By Hajaratu Kalokoh
Former Vice President of Sierra Leone, Solomon Ekuma Berewa, has passed away. The family confirmed the news to Politico late on Thursday evening.
Berewa, 81, passed away at the Choitram Hospital in the capital Freetown, the family sources said. The family did disclosed the cause of his death, but Politico understands that he had been sick for some time now.
Berewa was the Attorney General (AG) before becoming Vice President in 2002, in the Ahmed Tejan Kabba-led administration.
As the AG, he was very instrumental in negotiating the Lome Peace accord which paved way for the end of the 1991-2002 civil war.
In 2007, Berewa ran for President to succeed Kabba, but he lost to Ernest Bai Koroma. In a mark of genuine admiration, he didn’t challenge the result, and later he gracefully retired from the limelight of politics.
Chairman of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Dr Prince Harding, told Politico in a brief interview: “It is a sad loss to the party and the country as a whole.”
Funeral arrangements have not been announced as at the time of going to press.
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