The opposition SLPP candidate for Sierra Leone’s presidential election in November, Julius Maada Bio, squandered a golden opportunity to present to an international audience his much-awaited alternative vision for the country when he spoke at Chatham House in London on 10 May. Given that he has not been able to come up with his vision [...]
On Thursday 26 April in a landmark ruling, judges sitting in The Hague for the Sierra Leone Special Court convicted Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia, of aiding and abetting in eleven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the Sierra Leone conflict. He is the first head of [...]
The arrival of Christian missionaries in Africa over two centuries ago had a profound effect on the continent, sometimes somewhat controversially. It has been said that when the missionaries arrived, the missionaries had the bible and the Africans had the land. The missionaries invited the Africans to pray. When the Africans opened their eyes, they [...]
There is a new man at the political helm in Sierra Leone, brought in by President Koroma to set targets and scrutinise ministries and other government departments and agencies; getting them to abide by their contracts and ensuring transparency and accountability in the workings of government. Dr. Kailfala Marah heads the newly created office of [...]
Parliamentary and presidential elections in Sierra Leone at the end of this year could prove to be a real test for the democratic process in the country. Desmond Davies sets the scene for an interesting year. The year did not start well in Sierra Leone. Yet again there were skirmishes between supporters of the ruling [...]
For once the government has reacted speedily to violence between supporters of the ruling and opposition parties. More needs to be done, though, to stop next year’s election campaign degenerating into mindless bloodshed, says Desmond Davies. The 2012 presidential candidate for the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Julius Maada Bio, on the campaign trail [...]
The Mo- Ibrahim Foundation’s annual Index was released this week, ranking African countries on the basis of good governance. The Index evaluates 53 African countries (prior to the South Sudan’s secession from Sudan) on four counts: Safety and Rule of Law; Participation and Human Rights; Sustainable Economic Activity; and Human Development. The ratings are scored [...]
Amnesty International has commended this West African nation in principle for its renewed commitment to the principles of Human Rights. Despite the country affirming their commitment to Human Rights and Maternal care, the advocacy group have called for ‘necessary steps to abolish the death penalty in national legislation and to commute existing death sentences to [...]
Pregnant women and girls in Sierra Leone continue to face serious challenges in accessing the drugs and medical care crucial for safe pregnancy, according to a report by Amnesty International, issued on Tues 6th September. This report is part of Amnesty’s on-going campaign to ensure that women and girls living in Sierra Leone are able [...]
The concept of Attitude Change is so natural that in all honesty it cannot be successfully sold out as a national scheme. It is known that only God and fools do not change and therefore there is no need to labour this issue. The fact is that people who do not change their attitude are [...]
