News

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

President Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday called for calm as he confirmed Sierra Leone’s index case of the global Coronavirus pandemic.

Bio said at an emergency press briefing convened at the forecourt of the State House that a 37-year old man had been tested and confirmed positive. The man reportedly entered the country on March 16 from France, via Brussels Airlines, and he tested positive on the last day of his mandatory 14 days quarantine.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has indicted Alpha Osman Timbo, former Minster of Labour and Social Security. Timbo, who is also former Minister of Basic Education, was charged alongside four others on a total 15 count charges of corruption, relating to alleged misappropriation of rice donated to the Free Quality Education programme.

The Chinese government had donated the rice - 5000 bags - to the government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Agriculture and later transferred to the Education.

By Francis H. Murray

Sierra Leone’s former defense minister, Rtd Major Alfred Paolo Conteh, has been charged with treason.

Conteh made his first appearance in court on Monday since his detention after been allegedly nabbed with a semi-automatic pistol within State House, the office of the president.

The police accused him of attempting to assassinate President Julius Maada Bio.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

Human rights campaigners have welcomed government’s decision to lift the ban on a 10-year policy they say discriminated against girls by prohibiting those who were pregnant from attending schools.

In a joint statement by four leading campaign groups, they praised the move by government, saying it recognized the place of girls in society.

One of the groups, Equality Now, an international human rights watchdog, described it as a new beginning for girls.

By Kemo Cham

Awareness about the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic is high among Sierra Leoneans, a survey on preparedness among the public has revealed.

The survey which was conducted by a newly established local research firm randomly sampled 203 adults who live in the country to measure perception, opinion and behavior towards preparedness for response to the pandemic.

By Kemo Cham

President Julius Maada Bio has appointed Brig. (Rtd) Kellie Hassan Conteh as the Interim National Coordinator of the government’s Covid-19 response effort.

Conteh, who is the Minister of Defense, was named on Monday in a statement released by the Office of the President.

By Kemo Cham

Freetown mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, was among 45 mayors and heads of city councils across the world who shared their experiences dealing with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The city leaders from over 30 countries participated in the mayoral webinar on March 27 which offered those presiding over cities with less impact of the disease to learn from those experiencing the brunt of the epidemic.