Sierra Leone Telegraph: 4 March 2021:
There are reports and plenty of video clips of rioting in the central business district of Freetown this afternoon, involving armed youths believed to be SLPP supporters from their Freetown party office and traders in an area of the business district of the city known as Belgium – in the Lightfoot Boston Street area, King Jimmy market and Connaught Hospital.
According to some of the Belgium traders, the SLPP youths attacked the traders and took away their wares valued at billions of Leones.
The Belgium traders then chased the SLPP youths to retrieve their goods, when fighting broke. Some of the youths were heavily armed with machetes.
Heavily armed police arrived at the scene and fired teargas at the rioting youths. There are no reports of anyone dead or seriously injured.
So far, there has been no statement from the ruling SLPP or the police about today’s violence. Is president Bio losing grip on law and order?
See videos below:
Mr. President Bio is a good man and wants the best for his countrymen, but there are other factors we must investigate, like outside influences that have seeped through the cracks.
We do not want any fighting and boasting in our country; what sierra leone needs is peace; love and harmony. So please give peace a chance and let Sierra Leone prosper. Amen; amin.
When running for office, politicians that use their platforms to make promises, and never deliver on their promises, can always use mindless violence to keep their restive population in check. In the film, Gotham City – it is depicted as “a powder keg of lawlessness, inequality, corruption, cuts and all-round despair.” You might as well be talking about FREETOWN. Now this is Bio’s government answer to the allegations of corruption against his government.
Anyone who is steeped in the history of political violence in Sierra leone, knows how “HIGHWAY” and his band of hoodlums were used to settle political scores. The drive to chaos by this feckless Bio, “RARAY BOYS” usually in clown masks rioting, looting and all the while our inept Sierra Leone police force, acting as their look OUTS, for this mindless mad mob, while they steal from innocent unsuspecting traders. Few weeks ago I predicted our country is sleep-walking to becoming a lawless State.
Not long ago, this collective violence happened in the South of the country, where a young man lost his life. They seem to follow the president everywhere he goes in the country. An SLPP civilian militia trained in the art of unleashing political violence on an unsuspecting population in our midst. Now the circus of mad mob, operated by Bio’s henchmen is at it again. They have brought their mindless thuggery to Freetown. Put simply, Bio is taking advantage of their gullibility and using them as a tool for destruction. It is the only way he can address his government failure to deliver for the people. This is not the poster card you want to advertise about our country. This is what you get with a government that has completely lost its sense of direction. Now we haven’t seen any of the heavy handedness deployed by the security forces, they used in the pademba Road prison riots, or God forbid the Makeni and Tombo riots. Far from it. Where is Bio the president when he is needed?
Oh God! why Sierra Leone? Why can’t we get over violence and learn to address our discord through diplomatic means? This is really relevant.
To my brothers and sisters, I ask that let us try to be courageous and allow the rule of Law to work. Indeed it isn’t easy and has to take some time.
Violence is caused by so many factors: peer group influence, experiencing abuse, low self esteem, provocation, disrespect, access to weapon to name but a few. So therefore, the incidence that took place in town has no connotation to party politics except otherwise. And if that is the opinion of some,then it is very unfortunate. Therefore, let’s be patient and try to get the side of the story of parties involved. This is no political party campaign period.
Sierra Leoneans should begin to talk on issues and not personalities or party interests. What happened at the scene? This is the issue. How can such issue be addressed in a mere future?
Thanks Mr Samuel M Kamara, I am glad you asked. You are a true son of the soil. A typical Sierra Leonean that was not ready to acknowledge what we’ve have been saying about the state of our country. You and others have staked your reputation on this forum defending this government, despite the overwhelming evidence that, our country’s economic prospects under this government is looking bleak. Even our Finance minister JJ Saffa, alluded to it. All the while some of you my Sierra Leoneans brothers continue to believe our country is heading in the right direction.
We all want president Bio, and his government to succeed. We pray every day for that to happen. Because if Bio succeeds and leaves our country on high economic note, others that come after him will just build up on that, and work to improve the standard of living of our people. Being a typical Sierra Leoneans in my judgement is defined as, we know there is a problem, but we ignore it until it is too late. Then we throw surprises at the turn of events when the problem hit home . We need to acknowledge that there is a deep rooted problems in our country, regardless of which tribe or region you come from, or party you support. We only have one country, so we need to make it work for everyone living in it. Not just the few, but for the many.