By Politico staff writer
The Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) with support from UN Women has held the Post Elections Dialogue in five districts in the East, North, and South of the country.
Pujehun, Kono, Port Loko, Bombali, and Karene were the districts that participated in the latest dialogue following the June 24 General Elections in Sierra Leone.
The programme was in continuation of the observance of the International Day of Peace which was celebrated in Freetown on the 21st of September on the theme: “Action for Peace, our Ambition for the Global Goals”. It’s also part of the Commission’s National Dialogue on Reconciliation titled ‘’be part of the conversation”.
Participants were drawn from all sectors including the Police, Military, Office of National Security (ONS), Political Parties, Women’s groups, Civil Society, Electoral Management Bodies EMBs, Transporters, Youths, School Children, Religious and Local Authorities and other district Stakeholders.
In Pujehun and Kono, Peace Commission Board members- Edward Kpakra and Alhaji Abdul Salam Conteh, representing the South and East respectively, used the opportunity to give a background to the establishment of the Peace Commission and catalogued some of the achievements made so far.
Board members representing the North and Northwest Joe Turay and Alhaji Sulaiman Bah also made similar interventions.
The Commission’s Director of Conflict Resolution and Management, Charles Lahai, made presentations on the Sustainable Development Goals as they relate to peace security, and development.
Various Peace Commission Staff made presentations on Elections and Peace in Sierra Leone, Peace Security, Human Rights and Development.
Director of Communications Fatmatta Kamara Jalloh spoke about the work of the Commission’s Peace Situation Room and its Toll-Free Line 898 through which people can report happenings that may be of interest to the peace and stability of their communities. She encouraged the people to make use of the facility.
This is the first district engagement to be undertaken by the commission after the June 2023 Election and it provided an opportunity for the people to express their concerns on issues that have the tendency/propensity of derailing the peace in the country.
During the discussions, participants raised a number of issues affecting their various communities; key among them were political intolerance, massive youth unemployment, drug abuse and the increase in crime rate especially theft, tribalism, high inflation, and the increase in the cost of living, injustice and the use of social media to promote hate speech and violence.
Among the key recommendations emanating from the group discussions was the need for state institutions including the security forces to remain neutral, for justice and equal rights and opportunities, and a ban on the importation of illicit drugs including Kush.
They also spoke of the need to review the 1991 constitution to enhance the independence of state institutions, the empowerment of law enforcement agencies to fight crime, Job creation, and skills training through the strengthening of technical and vocational institutions to develop middle-level man power.
They also called for the creation of a conducive environment that will encourage private sector investment, the government subsidization of essential commodities to reduce the high cost of living, and more government investment in the agricultural sector.
The importance of developing nationalism through dialogue and community sensitization was also emphasized.
The stakeholders in the various districts commended the Peace Commission and UN Women for initiating such a dialogue and called on the Peace Commission to cascade such dialogues to chiefdom and community levels to ensure sustainable peace and cohesion in the country. They also promised to share the knowledge gained in their respective communities.
Copyright (c) 2023 Politico (11/10/23)
