By Amin Kef (Ranger)
The 15-Member Special Investigations Committee Report on the August 8 – 10, 2022 insurrection that took place in the East End of Freetown and in some parts of the country has been submitted to President Julius Maada Bio at State House on Thursday 13 April 2023 by the Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai Esq.
According to the Executive Summary of the Report, “The insurrection was well-planned, financed, organized, timed and geared towards destroying public property and undermining the peace and stability of the State by removing the legitimate and democratically elected President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Brigadier Retired Dr. Julius Maada Bio, from political power”.
It further contained confirmation of “the use of dangerous weapons, including machetes, guns, and sticks against security personnel, to the point of murdering six of them in cold blood, injuring another who later died, and about twenty-one civilians losing their lives…”
The Report also maintained that, “in all the hotspots, stakeholders shared names of politicians loyal to the opposition who were providing guardianship and support to the protesters. The Lungi Fuel Stations, Kaffu Bullom Chief Sisters, the APC office, the Makeni Councillor, the Magburaka-Kamakwie area.
Stated also is that there are videos and transcripts available to the effect and also that there is also an indicator that the protest was politically motivated and they were well planned, organized, and executed in a coordinated manner”.
Captured in the Report is that the International Community, particularly the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Assembly, was sending conflicting messages that inflamed and aggravated the situation, adding that protesters used their tweets to claim that the international community was in support of the action to remove the sitting government.
“Several tweets and audio files from the protesters support these claims. This gives the impression that the international community supports the protesters’ actions, despite the fact that the state was almost under siege. This goes against the international jurisprudence, which provides that the survival of the state takes precedence over rights during emergencies,” according to the Report.
Also, in the Committee’s findings there were incessant complaints of youth unemployment and marginalization, substance abuse, economic hardship and food insecurity maintaining that these were not a justification for the level of violence perpetrated in the country.
The Committee is of the view that the indications are that they may have genuinely contributed to the August 8th to 10th incidents with rogue politicians exploiting that reality to their political advantage adding how Social Media was awash with hate messages and tribal bigotry perpetrated by one Will Kamara, alias Adebayor, and his cohorts under the umbrella of the People’s Power in Politics (PPP).
It concluded that therefore, from the evidence gathered, its members will not attribute the activities of 8th to 10th August 2022 solely to socio-economic problems confronting Sierra Leone but that the incidents connoted an insurrection against the Central Government, underpinned by strong political vendetta exhibited on Social Media and other platforms.
It further pointed out that the Government and its international partners should not be seen publicly disagreeing in a crisis situation of the magnitude of August 8–10,” he warned.
According to the Report, while at the national level, there was no evidence that the leadership of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) supported the insurrection based on their public condemnation of the incidents, at the sub-national level it was found that the ringleaders of the insurrection were all active members of the APC.
The Special Investigation Committee Report stated how members of the Committee were it was provided in Lungi, Port Loko, Kamakwie and Makeni with names of individuals who were involved in the planning and execution of the incidents by providing PPP t-shirts, placards, water and food to protesters.
Included in the Report also is that Senior members of the party were also seen publicly associating with rioters who were arrested and detained at various Police Stations, and some even provided free legal services for them giving a semblance of tacit support for the insurrection.
The Committee said claims of extra-judicial killings following the August 10th protests could not be ascertained based on evidence collected from engagements with various stakeholders, including the security sector in all the areas visited.
Based on the Report, there was no information provided on either missing persons or summary executions despite repeated enquiries but said, however, public allegations of extra-judicial killings especially during curfew hours following the insurrection should further be looked into.
It was further noted in the Report that the insurrection of 8th-10th August 2022 had devastating consequences, firstly on individuals and their families who lost their loved ones and on the State of Sierra Leone, in general.
Contained also in that Report is that the wanton destruction of lives and property has created a spectacle to the world that Sierra Leone has not learnt any lessons from the conflict it went through two decades ago (1991-2002).
The Report also underscored that the August incidents will significantly affect Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country which will subsequently affect the country’s developmental strides as outlined in the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2019-2023).
Stated also was that more worrisome, is that the deep tribal, regional and political divide manifested before, during and after these incidents will continue to further undermine national cohesion and stifle socio-economic development.
Certain recommendations were proffered in the Report which Members of the Special Investigation Committee strongly believes if implemented will prevent a recurrence of the ugly incident and that will be the focus on in our next Edition.
