By Foday Moriba Conteh
Concerns have been raised over the reported whereabouts and safety of Fanta Mansaray, a mother of three from Waterloo, following allegations that she is being pursued by members of a local Bondo Society after reportedly declining to succeed her late mother as head of the society.
According to information reaching The Calabash Newspaper, Mansaray’s late mother, Kadiatu (Kadia) Kamara, also identified in some accounts as Kadiatu Sampa Soko Kamara, reportedly died on 18 January 2024 in Waterloo while serving as head of the local Bondo Society.
Sources familiar with the matter allege that following her death, traditional arrangements were made for her burial and the succession process within the society. It is further alleged that after the 40th-day ceremony in February 2024, members of the society decided that Mansaray should succeed her late mother.
However, according to the same accounts, Mansaray subsequently left the community after allegedly rejecting or escaping the proposed succession arrangement.
Sources claim that a message was circulated within the community calling for her to be found “dead or alive.”
Mansaray is reportedly believed to have gone into hiding after learning that members of the society were allegedly searching for her. Her current whereabouts could not be independently confirmed at the time of publication.
The reported case has raised broader concerns about the right of adult women to make personal decisions regarding participation in traditional societies and succession arrangements without intimidation or coercion.
Bondo is an important traditional institution in Sierra Leone and forms part of the cultural practices of many communities. At the same time, human-rights organisations have documented concerns about coercion and forced initiation associated with Bondo practices in some communities. Amnesty International, for example, has reported advocacy by Sierra Leonean activists against the forced initiation of girls into Bondo Society.
Earlier Human Rights Watch research also documented allegations that women and girls who did not wish to undergo initiation had, in some cases, been subjected to forced initiation.
The reported case warrants attention from the relevant authorities and community leaders, particularly if credible evidence exists of threats against Mansaray or attempts to forcibly compel her to participate in a traditional succession process.
Any allegation of threats, abduction, assault or other criminal conduct should be investigated through the appropriate law-enforcement and justice institutions, irrespective of the cultural context in which the allegations arise.
For now, the whereabouts of Fanta Mansaray remain unconfirmed.
