Freetown, 15 August 2022
Your Excellency my dear brother President Julius Maada Bio,
As Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State & Government, I am delighted to visit your beautiful country, Sierra Leone.
Mr President, this is also my first visit to your historic City, Freetown and to Sierra Leone.
My dear brother, let me also thank you for the generous hospitality accorded my delegation and I since my arrival in Sierra Leone.
As Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, I have followed with keen interest the events that took place in Sierra Leone on 10th August 2022 that led to the death of innocent citizens including law enforcement officers and the destruction of properties such as public buildings and buses.
Your Excellency, on behalf of the ECOWAS Authority, the Government and people of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, let me express my heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost loved ones.
Your Excellency, as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, let me start by condemning this act of gruesome violence where law enforcement officers have been brutally killed in cold blood.
Violence has no place in a democratic dispensation, particularly in a country like Sierra Leone that has made immense progress in building a stable democratic polity over the years and was recently ranked as the 4th most Peaceful Country in sub-Sahara Africa.
I have just had a closed-door meeting with President Bio who comprehensively briefed me on the events of 10th August 2022 and the measures taken by his Government to stabilise the situation and return the country, in particular the Capital City of Freetown, to normality.
I am happy for his Address to the Nation and the reassurance to his people that the security situation is under control, citing the numerous efforts of his government to address the country’s development challenges.
As President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, I must say that Sierra Leone has made great progress in the area of inclusive development, democratic consolidation, respect for the rule of law and good governance.
Let me commend my dear brother for the successful implementation of the Free Quality Education; the repeal of the criminal libel law, the progress on gender equality and women & girl-child empowerment and the abolition of the death penalty
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, the global recognition given to President Bio at various international events is a testimony of the progress this country has made and continue to make.
The international community including ECOWAS will continue to work with Sierra Leone to build on, consolidate and progress this positive democratic and development trajectory.
As Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, I am equally pleased that the President has launched an investigation into the events of 10th August 2022, which is in line with the ECOWAS position.
I want to encourage the President to continue to engage with various stakeholders in the coming days, including getting the Peace Commission to undertake strategic engagements with youth and opposition parties in various parts of the country.
The President also informed me that he will be meeting with traditional chiefs, religious leaders, civil society and political party leaders.
He also told me that government has briefed the international community and he has personally met and engaged with Ambassadors. I want to thank the President for all these efforts and encourage him to continue to engage.
I also want to thank the Ambassadors for their efforts and encourage them to continue to use their good offices to support the good work of the President. I want you all to know that the international community like ECOWAS has invested enormously to bring peace to Sierra Leone as this country has made enormous progress since then.
We cannot allow that progress to be derailed in any form. I want to assure the President that ECOWAS will continue to stand by Sierra Leone at all times.
I thank you all.
