By Alpha Abu
As the Commonwealth leads mediation efforts to end the political impasse between the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC), the UN Resident Co-ordinator, Babatunde A.Ahonsi has urged the two parties to approach the process with genuine and honest commitment.
He was speaking at an event at the Bintumani Conference Hall in Freetown to observe International Day of Peace, on Thursday 21st September.
The African Union and ECOWAS are all parties to the mediation initiative and the UN envoy admonished Sierra Leone’s two leading political parties to embrace the process without delay for the benefit of the people of the country.
‘’Political deadlocks are conflicts that descend into violence, hamper peace and stability, and consequently undermine development and social cohesion’’, Ahonsi pointed out. He said the causative effect is the unnecessary suffering of the people.
He commended the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth for initiating steps to broker peace between the two parties. He said around the world today, conflicts and wars are increasingly taking the place of diplomacy, dialogue, and negotiation. He praised the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) for organising the commemorative peace day celebration under the theme ‘’Action for peace; our ambition for the global goals’’.
He said in devising violence prevention strategies, there’s a need to address the root causes of inequality and marginalisation, particularly of young people, and full engagement of multiple stakeholders from all sides of the socio-political divide.
The EU Ambassador to Sierra Leone Manuel Muller noted that peace is an investment that calls for the participation of all. He said all stakeholders have a role to play in the process of Sierra Leoneans wanting to build and foster peace.
Muller reaffirmed the EU’s continued support towards peace, democracy, and development in Sierra Leone.
He used the event to lash out at Russia over its war against Ukraine for which he said the EU and the rest of the world are fully behind the people of Ukraine.
Mano River Union Secretary-General Maria G. Harrison said peace is a requisite for development and spoke of efforts by all four countries of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast to maintain the peace and stability of those states.
Statements underlining the importance of maintaining peace and stability in Sierra Leone were made by new US Ambassador Byan Hunt, leader of the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP) Abdulai Saccoh, and representatives of the SLPP and United Democratic Movement (UDM).
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