When has ECOWAS become a democratic believer? Dr Omar Alieu Touray’s statement is clearly hypocritical. Keen political observers believe Alieu Touray’s statement about ECOWAS’ commitment to democratic governance is for the birds, pointless, foolish, and trivial. (Photo: ECOWAS President Alieu Touray is not honest with Sierra Leoneans).

This is because the suffering people of Sierra Leone do not believe ECOWAS is committed to democratic governance, considering its lackadaisical role in sustaining the illegal President Julius Maada Bio, who stole the June 24, 2023, elections. Whether Alieu Touray, meant it or not remains to be seen.

For the ECOWAS Commission President, Alieu Touray, to make such a foolish statement in Freetown at the ongoing 56^th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at Ministerial Level is clearly deceptive and deeply insulting to the suffering people of Sierra Leone.

How dare ECOWAS President say such nonsense, knowing full well that it was ECOWAS that stupidly compensated the illegal and murderous Sierra Leone President Maada Bio with the ECOWAS Chairmanship, despite knowing that Maada Bio stole the 2023 elections!

This has clearly proved beyond all reasonable doubt that ECOWAS has collaborated and continues to collaborate with the dictatorial SLPP regime of Maada Bio to inflict more pain on the people and derail the democratic process in Sierra Leone. (Photo: Illegal President Maada Bio).

ECOWAS is aware that the main opposition leader of the APC party, Dr Samura Kamara, won the June 24, 2023, elections. The facts show that the President-elect, Dr Samura Kamara, received 57.15% of the votes cast, winning the 2023 polls by a landslide.

Yet, the useless ECOWAS Commissioners continue to encourage the tyrant Bio, who has clearly used Sierra Leone’s minerals to bribe and corrupt certain individuals in the ECOWAS Commission to silence them. No wonder an unfit Bio was given the ECOWAS chair last year.

Today, Alieu Touray had the nerve to publicly insult the suffering Sierra Leoneans whose mandates were stolen in broad daylight by the illegal President Maada Bio, thus plunging the country into economic and political degradation never seen in the nation’s history.

Alieu Turay’s hypocritical speech about democratic governance has exposed ECOWAS’s close links with the cocaine king Maada Bio; otherwise, he would not have stood in Freetown to provoke and insult the conscience of Sierra Leoneans.

This is not about being diplomatic. As a public figure, the ECOWAS President, Alieu Touray, is expected to be honest and straightforward when making important speeches, such as the one he made on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Freetown. (Photo: Senegal President Bassirou Faye is supposed to be the new ECOWAS Chair).

Clearly, honesty was in short supply during the address. Dr Alieu Touray exemplified blatant hypocrisy by resorting to generalisation rather than specificity. It would have been decent had Alieu Touray mentioned Sierra Leone as one of the accused of the illicit drug trade.

Instead, the sly ECOWAS President continues to refer to the ‘region’, thereby generalising his message rather than specifying which nation or nations he was referring to. The coward Alieu Touray was hiding behind his filthy fingers to deceive and expose himself as a Bio slave.

The patriotic people of Sierra Leone do not want to hear semantics that do not reflect the will of the people. Sierra Leone voters in 2023 demand their election results and urge ECOWAS to join global partners to swear in the President-elect, Dr Samura Kamara, now.

The Speech Made by ECOWAS President Dr Alieu Touray Transcribed by the Organiser Newspaper

Read verbatim what the ECOWAS President Touray said in his speech at the 56^th session of the Mediation and Security Council at Ministerial Level in Freetown on Wednesday, July 15, 2026: “National Parliament, Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic and Chancellor Corps.

“Excellency Baba Camara, ECOWAS Special Envoy on Outer Terrorism, members of the management team, the ECOWAS team, staff members and members of the organising committee of the host country, ladies and gentlemen.

“It is indeed with great pleasure and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you at this 56^th Session of the Mediation and Security Council, which is being held here in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Allow me, from the outset, to convey profound gratitude to President Julius Maada Bio.

