News

The head of the police Family Support Unit (FSU) in Sierra Leone, Superintendent Mira Koroma [pictured] leaves the shores of Sierra Leone next week for a year-long training programme in the United States.

She is the first Sierra Leonean to attend the “Next Generation Leaders Program” at the McCain Institute for International Leadership which takes place under the aegis of the Arizona State University. 

Speaking at a farewell meeting with 68 officers of the FSU nationwide, Mira denied rumours that she was leaving the police force.

By Tanu Jalloh

A US-based Sierra Leonean journalist, Aroun Rashid-Deen [pictured] has donated to the Fourah Bay College Mass Communications department 120 cartons of books in the sciences, business and finance, theology, law, sport, media and communication, as well as children’s books.

Mr Rashid-Deen, who works for the Associated Press (AP) in New York, sent the books with support from some of his colleagues at AP.

The Sierra Leone chapter of the global corruption watchdog, Transparency International has issued its second quarterly report on the state of graft in the country.

Writing in its latest newsletter, Accountability Watch, published today, the Executive Director of TISL, Lavina Banduah gives the following overview for the second quarter of 2016:   

In the second quarter of the year 2016, Sierra Leone continues to face not only an intensification of corrupt acts, but also the negative impacts of corruption on the country’s national development drive.

By Umaru Fofana

Nearly one year since the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone was declared over the country’s army has promoted the only doctor to recover from the disease and the officer who led the response on the side of the military. 

By Kemo Cham

Police in Sierra Leone briefly detained the editor of a local newspaper on the orders of parliament after he had written a letter to the House seeking clarification on a story he was working on. The letter, about allegations that MPs were not properly accounting for funds given to them for their constituents, angered lawmakers who deemed it “disrespectful”.

By Mustapha Sesay

There seems to be no shortage of people who want to become the Secretary General of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). The latest is a former public relations and human resource specialist, Mohamed Swarray aka Rado.

Addressing journalists at the party’s headquarters in Freetown, Swaray said he wanted to bridge the gaping divide within a party which many regard as weak and riddled with conflict. 

By Prince Musa

Despite efforts to address the situation, overcrowding in correctional centers in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone continues to affect its smooth operation, an official has said.

Alfred Emmanuel Hassan, Public Relation Officer at the Kenema Correctional Center, said there were presently 270 inmates in custody at the male correctional centre alone. He told Politico in an interview that out of this figure, 68 were high court matters and only 25 of them had been indicted and were set to go to court.