Bryan David Hunt Timothy Musa Kabba
The US government through the American Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryan David Hunt, has unequivocally condemned the Freetown November 26 security breach by unknown insurgents, calling it an attack on democracy. The Ambassador congratulated the government of Sierra Leone for stopping “those who wanted to avert democracy and bring chaos to Sierra Leone”.
The US position was made clear during the ambassador’s courtesy call to Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Timothy Musa Kabba at his Tower Hill Office. He said the American Government stands with the Sierra Leone Government for taking the stance to repel, pursue, arrest, and bring to trial all the dissidents involved through a speedy, fair, and transparent trial.
Hunt told the minister that he has, on behalf of the American Government, congratulated Major General Dauda Alpha, the Joint Forces Commander of the Republic of Sierra Leone’s Armed Forces, through a telephone call. He said he congratulated the commander and his men for standing tall to defend the assault on democracy. The US government was pleased with the military’s dedication and gallantry in repelling the assailants, he emphasized. He said the American government will support the government of Sierra Leone with investigations to ensure that the assailants account for their unfortunate actions. The American government will continue to stand with the Government and people of Sierra Leone as they support the Sierra Leone Government’s action to search, condon, arrest and prosecute all the assailants. On another note, Ambassador Hunt said Sierra Leone remained on track for the compact, having fulfilled all the requirements of the Millennium Challenge Cooperation(MCC).
The United States Embassy in Sierra Leone, he said, will continue to work with the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure the compact is realized. He said Sierra Leone, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, has a key role to play in the peace and stability of West Africa and beyond. Hence, the United States encourages President Julius Maada Bio to play a critical role in resolving the political crises in West Africa. Ambassador Hunt called on Sierra Leone to join the United States and other nations in endorsing the Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation so that Sierra Leone could become a full member.
Minister Kabba welcomed the ambassador and expressed appreciation on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone. He appreciated the United State’s stance on democracy, as well as law and order in Sierra Leone, especially for demonstrating early support for the Government of Sierra Leone on the unfortunate events of November 26. He stressed that the Government of Sierra Leone will continue to encourage the security forces to act within the confines of the law, as they engage the remnants of insurgents still lurking out in the dark. Minister Kabba said that despite the threat to the security situation posed by the insurgents, Sierra Leone will forge ahead with the work of the Electoral Review Committee. The Minister acknowledged the ambassador’s positive overview of Sierra Leone’s fulfilment of the MCC criteria, noting that some detractors were using the MCC to play politics without understanding the progress Sierra Leone has made on the MCC over the years, furthering that President Bio’s experience, as having been a military leader before and now as a democratic leader, places him strategically to play a key role in resolving the political crises in West Africa. He assured the ambassador that Sierra Leone would endorse the Declaration on the Atlantic Cooperation.
