Sierra Leone Telegraph: 20 February 2020:
Fears are growing for the survival in Freetown of two black men – believed to be of Caribbean origin, who were deported to Sierra Leone by the US government in cohort with the government of Sierra Leone, now in destitution and without food. They are facing grave danger and at risk of death on the streets of Freetown.
According to a report by Umaru Fofanah: “Two men deported from the US who have been stranded in Freetown since August last year have been shut out of the guesthouse which the Sierra Leone government had checked them into. Saren Idaho (Photo above) who says he’s originally from the Dominica and Prince Latoya (Photo below) who says he’s from Bahamas are now languishing at the guesthouse car park with nowhere to go and no one to turn to after the state of Sierra Leone failed to honour their bill amounting to nearly Le 10 million ($1,000).
“They were checked into the guesthouse on 4 February after spending more than five months in a police cell. Saren is visibly unwell and all his medication and food are locked inside the room, he says. They were brought here after the Sierra Leone embassy in Washington DC bizarrely issued them with the country’s travel documents which they now say was done “under pressure” from the US government even though the two are not citizens from here.”
On Wednesday, 14th August, 2019, a group of sixteen people arrived at Lungi Airport in Freetown as deportees from the US. According to Sierra Leone Police spokesman, they were deported for alleged criminal and other immigration-related offences.
The sixteen deportees who comprised of 15 men and one woman, were held at the Headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Freetown for several days while they were being screened and processed.
According to the police in Freetown, some of the deportees are not Sierra Leonean passport holders.
At least one of the deportees at that time told officers that he had been deported without going through due legal process in the US – an allegation the US Embassy in Freetown denied.
A US Embassy official in Freetown told one reporter: “All the deportees were allowed to go through a legal process before issuing the Emergency Travel Certificates to leave the United States.”
Two of the deportees named – Saren Idaho and Prince Artman Latayo, went on AYV TV to tell the government and people of Sierra Leone that they are foreign nationals deliberately deported by the US authorities to Sierra Leone to avoid due legal process in the US.
Are the governments of Sierra Leone and the United States going to leave these two men to die on the streets of Freetown?
Watch the AYV Clip here:
The Sierra Leonean government accepted them. The United States asked multiple countries, as seen in Latoya’s account. I still stand behind my opinion, though. It’s up to deportees to thrive. I don’t believe they’re victims.
Joe Kamara is the only one here who is making sense. Their survival in Sierra Leone is solely up to them,them alone, not the government. Make the best of a bad situation, instead of complaining about it.
I have a very simple question for you Mr. Whetin. Who issued these two, now stranded gentlemen with the travelling documents, before they were deported to Sierra Leone? The U.S. authorities can’t just randomly deport people to any country without first consulting the authorities of that country. All I know is this – Sierra Leone is responsible for their welfare until they return to their country of origin. Argue/denny. Please reply to my question as soon as possible Mr. Whetin. God bless Mr Whetin.
See,this is exactly why our nation,and Africa as a whole will forever remain backwards,and unprogressive. Citizens and governments alike do not know how to be responsible, law abiding,and sensible. I sincerely believe that,in the nearest future,we must find,or create ingenious ways of assessing whether or not an individual,or a group are competent enough to hold any public office in Sierra Leone.
Things cannot,and must not continue like this,where thoughtless,and impractical men are using buckets full of holes,to fetch water from streams designed to sustain, and quench the thirsts of millions. Now,even class 5 children will tell you that there is no place like Home.
Birds return to their nests,bees to their hives,and lions to their den,why should an individual be forced to live somewhere else,and not in the place of his birth if he so desires? This notorious government has been showing clear signs,and signals resembling, blinkers of gross incompetence since day one. The question that comes to mind is; For how much have these tribalistic ignoramuses sold our beloved nation to the United States? Will America ever accept deportees that are not its citizens to even step with just one foot upon its racists,uncompromising,Capitalist soil? Absolutely not!
Again,it doesn’t really matter if these individuals were once criminals; the facts at hand remain lucid,and clear – they were illegally deported, and brought to an alien country,they do not know,cannot adapt to, and sustain themselves. It is on this point,that the law was callously, and deliberately violated,by the United States; And let their thick arrogant skulls be reminded that no one is above the widely embraced,acceptable standards,and guidelines of International law.
Mr Matturi is right,the responsibility for the well being of these two individuals now rests squarely on the shoulders of government. It is their own stupidities that got them into this mess,in the first place,so they must now find ways to deal with it. A big disgrace,it is,to have such a strange story hanging over our heads. These individuals must be sent back to the United States,and if that is no longer possible,then the government of Sierra Leone should compensate them handsomely because of their attitudes of ineptitude and negligence in the whole matter.
Arrogant Caterpillars,they are,showing no empathy,and no remorse whatsoever – its time to do the right thing – Get these stranded foreigners off the streets,and return them (asap) to their peaceful,rightful homes… Rising Sun Will Rise Again.
