This succinct message by the UNOWAS chief Mr Leonardo Santos Simão during the recent United Nations Security Council meeting in New York is full of optimism for the return of democratic rule in Sierra Leone. The New York conference on Friday July 12 is significant especially for the UN body to express the urgent need for the restoration of constitutional rule in Sierra Leone and in some nations the West Africa sub-region. (Photo: UNOWAS boss Mr Leonardo Santos Simão speaking on Friday at the UN).

It is welcome news that Security Council, the highest body in the United Nations is determined to adopt constitutional rule ostensibly to democratise Sierra Leone in particular. The fact that the UN has vowed to restore democracy in Sierra Leone is a clear message to the tyrannical SLPP regime of Julius Maada Bio that their government is not democratic as it lacks all the hallmarks of constitutional order. It means that optimism is on the horizon for the return of democratic rule in Sierra Leone. The UNOWAS Head Mr Leonardo Santos made it clear that all the Tripartite recommendations must be implemented in full.

Mr Santos touched on the accountability issue which involves the arraignment of suspects who bear the greatest responsibilities on human rights violations, genocide and anti-democratic exercises. On the accountability issue, all the bad people in the SLPP regime, the traitors in the APC party and other internal stakeholders who had undermined and continue to undermine the Tripartite process will face the music at the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone RSCSL and at the International Criminal Court ICC in Freetown. (Photos: Mr Leonardo Santos Simão, left, Aja Fatoumata-Jallow Tambajang, 2nd left, and Bio. Dr Samura Kamara, 3rd from right).

The flames of justice will get many bad Sierra Leoneans including politicians, media and other internal stakeholders in the net. What came out of last Friday’s meeting in New York is enough to give total confidence and hope in the Tripartite process and that Sierra Leoneans who went out on June 24, 2023 multi-tiers elections to vote will see their efforts not go in vain. Sierra Leoneans whose votes were stolen on June 24, 2023 by Maada Bio will soon see victory. Dr Samura Kamara, the real winner of last year’s elections has stood firm to defend the voters’ votes and now the United Nations Office in West Africa and the Sahel has heard the cries from Sierra Leone.

Hear what the UNOWAS boss Mr Leonardo Santos Simão said on the floors of the United Nations in New York: “The government of National Unity in Sierra Leone should implement the full recommendations for the June 24, 2023 multi-tier elections. UNOWAS are with international partners ECOWAS, AU and the Commonwealth to support the Agreement for Sierra Leone government of National Unity to assist the country from the grievances contested in the June 24, 2023 elections,” Mr Santos, who came from Mozambique told the world.

Everyone remembers the Bintumani Hotel conference from October 16 to 18, 2023, when the two parties SLPP and the APC signed a communique on October 18 to implement the 8 Points Resolutions including the most important Resolution Three with Terms of Reference TOR. Since then, the UN has noticed that Maada Bio has refused to implement any of the Resolutions to date. Only the APC party has to abide by the Agreement. And the Report submitted on July 19, 2024 at State House, it was made clear that all the recommendations should be fully implemented.

On the Report presented by the APC party, the APC made it clear about a Re-Run on page 53. The contentious issues still remained between the SLPP regime and the APC party, the latter paying keen attention to Electoral Justice while the former only wants Electoral Reforms. But the UNOWAS has made it clear that Electoral Justice is paramount in achieving lasting peace and unity in Sierra Leone. The contentious issues have caused disagreement and argument between the APC and the SLPP parties. Additionally, it has been confirmed that UNOWAS has called on the ECOWAS Commission to deploy troops in Sierra Leone.