By Karamoh Kabba
Sierra Leone’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to security, dignity, and equal protection under the law. These rights are not suspended during elections, nor can they be undermined by political rivalry or inflammatory rhetoric. They are the bedrock of our democracy.
In 2018, the Cross‑Party Peace and Reconciliation Committee—established jointly by His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio and Dr. Samura Kamara—documented widespread acts of political violence, intimidation, and human rights violations across the country. The Committee’s findings were clear: “Acts of violence and intimidation were almost evenly widespread… especially between APC and SLPP supporters across the country.”
The Committee further recorded that violence was often retaliatory, driven by “provocation, reprisal and retribution for perceived or real political intimidation and violence in the past.”
These are not abstract concerns. They are documented realities.
Documented Human Rights Violations; The Committee recorded severe abuses, including:
• Physical assaults resulting in permanent injury, such as a victim in Sewafe whose “right eye [was] removed…” and another who was “given sand to eat.”
• Sexual violence, including the case in Daru where “a young lady [was] allegedly raped by eight men” and multiple gang‑rape cases in Kailahun.
• Burning of homes, destruction of property, and forced displacement, with entire communities fleeing violence—“1,651 people amounting to 382 households fled communities in Nimiyama Chiefdom.”
• Police bias and failure to act, as the Committee noted “alleged police bias response to acts of post‑election violence was widespread.”
These findings underscore the fragility of peace and the constitutional duty of state institutions to prevent a recurrence.
The Constitutional Imperative
The Constitution obliges all public officials and institutions to:
• Protect the rights and freedoms of all citizens
• Uphold political neutrality
• Prevent incitement to violence
• Ensure equal treatment before the law
Any public rhetoric that appears to glorify, justify, or recall past violence threatens these obligations and risks reopening wounds that the nation has not yet healed.
The Role of Oversight Institutions
The Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC), Human Rights Commission, security sector, and other regulatory bodies were part of the 2018 Committee. Their mandate is clear: to safeguard peace, regulate political conduct, and respond decisively when public statements risk inflaming tensions.
The Committee itself recommended that “the legal framework of PPRC should be strengthened to ensure effective regulation of political parties.”
Silence in the face of rhetoric that may revive memories of past abuses undermines public trust and weakens constitutional safeguards.
A Call for Responsible Leadership
Sierra Leone cannot afford a return to cycles of fear, intimidation, or politically motivated harm. The 2018 report shows that violence was not isolated—it was national, cross‑party, and devastating. The Committee concluded that victims were targeted “on political, tribal and regional lines,” reinforcing the dangers of ethno‑regional polarization.
Leaders and institutions must therefore recommit to:
• Non‑violence in political competition
• Respect for constitutional order
• Protection of human dignity
• Timely institutional response to inflammatory rhetoric
• Accountability for past and future violations
A National Responsibility
The Cross‑Party Committee recommended a national peace and reconciliation conference to address the deep‑rooted political and regional divisions. That recommendation remains urgent today.
Peace is not maintained by silence. It is maintained by principled action, institutional courage, and unwavering respect for the rights of every Sierra Leonean.
Karamoh Kabba is a political analyst, social commentator, and member of the Dr. Ibrahim Bangura (DIB) Central Coordinating Committee (CCC).