Politics

Sierra Leone: Bio calls for peace as parties brace for presidential elections

Published

2 years ago

June 21, 2023

Campaigns are concluding in the West African country of Sierra Leone ahead of the presidential elections on Saturday.

President Julius Maada Bio, who is running for re-election, held his final rally in the capital city, Freetown, Lumley Beach, on Tuesday. The president, while addressing his supporters at the rally, called for peaceful exercise after months of tense campaigning.

“I want to appeal to everybody; we want peaceful elections. No violence. You have your card; on that day, go and vote,” he told his supporters from a stage on Freetown’s Lumley Beach. There are 13 candidates vying for the top office.

President Bio is contesting under the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) against Samura Kamara who narrowly lost to Bio in 2018 under the All People’s Congress (APC). Opposition parties have raised concerns over the neutrality of the election body, the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), amid allegations of bias in favour of the ruling party.

But the chief electoral commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh has refuted the allegations and claimed the opposition was focusing more on attacking the body than going out to campaign.

“At the end of the day, people will be confused” and not vote, he told AFP, urging the opposition to instead help educate voters on the new proportional representation system.

An NGO poll that is a collaborator with the pan-African pollster, Afrobarometer predicts that Bio will receive 56% of the vote while Kamara will receive 43%. It predicts that the SLPP would take between 56 and 61 percent of the seats in parliament, with the APC taking the remaining seats.

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.