US CONSIDERING FURTHER ACTIONS AGAINST SIERRA LEONE.

By Ferdinard Olise

The United States is considering further actions beyond just visa restrictions against people deemed responsible for elections related malpractices in Sierra Leone.

According to the Head of Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Freetown, Sarah Van Horne, US officials were considering other actions geared towards keeping to its commitment to upholding democracy in the country.

Horne was speaking to local press a day after the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, announced a policy targeting officials which the US government believes were responsible for allegedly manipulating the results of the June 2023 elections, or engaging in intimidation and threats of violence against voters, elections observers and civil society activists.

“This is not a change of what we are saying, we are still concerned about the election process and vote tabulation. What we are saying is the same thing,” Ms Horne said.

Horne stated this via a virtual presser while responding to a question suggesting a change of tone in the statement from mere concerns about transparency in the electoral process, to alleged rigging of the outcome.

The June 24 elections were mainly a two-horse race between the incumbent Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), and the main opposition, the All People’s Congress (APC).

The APC who believes the process was rigged, holds the ECSL Chairman, Mohamed Konneh, responsible, and accused him of conniving with incumbent President Bio to declare him winner in the first round with 56.17 percent of the votes, ahead of APC’s Samura Kamara’s 41.17 percent.

The opposition party had ordered its elected members to stay away from taking their seats in the country’s Parliament, as well as in local councils as part of its policy of non-participation in the governance process of the country until its demands are met, which also includes the re-run of the election.

APC invited western countries to impose sanctions on the President and members of his government to pressure them to heed to its demands.
However, the US announcement on Thursday
was hailed by opposition supporters and their sympathizers who see the US move as heeding to that call.

Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken in the statement did not mention names of individuals targeted at, neither did Ms Van Horne declined to comment on this, but insisting that it was in line with the US government’s policy not to disclose the visa status of individuals.

She also declined to comment directly on questions requiring clarification about whether the sanctions were meant for government officials, or whether opposition supporters accused of involvement in violence and intimidation will also face sanction.

Ms Van Horne stated that the move was not directed at the Sierra Leonean people.