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Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Political agreements alone won't heal Sierra Leone's deep social divide
Constitutional and legal reforms are needed to address divisions rooted in the overcentralisation of power and resources. Despite a veneer of national cohesion, deep ethnic and political divisions persist in Sierra Leone. These were evident during the 2023 contested elections, which required a national unity agreement to defuse tensions between the government and the opposition All People's Congress (APC). The APC had rejected the declaration of President Julius Maada Bio as the winner, citing irregularities and procedural infractions. While the next general election is still three years away, it's critical to prevent a resurgence of tensions that could escalate into violence and instability. Since the end of its civil war in 2002, Sierra Leone has been on a democratic trajectory, holding five consecutive elections and experiencing peaceful transfers of power in 2007 and 2018. The country has consistently ranked high on the Global Peace Index, although with a slight decline since 2016 – and was ranked eighth -most peaceful in Africa in 2024. Combined with its postwar stability, religious tolerance and conflict prevention awareness, this progress has fostered a semblance of national cohesion and led to reduced regional and international interventions in recent years. Nevertheless, deep-rooted sociopolitical cleavages continue and were especially apparent before and after the June 2023 elections. The antagonistic relationship between the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and APC continues to reflect pronounced ethno-regional cleavages. The SLPP draws its primary support from the Mende ethnic group in the south and east, while the APC is largely backed by the Temne in the north and northwest. These divisions were implicitly acknowledged in the agreement, in which both parties jointly condemned 'all citizens at home and abroad who incite violence, spread hate speech and disrupt national cohesion'. They reaffirmed their commitment to interparty dialogue. The agreement aimed to resolve the post-election impasse, leading to the APC ending the boycott of its participation in elective offices – parliamentarians, mayors, council chairs and councillors. The parties agreed to establish a cross-party committee to review the 2023 electoral process and address issues such as election-related detentions and politically motivated legal actions. However, it did not address the overcentralisation of power and resources that have historically fuelled divisive politics, often centred more on access to state control than genuine policy differences. The 1991 constitution (as reinstated in 1996 and amended in 2008) and Mines and Minerals Development Act vest full ownership and control of Sierra Leone's vast natural resources – including gold, diamonds, bauxite and iron ore – in the state, particularly the executive. Mining, regulated by the National Minerals Agency, has been a key economic pillar, accounting for more than 26% of gross domestic product in 2014 and contributing significantly to public revenue and export earnings between 2012 and 2014 before Ebola and Covid-19 disruptions. Furthermore, the private sector relies on state-led public works and procurement. The government controls licences, permits and access to credit guarantees, making proximity to political elites a determinant of economic success. The public service, accounting for 39% of formal employment in 2018, remains a major employer. These factors reinforce state dominance over economic life and render access to political office a gateway to wealth accumulation, while exclusion often translates into economic marginalisation. Both major parties have accused each other of corruption and discriminatory economic practices. Between 2007 and 2018, SLPP leaders, including then-opposition figure Bio, accused the APC government of tribalism, patronage and nepotism, claiming government contracts were awarded primarily to ruling elite loyalists and associates. On assuming office in 2018, the Bio administration released a report alleging grand corruption and ethnic favouritism under former president Ernest Bai Koroma. At least 25% of citizens in the south and east claimed their ethnic groups were being treated unfairly. The APC has similarly accused the SLPP of state capture, citing, for example, the alleged misappropriation of public funds by First Lady Fatima Maada Bio. In its northern stronghold, where 26% of the Temne population reported experiencing ethnic discrimination by the state, grievances over rising living costs and limited access to basic services triggered deadly anti-government protests in August 2022. These developments echo the causes of the civil war, as identified by the truth and reconciliation commission in its 2004 final report. It found that '[t]he provinces had almost been totally sidelined through the centralisation of political and economic power in Freetown' and regions and ethnic groups were polarised by contrasting treatment. Successive governments, the commission concluded, had systematically favoured 'certain ethnic groups in appointments across the cabinet, the civil service and army'. Despite the 2023 agreement, political tensions