“Government and the people of Sierra Leone, for their warm hospitality and for the excellent arrangements made for this important gathering. Sierra Leone’s own journey from conflict to peace and fragility to democratic resilience stands as a powerful testament of what can be achieved through dialogue, reconciliation, regional solidarity and unwavering commitment to peace.

“It reminds us that even in the face of immense adversity, our region possesses the resilience and wisdom to transform challenges and opportunities. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we gather today at a defining moment for our community and indeed for the future of regional cooperation in West Africa.

“The world around us is changing rapidly. International order is becoming increasingly fragmented and unpredictable. Geo-political rivalries are shaping global partnerships and alliances. Technological advances are creating unprecedented opportunities.

“While simultaneously generating new vulnerabilities, climate change is intensifying positions over resources and contributing to displacement and instability. Economic shocks continue to affect livelihoods, particularly among young people and vulnerable communities.

“Against this backdrop, our region continues to confront multiple and interlocutory challenges. Terrorism and violent extremism continue to threaten the peace and stability in our sub-region. Organised criminal networks have expanded their operations.

“Exploiting porous borders and fragile communities, marine security, illicit trafficking, cyber threats, and the spread of misinformation and disinformation have become threats to social cohesion and state resilience.

“Equally concerning are governance deficits and declining trust in public institutions. Political polarisation and the shrinking of political space, these challenges continue to strain the social contract between the state and its citizens.

“Humanitarian consequences of these challenges are immense. Millions of our citizens remain displaced by conflict and insecurity. Communities continue to struggle due to insecurity. Unemployment and the adverse effects of climate change.

“Women, children and young people are the heaviest burden of these crimes. Despite these challenges, excellencies, I am proud to state that our region remains resilient. Across West Africa, we continue to witness inspiring examples of democratic consolidation.

“Peaceful political transitions and national efforts towards dialogue, reconciliation and institutional reforms; these examples remind us about our values upon which our community was founded, remain alive and continue to inspire our collective actions.

“Excellencies, the task before us is therefore clear. We must strengthen our collective capacity to participate, prevent, and respond to emerging threats. We must invest in preventative diplomacy, mediation, and peacebuilding.

“We must enforce our institutions and ensure that our peace and security architecture is adequately achieved to address conflicts in the region. It is in this context that I am discussing the political situations in the region, which are of particular importance.

“The stable political environment remains the cornerstone of sustainable peace, economic development, and regional integration. The quest for peace and stability is progressive and continues, so our administration continues to work. (Photo: Alieu Touray and Maada Bio).

“Today, Excellencies, we deliver on the security situation in the region and the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force. Excellencies, the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force should be understood not merely as a military initiative.

“But as a demonstration of our collective resolve to fight terrorism, safeguard constitutional order, protect our population, and preserve peace and stability in our region. The challenge of activating the 1,650 Brigade Counter-Terrorism force remains that of funding.

“The Commission is intensifying efforts and engaging member states to mobilise outstanding community-level arrears to fund the initiative of the counter-terrorism force. However, predictable and sustainable financing remains fundamental to our ability to effectively fund our counter-terrorism force in the medium and long term.

“Excellencies, the humanitarian situation in our region also demands urgent, sustained attention. The growing number of displaced persons, refugees, and vulnerable populations among member states needs coordination between the humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding sectors.

“We shall equally review the financing of ECOWAS Electoral Observation issues. Democratic governance remains a fundamental pillar of regional integration. Our Electoral Observation Mission has played a critical role in promoting confidence and supporting democratic institutions, and preventing electoral disputes across our region.

“Ensuring its sustainability and effectiveness must therefore remain a priority. At this critical juncture, Excellencies, our communities must affirm the principles that have guided us for the past five decades, i.e. solidarity, dialogue, democracy, constitutional governance, and Parliament,” Alieu Touray concluded.