The “mediated dialogue”: an elite bargain?
What a time to be back! The mediated dialogue between the Government and the main opposition, the All Peoples Congress...
The cost of living crisis needs no more “govsplaining”
Tin tranga! Tin tranga! That is the new national anthem as hardship grips the nation. The cost of essential commoditie...
The August 2022 protests: in search of justice and closure
It has been a year since the tragic August protests in which dozens of civilians and six police officers were killed. ...
Will a state-led electoral systems review offer the desired outcomes?
On Thursday, the new Parliament of Sierra Leone was officially convened in what is known as a State Opening. This come...
Reflections on the June 24 elections: What’s the APC’s endgame?
As the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) continues its boycott of the government, many Sierra Leoneans, including...
Reflections on the June 24 elections: what next?
Three decades after the return of multiparty democracy, the state of affairs in the country presents a serious test—a ...
Reflections on the June 24 polls
We are happy to be back with our Saturday Editorials. During the elections, we decided to suspend the publication of t...
The manifestos that don’t manifest: Interrogating commitment to gender and climate change
Few weeks to the June elections, the two leading political parties for the June 24 elections, the Sierra Leone People’...
Politicians must talk and do the peace
It is easy to sign a pledge. It is easy to talk about peace. The difficult part is to do peace and as hard as it is, t...
Bio’s land giveaways: a landed populism
President Julius Maada Bio’s government has taken an interesting approach to land distribution in the Western Area. Th...
Why manifestos matter
The ordinary Sierra Leonean does not need to be reminded that their economy is in shambles, the currency is in a freef...
The Zainab Sheriff detention: the state fails again on freedom of expression
This week, one of the country’s most influential women on the arts and entertainment scene, Zainab Sheriff spent two n...
Boika’s Assassination: How Makeni became a ‘special’ case
The assassination of a top police officer in Makeni last week has been widely condemned by Sierra Leoneans. Even membe...
The ‘rallying’ cry: Sierra Leone’s lazy approach to addressing public order concerns
Processions and parades are the right of political parties and individuals who support them. Those who want to parade ...
The Gento gaffe and its roots in the nature of our politics
The Gento gaffe has been the subject of several press releases and discussions over the week. Once again, it brought t...
Our missing Professor-Governor
When Julius Maada Bio was elected President in 2018, one of his immediate actions was to appoint Kelfala Kallon as Gov...
Scrutinising the Samura-Chericoco presidential ticket
The flagbearer of the All Peoples Congress (APC), Samura Kamara has picked Chernoh Bah, leader of the opposition in Pa...
Western diplomats versus who? Been here before
As the elections draw closer, some patterns are emerging, and they are all too familiar. There are plenty of glossy an...
Freetown International Airport: new edifice, questionable deal
Yesterday, President Julius Maada Bio commissioned the new terminal at the Freetown International Airport. The Governm...
Hey! A peace of election, please?
Sierra Leone is bracing up for elections. Or should we say we are well into the election season? The Electoral Commiss...
What is wrong with political parties in Salone?
In one of our Saturday Editorials last year, we examined the role of political parties in a democracy, highlighting ho...
Freetown the Free Town
The capital, Freetown has turned into a sprawling slum. From east to west, it has lost shape, looking less and less li...
Period poverty and the ‘padded philanthro-politics’ of the first couple
The stadium incident in Bo this week, involving girls who went to collect free menstrual pads handed to them by Presid...
June 2023 must be about people and the economy
We may be sounding like a broken record on the state of the Sierra Leone economy. Well, who gets tired of talking abou...
What a chimpy-passporty week!
It has been a chimpy week in the land. So, we thought we could weigh in because this chimp-passport debate has been so...
January 6: to forgive is wise but to forget is foolish
January 6, 1999 was definitely one of the darkest days in Sierra Leone’s history. The carnage was unimaginable. A comb...
We need to take ourselves seriously
Our President, Julius Maada Bio and other African leaders have been in Washington this week, attending President Joe B...
The State and Human Rights in Salone: giving with one hand, taking with the other
It is Human Rights Day again. As usual, events will be held around the country to mark the day. It is all good. Human ...
Unexplained wealth: the corruption we hardly talk about
This week, the Government briefed the media on the implementation of the recommendations of the Commissions of Inquiry...
Ruling justly?
Sierra Leone is a small nation, but it guarantees at least one dramatic event a week. So much that requires you to sto...
Salone’s historic women’s empowerment law: the task now is to make it work
This week, Sierra Leone’s parliament passed the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Bill 2021 into law. The...
MCC scorecard: the symbolism and our leaders’ attitude to assistance
When we posted a Twitter thread on the MCC Scorecard, we indicated that we would be coming back to the topic from a cr...
Sierra Leone’s addiction troubles: New highs, new problems and what can be done
Sierra Leone’s drug abuse and addiction problems are not new. But new highs are driving it at a rate that is alarming ...
“Caring” leaders do not increase data prices in the middle of an economic crisis
The past week or so has seen a flurry of activity in the motherland: the announcement by the Electoral Commission of S...
That travesty of a funeral
The Government’s shameful handling of the burial of 27 civilians killed by security forces during the August 10 protes...
Why mainstream opposition is lost in a political labyrinth
Sierra Leone’s mainstream opposition seems to be lost in a political labyrinth. While it is not our business to help t...
It’s a Democracy: You Can’t Intimidate Your Way To Re-election
It has been another eventful week. The invitation and interrogation of Freetown Mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and the dete...
Who pays your salary? How public officials blur the line between state and party
The nature of politics in Sierra Leone produces a state and government that is highly patrimonial. In fact, political ...
Musa Tombo is different: We must live with that!
The intention of this week’s editorial is not to dwell on the much-talked-about Musa Tombo situation just for the sake...
It’s the economy!!!
The economy is in very bad shape. No doubt. Prices are skyrocketing, making it harder for people to make ends meet. In...
2023 Elections: Voter registration hiccups and implications for the electoral process
The registration of voters for next year’s public elections has had a bumpy start. In the first week, staff contended ...
Deadly flashfloods and mudslides don’t seem to teach us anything
When torrential rainfall triggered flash floods and mudslides in Freetown on August 28, we were left with a trail of d...
The Special Investigation Committee: What was ordered vs what was delivered
On August 24, the President’s office announced the establishment of a “Special Investigation Committee to examine both...
The Jamiru way or the ‘Pao-pa-riat’ route, Mr. President?
When August 10 happened, many people looked up to President Bio to lead the nation out of the horror and fear that gri...
Salone Protests: Why the ‘terrorism’ framing is problematic and what we can learn
This has been a tough week for Sierra Leoneans, especially those who lost loved ones in the horrific violence and smal...
Playing Hide and Seek With The Environment
We are nothing without our environment; and we are a nation that ought to have learnt the hard lessons of being carele...
‘Pipoo’ Policeman Gone, Taylor-Pearce Tribunal Rides on Tortoise Back
It has been another eventful week in the country. From the suspicious sea container to the enactment of a new public e...
Makeni Two Years On: Impunity is Still Winning
Two years ago, a confrontation between protesting youth and security forces turned bloody in the northern city of Make...
The Public Elections Bill: why everyone smells a rat
We have to talk about the Public Elections Bill. Being a very important piece of legislation with serious implications...
A strong-handed state and its hungry people
There is no iffing and yes-butting about this. The right to protest is a fundamental pillar of democracy and a state t...
Dis Fuel Wahala: What can the government do?
The rapid fuel increase in the country has got everyone talking, crying and feeling the sharp pinch. Fuel is fuel—it i...