Did they seek asylum as persons fleeing the problems that marred Sierra Leone in the 90s and 20s?
While we are not privy to the entire story, I would like to state that I know of persons in the west one of whom happens to be a well know Pastor in the Church I was lured in Amsterdam in 2008. The Pastor is a Ghanaian. To my surprised, he asked me to helped with something. I did not know what it was , not until when he asked me to renew his Sierra Leone passport that had expired thus preventing him to ask for his naturalization in the Netherlands. I was shock. He told me that he benefited from the grace that was offered to persons fleeing Sierra Leoen for the west during our mayhem. He was granted five years stay which was renewed and during that period he got an unpatriotic Sierra Leoenan to help him get a legal Sierra Leoen passport which he used to travel with for his ministry.
I refused to help him and I stopped attending his Church. When the former Immigration boss Kholifa Koroma was on his crusade to help the west deport Sierra Leoenean, I slipped this pastors name to them under cover. Unbeknownst to me the pastor already had a Dutch Passport. So he slipped thorough the net.
My suspicion is that those men did similar things and now that they have been brought to the country they claimed was theirs
This News Tabloid have nothing good to offer. Its one of the most useless and baseless print media sponsord by the Oganised Criminals and Rackettering Gang Head by EBK Tollgate Ebola panbody.
Did I hear someone talking like a novice on this glorious platform? First time in pre-school. Silence is the best way to reply to a fool. God help every fool to become wise. Someone, somewhere there on planet earth, sending baseless and senseless ignorant accusations about “News Tabloids”. God bless Mr. Ernest Koroma APC.
This is ridiculous. Why some of our brothers even trying to tie these two criminals with Bio’s administration accountability. This administration has nothing to do with these two guys folks. Why don’t you plead for some innocent inmates that are being incarcerated in prison within your country, even in your own home town or city.
If you think this is ridiculous disgusting as you’ve mentioned, why don’t you accommodate them instead of using a smear campaign of your gov’t? We do have Ambassador and Embassy building and staff in Washington DC, purposely for diplomatic mission in our interest, and to safeguard our nationals. Are these two guys Sierra Leoneans? So if US deported them unlawfully in to our country, are we obligated?
Look at this man saying “the Ambassador should recall to answer tough questions”. Are you serious for real? Is this all because Bio is President? Ok what kind of questions are you going to ask the Ambassador if you were one of the parliamentarians? If the US does not want them for their criminal records then why should this gov’t take responsibility.
Under APC’s watch, a former military chief of staff was murdered shot to death. What has happened to date? What are you talking about? APC gov’t mess will take a long time to solve.
The government of Sierra Leone will solely be held accountable if, God forbids, these two men die as paupers in our country. Just imagine gross human rights violations happening in real time on the watch of the Bio Administration. It’s really ridiculous, disgusting and disgraceful for what is happening with these two men in “PAOPA” city under this Bio Administration. Why then do we have an ambassador and embassy in the US? Why did the ambassador failed hopelessly in performing his diplomatic duties? The ambassador should be recalled and answer tough questions by parliament as to how this disgraceful and irresponsible diplomatic miscalculation and failure happened.
Such neglect of responsibility would never happen under the watch of the APC SALONE. It will only happen in “PAOPA” city. I know that, the Bio Administration and the SLPP know that too.
Please Mr. President, take your responsibility and settle this mess in the making. These two men will never forget how life in “PAOPA” city looks like if you don’t take your responsibility. God help these two gentlemen stranded in “PAOPA” city get help and return to their country as soon as possible.
I believe in the decency of the human race and don’t like seeing another human being suffering. But is this case deserving of national attention? Two guys complaining that they are suffering and that they would soon die? Interesting. Growing up in Freetown, I cannot remember how many times I saw Fula guys arriving in Freetown without knowing anyone there.Yet they will hustle and before you know they have opened a shop and the rest is history.
I was told by someone familiar with the case of these two guys that the government of Sierra Leone has offered to send them to their respective countries but they have refused because they want to return to the United States. Yet the United States does not want them due to their criminal records.
It was a mistake that they were sent to Sierra Leone. I know of a case where a United States citizen was mistakenly deported to Mexico. So, what’s the big deal? Don’t we have homeless foreign nationals sleeping on the streets of some of America’s large cities?
Who is exploiting this case for political capital?
Drop me in any part of Africa and I will survive. These guys do not deserve any attention. They are bad guys trying to take advantage of the generosity of Sierra Leoneans.
Mi man you get stone hat (heart) O. You are a cold hearted one my friend. Den for keep cole-wata far away from you lol. Gauging the ability to survive in our land of men from many many miles away, who by the way were brought in involuntarily and criminally, to men who leave right next door to us, who are also at liberty to come in out out of the country as they wish, without any kind of coercion, is an absurd thing to do.