intensified when Koroma was placed under house arrest and charged with treason between December 2023 and January 2024 regarding an alleged attempted coup. This followed attacks on military installations and prisons, which left 20 dead and enabled more than 2,000 prisoners to escape. The government claimed that Koroma's security personnel largely orchestrated these attacks. Moreover, the executive wields significant control over state institutions despite constitutional provisions for the separation of powers. Presidential appointments to key government positions – including in the judiciary, security sector and public administration – concentrate power in the executive and turn public institutions into vehicles for patronage, including through the allocation of public contracts and jobs. Transitions of power between the SLPP and APC have frequently resulted in widespread replacement of state personnel. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) interviews with political and civil society actors in June 2024 highlighted concerns over the politicisation of public appointments and deployment of state institutions against political opponents. The trial of APC's 2023 presidential candidate and former foreign minister Samura Karama for alleged corruption was cited as an example. Promoting sustainable national cohesion and ensuring stability during elections will require more than externally brokered political settlements. The deal was brokered by the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the Commonwealth and the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion. Structural reforms aimed at decentralising power and resource control must be prioritised through constitutional and legal reforms. The AU, Ecowas, and other international partners must go beyond crisis response and work to accelerate inclusive development and expand economic opportunities for all, irrespective of ethnicity or region. DM
NZ Herald
25-05-2025
- NZ Herald
British woman accused of smuggling deadly drug made from human bones
A legal representative told the BBC that his team was visiting her daily in the prison to ensure her wellbeing and offer support. She is reportedly in contact with her family. Lee had been in Bangkok and travelled to Sri Lanka because her visa was due to expire. She claimed that she packed her bag the night before her flight and that someone 'must have planted it [the drugs] then'. She told the MailOnline 'I know who did it', but did not elaborate. She added that she did not check her luggage before boarding the flight to Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. She said: 'I had never seen them [the drugs] before. I didn't expect it all when they pulled me over at the airport. 'I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.' A senior customs officer in Sri Lanka told the BBC that there had been a large increase in drugs being smuggled into Sri Lanka via Bangkok recently, which they said was a 'real nuisance'. The officer added: 'Another passenger who had left Bangkok's airport, almost at the same time, was arrested in another country. We arrested this lady [Lee] based on profiling.' Kush, a relatively new synthetic narcotic, is most commonly used in west Africa and is estimated to kill around a dozen people a week in Sierra Leone. The drug, typically consumed by men between the ages of 18 to 25, causes individuals to fall asleep while walking, collapse unexpectedly, hit their heads on hard surfaces and wander into moving traffic. State of emergency declared It has been reported that one of the drug's many ingredients is human bones and that security has been tightened in graveyards in Sierra Leone to stop people digging up skeletons. The country's president declared a state of emergency over abuse of the substance in 2024. Groups of mostly young men sitting on street corners with limbs swollen by kush abuse is a common sight in the former British colony. Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone's President, said the drug posed an 'existential crisis' and called it a 'death trap'. It is thought that Lee left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport days after the departure of another British woman from the same airport who was recently detained on drug charges in Georgia. Bella Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, allegedly smuggled 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish into the Caucasus country. Investigations are under way as to where the narcotics, found in her travel bag, came from. Culley could face up to 20 years in prison or a life sentence if found guilty.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Sierra Leone's ex-film star first lady 'still rents south London council flat' despite living in presidential Freetown mansion
