On Monday evening there was a groundswell of rumour in Freetown and on some chat forums around the world that Minister of Internal Affairs Musa Tarawallie had been sacked. Wishful thinking, obviously, but the fact is that all those I spoke to in my bid to authenticate the story hardly had any sympathy with the minister at all. It turned out, ostensibly, not to be true. But it reminded me of a fable... 

By Alhaji Komba Fresh from a successful party convention in the southern headquarter town of Bo, the newly-elected flag bearer of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) Mohamed Bangura has told Politico that “the first challenge” facing his movement is to establish “a third party” and so provide a clear alternative to the people of Sierra Leone. He said the “UDM is not here to win in 2012”... 

PRESIDENTIAL FREEBIES GALORE Huh! We have just come through a week in which De Pa demonstrated extraordinary acts of ‘generosity’ …well on the face of it, that’s what we want to encourage ourselves to believe. First the DJs came along and took their share, the Traders followed closely behind, Dollar Boys collected some green backs, Okada boys couldn’t decide what they wanted – the fuel... 

  SIERRA LEONE GOVERNMENT   PRESS RELEASE RE: GOVERNMENT WHITE PAPER ON SHEARS-MOSES COMMISSION REPORT The Government of Sierra Leone today publicized its reaction to the report of the Shears-Moses Commission of Inquiry in a special Government White-Paper signed by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Franklyn Bai Kargbo. The Shears- Moses Commission of Inquiry was set up by the... 

GOVERNMENT WHITE PAPER ON THE SHEARS-MOSES COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO INCIDENTS OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND INTOLERANCE OCCURING IN GENDEMA, FREETOWN AND KENEMA The Shears-Moses Commission of Inquiry into incidence of political violence and intolerance occurring in Gendema, Freetown and Kenema was established by His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President, by Constitutional Instrument No. 8 of... 

SIERRA LEONE Statement to the UN Security Council Michael von der Schulenburg Executive Representative of the Secretary-General  Mr. President, Honorable Members of the Security Council, I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce the Secretary-General’s report and to brief the Security Council before the end of my assignment to Sierra Leone. Let me therefore start by making some personal remarks. Sierra... 

Food Aid Coordinator of Plan Sierra Leone is currently being investigated by the police in Bo and Moyamba after she allegedly failed to explain an attempt to swindle 520 bags of beans meant for deprived communities on board a DAF 280 truck. According to the truck driver, one Mr Abu, he was contracted to transport the food items by Mamakor Demby, the food aid coordinator now in police custody in Moyamba. He... 

United Kingdom’s 2012 budget must stick to aid pledge…and should confirm 0.7% investment in aid to join countries’ leading efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MGDS), says a recent global development report. The 0.7% figure translates into 1.6p in every pound of government spending. According to the report, which featured Sierra Leone’s recent healthcare delivery effort (in... 

The only community Radio in Pujehun District, Radio Wanjei has been off the air for the last two days after the District Council Chairman Sadiq Sillah forcefully removed the station’s microphones from inside the continuity studio. Independent Media Commission Chairman, Rod Mac-Johnson told Politico that his Commission “has been informed about the incident and that he will raise the matter with... 

Safari Minerals has announced that it is now in the advanced stages of establishing a new buying office in the southern district of Sierra Leone. The office is to be located in the diamond boom town of Bo and once complete, will act as the company’s head office in the country. Safari Mineral President Andrew ‘Diamond Drew’ Lovett: “I personally know the city of Bo very well... 

More than a dozen recent camera-trap photographs have confirmed that a small population of Jentink’s Duiker, a deer-like animal that is threatened with global extinction, is living within Sierra Leone’s Western Area Peninsula Forest Reserve. The photographs, which were obtained between October 2011 and March 2012 as part of a camera-trap survey run by Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, are the first...