We, in The Nationalist newspaper, are still horrified at the horrible fact that some Sierra Leoneans who claim to be highly educated could still think like the Abacha-Streeters. How could these so-called highly educated people not understand that the deployment of ECOWAS troops could not happen without the expressed approval of the host government—the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP)?
For starters, the whole idea of deployment of the Economic Commission of West African States Mission in Sierra Leone (ECOMISIL) troops originated from a special request from President Julius Maada Bio to the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State on the basis that there was a serious security threat to himself, his government and the state. This followed the events of 26 November 2023 in which the government claimed that there was an attempted coup.
It must be noted that ECOMISIL has a mandate which authorizes it to use all necessary means within the limits of its capacity and areas of deployment to support the defence forces to ensure a secured environment in Sierra Leone; to support the protection of vital state institutions; to ensure security to the civilian population and support the defence and security forces in their efforts to improve security condition in accordance with international humanitarian laws, and to contribute to strengthening of trust between the population, the defence, and security forces.
Added to that, the ECOMISIL Force Commander is mandated to implement a comprehensive and inclusive settlement to the current political crisis and ensure peace and stability in the country. And he is also tasked to deter any threat of instability within the Republic of Sierra Leone and create favourable conditions for democracy to prosper.
So, from the ongoing, we at The Nationalist newspaper are of the view that neither the mandates of ECOMISIL nor its Force Commander have anything to do with the forceful removal of President Bio and his SLPP government or to pursue “electoral justice” in Sierra Leone. It is important also to note that the countries that constitute the ECOMISIL forces are signatories to the African Union (AU)’s Constitutive Act. And Article 4(h) of this Act permits intervention in cases of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, but not electoral fraud or to pursue “electoral justice”. Therefore, the AU is unlikely to intervene militarily in Sierra Leone solely based on electoral fraud or in pursuance of “electoral justice”.
Secondly, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) emphasizes democratic principles and good governance, but does not authorize military intervention in cases of electoral fraud. The Nationalist newspaper believes that the AU may use diplomatic means to address such issues and promote adherence to democratic norms.
Thirdly, given its history and framework, ECOWAS might consider military intervention in Sierra Leone if political tension is deemed severe and threatens regional stability. However, we are of the view that ECOWAS does not have the power to forcefully remove a sitting President—especially one whose chief opponent has seemingly recognised his presidency by going to State House and calling him “Mr President”!
In Sierra Leone, despite the seemingly blatant occurrence of electoral fraud in the 2023 general elections; Dr Samura Kamara, the All People’s Congress (APC) 2023 presidential candidate, and other top APC officials did not immediately seek “electoral justice” by asking their supporters to take to the streets until “electoral justice” is dispensed but pursued a “National Peace Dialogue” that led to the formation of the Tripartite Committee. Maybe, had Dr Samura Kamara and his APC supporters brought down the heavens; ECOWAS might have considered intervention under its mandate to maintain peace and stability.
In a nutshell, The Nationalist newspaper is of the opinion that the issues of ECOMISIL Deployment, “electoral justice”, and the claimed would-be removal of President Bio have all been shrouded in deliberate misinformation and disinformation by those who would have done great service to Sierra Leone by just speaking the plain truth!