acts of torture on detainees. They called the executions a flagrant violation of international standards.   Among those executed on December 29, 1992, were: Lt. Col James Yaya Kanu, former commanding officer of the 4th Battalion James Bambay Kamara, former Inspector General of Police Corporal Mohammed Mansaray, alias Candapa of the 1st Battalion Warrant Officer Class 1 Kargbo, alias Fernando of the 1st Battalion headquarters Lieutenant colonel (Rtd.) Kahota M.S. Dumbuya, Army Head...

A Sierra Leonean Online:  A little over a month since the elections we've had a lot of academic analysis on why the SLPP  [Sierra Leone Peoples Party]  lost. Very impressive displays of our best intellect. However,  I’ve learnt that people rarely make decisions based on intelligence and logic; emotion has a lot to play when choosing a leader. SLPP lost simply because they failed to listen to the people. Taking the voters for granted after being in power for a while is a political disease so easy to catch and SLPP is no exception. After Kabbah’s successes, especially ending the war, they failed to recognise that people were disappointed with his second term. To the ordinary man the war was over but there was no progress. Simple. They failed to listen that people didn’t want the shadow of military coups in our future and that Maada Bio would be a hard sell. Even then, they might have stood a chance if they hadn't embarked on the most disastrous campaign eve...

Although the list of cabinet members on the State House website has not been updated, a press release (not on State House's website) announced today three new appointments in the month-old Koroma government. According to the press release , Dr. Samura Kamara, still listed as the minister of finance and economic development on the State House website, is said to have moved to the ministry of foreign affairs and international affairs, held by J.B. Dauda. And, taking Samura Kamara's place at the finance ministry is Dr. Kaifala Marrah, State House chief of staff. Franklin Bai Kargbo keeps his job as attorney-general and minister of justice.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, My Lady the Chief Justice, Ministers of Government, Honourable Members of Parliament, Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, His Worship the Mayor of Freetown, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: Today, before the esteemed representatives of the people, I once again, with faith in God, loyalty to the constitution, and firm commitment to the achievement of our national aspirations, accept the honour bestowed upon me by the people of this country to serve them as President for the second and last term. I glorify God Almighty for making this happen. I thank every citizen of this nation for the confidence reposed in me and my party, the All Peoples Congress to take the country to another level. 2.    I am here to reiterate my campaign promises before God, before the representatives of the people, and before all the people of this country. I am here to reiterate my vow to honour the trust you have placed in me; to proc...

President Koroma, Maada Bio Meet at State House |  By State House Communications Unit His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai Koroma has received the leadership of the Sierra Leone's People Party (SLPP) in audience at State House, Freetown. ... His brief welcome address, the newly re-elected Fountain of Honour and indomitable Father of the Nation said that he is welcoming the SLPP in his capacity as President of Sierra Leone after the successful conclusion of the November polls. President Koroma also said that the recently concluded elections were acclaimed by both national and international observers as free, fair, peaceful and largely credible. He called on the SLPP to have faith that any political issue in the country falls under his purview as President of the Republic, adding that he believes the SLPP should address their concerns through the right channels. Making a brief statement, Brigadier Julius Maada Bio first of all addressed President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma as His Excellen...

(Photo courtesy of Awareness Times) The elections are over in Sierra Leone and President Ernest Bai Koroma has been re-elected for a second term. Below are excerpts from an interview that BBC Media Action did with former vice president Solomon Berewa earlier this week in the nation's capital, Freetown. Claudia Anthony started by asking Mr. Berewa what he made of the election results, what they reveal about the nation of more than six million people, and the way forward. Solomon Berewa : It is not a good model. We don't want this sharp division reflected in these elections. The whole of the North went APC [All People's Congress]; the Southeast–excluding Kono–went SLPP [Sierra Leone People's Party]. We don't want that situation to be a model which Sierra Leone should follow. We want the political landscape to be integrated—SLPP winning in the North, APC winning (seats) in the South. Let us have a national parliament, a national government. That is what we wan...

Press Release: Unconstitutional Detention of Suspects of Alleged Electoral Malpractice by Sierra Leone Police 2 December, 2012 Sierra Leone Gender Watch (SLGW) strongly condemns the detention of the six women suspected of alleged election malpractice, who have been held past the 72 hours constitutional time limit prescribed in section 17(3) of the 1991 Constitution. The Constitution provides that should the Sierra Leone Police have sufficient evidence to charge their matters to court, these women should be bought to relevant authority within the specified time limit. They have been detained at the Criminal Investigation Department since the 17th November 2012. Five of the suspects were employees of National Electoral Commission, (NEC). Sierra Leone Gender Watch is particularly concerned of the wellbeing of one of the detainees, a suckling mother of twins who has been denied access to her children since her arrest. SLGW highlights this as a serious breach of the United Nations ...

For Immediate Release --------------------------------- December 1, 2012                     Sierra Leone Gender Watch Message on 16 days of Activism against Gender Violence                     Sierra Leone Should Meet Commitments to End Violence against Women and Children Every year 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence runs from 25 November to 10 December. The global campaign spans the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November and International Human Rights Day on 10 De-cember. The period also includes Universal Children’s Day and World AIDS Day. This yearly commemoration links violence against women to human rights and by ex-tension, recognizes violence against women and children as a public health problem. Domestic violence is now deemed as a major risk factor for women's health with far reaching consequences for both women’s physic...

 Ernest Bai Koroma, newly re-elected President of Sierra Leone  Every president who gets elected into office in a maximum two-term electoral system is concerned with two things. First, to get re-elected, and then his legacy. Koroma's first term government composition clearly reflected his re-election agenda. Majority of his cabinet and key government positions were filled from the party base (predominantly from the North). Then there was the People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) factor. Under the circumstances of his first election, Koroma appointed some PMDC party members to a few government ministries either as ministers or deputy ministers as a payback for PMDC leader Charles Margai's endorsement, which ultimately handed him the presidency. And then, there was the strategic re-election move to penetrate into the south-east where his party had performed so badly in 2007. To infiltrate Kenema and some parts of the east, Koroma surprisingly made JB Dau...

Sierra Leone's National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced Friday, November 23 results of the nation's Presidential Elections held last Saturday. According to the NEC, 1,314,881 votes were cast in favor of the candidate Ernest Bai Koroma and he received 58.7 percent of valid votes cast in the election. In the photo, Ernest Bai Koroma reads the oath of office as the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone as he is sworn in for a second term by Chief Justice Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh. Read the speech President Ernest Koroma gave after the swearing-in ceremony held today in the nation's capital, Freetown. Fellow Sierra Leoneans By the grace of God, I have once again been elected as your President. The people have spoken and their collective will has prevailed. I give praise and thanks to Almighty God for the great honour bestowed on me to lead this nation. This is a win for every Sierra Leonean; and I thank every Sierra Leonean for bringing about this victory for th...

In less than three weeks, Sierra Leoneans will go the polls to elect a president, parliamentarians and local government officials. The contest that is most keenly watched and has raised the most heat is that of the presidency, which, because of its winner-takes-all character, will give the victor enormous powers to chart the country’s development path in the next five years. Each of the two main parties, the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), is convinced that it has the numbers to clinch the top job, with APC partisans confident of victory on the first ballot. It is difficult to predict election outcomes in countries where there is no tradition of scientific polls that gauge voter preferences. Crowd turnout at rallies may provide insights, but can be misleading as Solomon Berewa (the SLPP’s previous flag bearer) found out in 2007. The situation is more complicated when the electorate is divided into two relatively equal ethno-regional bloc...