News

By Umaru Fofana

Four former Sierra Leonean rebels serving lengthy jail terms in a Rwandan prison have written to the President of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone, John Kamanda expressing fear for their safety in Kigali.

Issa Sesay and Morris Kallon of the former RUF and Santigie Borbor Khanu and Ibrahim Bazzy Kamara of the former AFRC make several allegations bordering on threats they say were made against them by prison officials who they say accused them of parleying with genocide deniers in that country’s own civil war.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, has said the government will soon embark on major construction works with the aim of creating jobs for up to 5000 people across the country. Saffa made the announcement as part of his supplementary budget speech to Parliament on Friday.

He said the initiative is part of ways of getting back the economy on track in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Julius Maada Bio’s nominee for Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) will face Parliament today after a select committee hearing yesterday.

Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, who until his appointment was head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, told the committee that if approved for the job the nation should rest assured that he would make sure the outcomes of all elections were accepted by Sierra Leoneans and the international community.

By Mohamed Jward Nyallay

The leader of the Coalition for Change party in Parliament, Saa Emerson Lamina, has told Politico that he is excited about the prospects of his home district of Kono having a university.

Lamina’s remarks came just a day after the Government of Sierra Leone announced that it had secured a US$32 million funding for the construction of the University of Science and Technology in the district.

By Francis H. Murray

President Julius Maada Bio has reiterated his government’s commitment in the fight against sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) by pledging to support the setting up of sexual offenses court at regional and districts levels across the country.

He made this statement at the opening of a special model court for sexual offences at the main Law Court Building on Siaka Stevens Street in Freetown on Friday.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone (PBSL) has destroyed drugs worth over Le 227 million after they had been brought into the country illegally.

The illegal drugs were incinerated in Port Loko on Friday in the presence of government and community stakeholders.

PBSL said this was part of their work to crack down on the illegal drug importation to the country.

By Prince J Musa in Kenema

The accountability campaign group, Transparency International (TI), has concluded a one day dialogue with mining communities in Kenema District. The engagement sought to inform community people about the rights and responsibilities of mining companies and the importance of transparency in their relationship with these companies.

TI’s Programme Manager, Edward Bankoloh Koroma, said the engagement was part of a project seeking a “sustainable mining deal that has direct impact on the lives of people.”