Chief Minister Dr David Sengeh said Sierra Leone is not run on European Union assistance and warned against using aid as a tool in an extradition dispute.
Dr Sengeh spoke on AYV TV in response to comments by David van Weel, the Netherlands’ Minister of Justice and Security, who was featured on the same station describing the Dutch efforts to secure the extradition of alleged drug kingpin Jos Leidjekkers, who is reportedly hiding in Sierra Leone.
The Netherlands is exploring all options to extradite Leidjekkers, including pressuring the EU to cut aid to Sierra Leone.
In his response, Dr Sengeh rejected any effort to coerce Sierra Leone through threats to development assistance and urged the Netherlands to work cooperatively and respectfully with Freetown. “We are a sovereign country; we do not take directives from a foreign government or from publications from media outlets,” he said, noting that formal, meaningful dialogue with the Sierra Leonean government is the proper channel to address extradition requests.
The exchange underscores rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries as the Netherlands weighs pressure tactics. In his comments, Dr Sengeh made clear that Sierra Leone expects cooperation on any concern to occur through established, mutually respectful government-to-government channels, not through public threats when aid is involved.
