Just a week after the political standoff between supporters of the ruling All People’s Congress and the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party in Koquima which left dozens injured and property worth millions of Leones destroyed, the United Sstates Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Michel Owen, his wife and entourage have visited the politically volatile district to ascertain the security situation there.
Addressing members of the District Code Monitoring Committee (DCMC), chairmen of Political Parties and civil society organisations, Ambassador Owen said they were in Kono following rumours that there was hightened political tension between the APC and SLPP which he said meant a lot to them as partners in the development of Sierra Leone.
He told his audience that the American Government was concerned about the security of Sierra Leone given that “our government has spent about $ 4.3 million on institutions conducting the 2012 multitier general elections and we do not want to spend our money in a country that is not peaceful at all”.
He emphatically assured that “the American Embassy does not have any individual or political party to support but we are supporting the peaceful conduct of the election.”
He commended the PPRC for establishing the DCMC to monitor the activities of political parties in the district and encouraged them to earnestly monitor the conduct of the elections devoid of their political affiliations and put the country above all the political parties in the country.
Mohamed Alpha Jalloh, coordinator for a community-based organization, Knowledge for Community Empowerment and Development Organization (KOCEPO) accused the political parties of not being sincere with themselves and the people of Sierra Leone. He said they had signed “so many communiqués and declarations on non-violence but when they go to their supporters they tell them the opposite”.
He said the violent act of the two main parties – the APC and SLPP – was “undermining the democratic foundation and the hard won peace of the country”.
The PPRC Mediation and Programme Assistant, Karifa Tarawalie described the visit of the ambassador as “timely” with less than two weeks to voting day.
Chairmen of political parties present in the meeting assured the Ambassador of peaceful campaigns and election.
