“My Gov’t will bring out all those perpetrators and their sponsors to book”—President Bio reaffirmed
President Bio said his Government would not sit idly by for such persons to disturb the peace of this nation and derail the gains they are making in the nation.
The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio in his state address on Friday 12 August emphatically condemned the August 10 violence and described it as “a terrorist attack to overthrow my government On that day, the peace, security, and stability of this nation were shattered by persons whose insurrection was pre-meditated, well-planned, financed, and executed with shocking brutality. Before August 10th, they had severally identified themselves on social media as APC Warriors, PPP, and persons who are determined to capture political power even at the cost of hundreds of lives.”
The President said for some time now also, some politicians have been raising tensions with divisive language and threats to make the country ungovernable. He intimated that their known surrogates and associates have stated that they will continue to illegally use violence to unseat the democratically elected Government. The
“The Constitution and laws of our Republic not only guarantee the right to free speech and peaceful protest, but they also provide applicable restrictions. As in all democracies, the right to peaceful protest should be exercised by identifiable persons, and it should not threaten public safety and peace. The right to protest should not be expressed as a right to violently murder police officers, burn down Police Stations, and disturb the peace of our country. Clearly, this was not a peaceful protest” he lamented.
He pointed out that the unrest occurred only in parts of Makeni, Binkolo, Magburaka, Kamakwie, Lungi,Western Rural, Eastern Freetown, and towards PZ in Freetown. He noted that there were no protests in all other parts of the country including large parts of Freetown.
President Bio said it was not a protest against the high cost of living occasioned by the ongoing global economic crisis. He described that chant of the insurrectionists was for a violent overthrow of the democratically-elected Government. The killings and destruction, he said, targeted Police officers, and public and private property associated with the Government.
He reminded Sierra Leoneans that since COVID-19 struck, his Government has undertaken specific economic mitigation, recovery, and resilience measures that have kept essential food items and fuel on the market, kept businesses running, and maintained public services and regularly paid salaries. In fact, he added his Government has reduced fuel and transportation prices twice in the last month alone. This he said is in addition to other social safety payments and cash transfers to poor and vulnerable populations and microfinance loans to women and youth.
“This insurrection, which was executed by clearly identified partisans using the cover of follow-on crowds including children, was characterized by targeted killings, wanton looting, and destruction of property. It was not a peaceful cost-of-living protest. This was simply an attack on peace and security, an attack on the rule of law, an attack on democracy” he said.
President Bio said his Government would not sit idly by for such persons to disturb the peace of this nation and derail the gains they are making in the nation. He vehemently stated that full force of the law would be brought to bear on all those persons who attacked and killed police officers. They, he added, their sponsors, and their collaborators would not go unpunished. He strongly emphasized that there would also be a full investigation into the deaths of ordinary citizens who lost their lives in the senseless violence incited by the known persons.
He established that in the coming weeks and months, the Government will undertake necessary security actions meant to guarantee the peace and security of all citizens, stating it may cause some unavoidable inconveniences, Government’s actions will guarantee all constitutional rights and freedoms of peaceful citizens. The security forces, he said, would and must, act with great restraint and within their professional codes of service. But however, he assured that his Government would crack down hard on violent insurrectionists, their collaborators, their sponsors, and their supporters. “My Government will relentlessly fight those who would rather use terror and gruesome violence to achieve political goals,” he said.
He urged every peace-loving Sierra Leonean to be mindful that our national unity, peace, and stability are essential for our survival as a nation and that let us continue to respect all the laws of Sierra Leone and remain law-abiding.
“Just over twenty years ago, we turned our backs on using violence to resolve our differences. We have since made great progress to consolidate our democracy. My Government has made every effort to open up spaces for dialogue and peace. Bintumani 3 was meant to bring all parties together to forge a pathway to peace and national cohesion” President Bio reminded Sierra Leoneans.
Since then, he maintained his Government has established the National Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, adding that has removed obnoxious seditious libel laws and Sierra Leone has made great improvements in global press freedom rankings. He reiterated that no journalist is in prison for the practice of journalism and there are no political prisoners and his Government has also abolished the death penalty.
“Government also assures the right to peaceful protest as long as groups and their leaderships identify themselves and work within the existing laws of Sierra Leone. Peaceful protesters will be fully protected by law enforcement officials” he said.
He informed that his Government has further undertaken progressive reforms to guarantee fundamental constitutional rights and freedoms, create opportunity, and ensure gender empowerment and equality, re-emphasizing that the dates for democratic elections have been announced over a year in advance and political parties are free to organize peacefully and present policies to citizens of the nation.
He concluded by expressing deep condolences to bereaved families, emphasizing that his Government will fully investigate all deaths as a result of the violent insurrection. “As a Government, we will honor the Police officers who were murdered with a civic funeral in respect of their service to this nation. Their deaths shall not be in vain and we will bring their killers and those responsible for their deaths to justice” the President said.
By Mohamed Amara Gando
