By Alpha Abu
The initiative by the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) to establish a Situation Room has been boosted with support from the African Union and partners- the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Addis Ababa Office.
Printing and Photo-copying Machines , Desktop Computers, a High-powered GB Wifi Router and other gadgets were presented at the commission’s Lamina Sankoh Street Freetown Office last week by a team from Ethiopia , that is to also conduct extensive training of the commission’s staff that will be working in the situation room.
The facility which is being setup ahead of the June 2023 General Elections in Sierra Leone is expected to be a permanent structure that will provide thematic analysis of threats to peace, identify early warnings and responses, in a bid to prevent, rather than mitigate conflict.
Presenting the items, Ms Mfrekeobong Ukpanah who is the Coordinator, Secretariat of Envoys, Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, AU Commission, said ICPNC’s decision to setup the situation room is a locally- driven initiative for peace that needed to be supported, and which necessitated the intervention of the GIZ and the AU commission.
She described the donation as a token and that additional desktop computers will be procured and sent over, whilst the team that had already travelled along to Freetown, will help the Sierra Leoneans in the in the operationalizing of the equipment in the situation room. Ms. UKpanah said her office and their GIZ partners have played an integral role in capacitating member states on conflict prevention initiatives, as being applied now to Sierra Leone.
A statement read on behalf of GIZ Head of Programme, Support to the AU in the area of Peace and Security, Ethiopia, Dr. Iris Breutz said:”Through the equipment, Sierra Leone ‘s national commission for peace will establish a situation room which will monitor and identify potential risks to peace and security’’. She said the equipment will be used for early warning.
The executive Secretary of the Peace Commission, Hawa Samai in her reaction to the donation thanked the donors, on behalf of the commission’s Board and staff, and said the commission needed other players and cannot work in isolation.
She spoke of their engagements with all the key players in society including chiefs, women, youth, children and civil society activists to have sustainable peace in Sierra Leone.
She spoke about the 6 experts from Ethiopia who will help train the peace commission workers with strategizing over Early Warning and Response Systems, and of donors committed to equipping the situation room. She said all their partners are interested in making the place workable and revealed plans to enhance interaction with the populace by the setting up of a toll-free line through assistance by the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCO M).
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