Sierra Leone's first lady is still listed as the tenant of a south London council flat, despite having lived in a luxury mansion for the last seven years and owning several properties in Africa, it has been alleged. Former model and actress Fatima Jabbe-Bio, 44, has been primarily based in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, since her husband, Julius Maada Bio became president of the country in 2018. The couple live in a presidential lodge on sprawling grounds in the hills above the city, which boasts a swimming pool, tennis court and helipad. However, records show that Jabbe-Bio - who was born in Sierra Leone - has listed her two-bedroom council flat address on the electoral register several times since 2009. Southwark Council has also confirmed there has been no change of tenant since 2007, The Times reported. It is also understood that the president's wife, who has appeared in a number of low-budget Nigerian films, registered a company at that address in 2008. According to Southwark Council's own guidelines, to be included on the housing register an individual must prove that they have lived in Southwark continuously for the past five years, or that they work in Southwark and have a housing need, or they have served in the regular armed forces within five years of the date of the application. Additionally, a person cannot be included on the housing register if they own their own home or other residential accommodation. Housing regulations also require that such a property is the tenant's only or principal residence. Yet this does not seem to be the case for Jabbe-Bio, according to a report published today by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which claims that the first lady owns an extensive portfolio in Africa. This includes two villas in the Gambia, a flat in a luxury estate and an entire apartment building. Jabbe-Bio met her husband in London in 2012, after Maada Bio had secured the presidential nomination of the Sierra Leone People's Party, the country's main opposition party. The couple married a year later. Maada Bio, 60, formerly served as a brigadier during Sierra Leone's civil war. The pair resided at the council flat until 2018, when Maada Bio was elected as president. Neighbours have reportedly seen Jabbe-Bio return on visits to the flat in Southwark, and claim Tigda Soley, her daughter from a previous marriage, has collected post addressed to her mother and the president. The presidential couple, seen at the funeral of Pope Francis last month, lived in the south London flat until he was elected in 2018 In January, it was revealed that the total number of households waiting for social housing in London was 336,366 - the highest level for more than a decade. A spokesman for Southwark Council said: 'Social housing tenants have a right to stay in their homes regardless of income, unless they fail to meet the obligations in their tenancy agreement. 'Where this is in doubt, we perform regular checks and investigations to determine whether those obligations are being met.'
Times
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Sierra Leone's first lady rents a council flat in south London
The first lady of Sierra Leone is understood to be the tenant of a council flat in south London despite owning an extensive property portfolio in Africa. Fatima Jabbe-Bio, a former actress, left London in 2018 when her husband, Julius Maada Bio, became president. Since then, the couple have lived in the presidential lodge in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Set in extensive grounds in the hills above the city, the luxury mansion is equipped with a swimming pool, tennis courts and a helipad. Records show that Jabbe-Bio, 44, registered to vote at a two-bedroom council flat in Southwark several times since 2009. Southwark council confirmed that the flat has had the same tenant since 2007, indicating that Jabbe-Bio continues to rent the property.
Zawya
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
New African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Meets Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, Lauds His Leadership
The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Ambassador Marie Antoinette Rose Quatre, has commended President Julius Maada Bio for his visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to governance. The commendation came during a courtesy visit to State House, as Sierra Leone hosts the South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development forum. Ambassador Quatre expressed profound gratitude for President Bio's support on her appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the APRM. 'Your leadership and dedication to good governance have been an inspiration, and I look forward to working closely with Sierra Leone in my new capacity,' she said. In welcoming the APRM CEO, President Bio reaffirmed his administration's resolve to strengthen governance systems and promote sustainable development across Sierra Leone. 'We are committed to enhancing the lives of our people through effective governance,' he said. 'Your role as CEO of the APRM is critical, and we stand ready to support you in ensuring the success of your mission.' President Bio also underscored the significance of the APRM in strengthening transparency and accountability across Africa. 'The APRM is a vital tool for self-assessment and peer learning,' he remarked. 'It enables us to build on our strengths and confront our challenges with clarity and purpose.' Sierra Leone's hosting of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development initiative underscores its growing influence in regional development efforts. The event convenes representatives from developing nations to share knowledge, experiences, and strategies aimed at advancing mutual growth and sustainable progress. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Sierra Leone.
