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☆ Sierra Leone outlaws child marriage with new bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Sierra Leone officially banned child marriage on Tuesday with President Julius Maada Bio signing into law a bill to end the practice that remains widespread. Advocates hope the new legislation will better protect girls in Sierra Leone, around a third of whom are married before they turn 18, increasing the maternal death rate due to the physical risks they face from pregnancy, according to the health ministry. Parents or those attending such marriage ceremonies could also face fines. The legislation should “break the cycle of early marriage and its devastating consequences,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Betty Kabari. “It also sets a pathway forward for other African nations, such as Tanzania and Zambia, to revoke laws that permit child marriage.”

Persons: Julius Maada, ”, Betty Kabari Organizations: Sierra, U.S . Bureau, African Affairs, UNICEF, Sierra Leonean, Reuters, Rights Locations: Sierra Leone, Central Africa, Tanzania, Zambia

☆ The global synthetic drugs crisis has hit West Africa, where people are digging up human bones to make a drug called 'kush'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cemeteries are bolstering their security measures because gravediggers are stealing human bones to make powerful synthetic drugs, local journalists told Business Insider. AdvertisementA vendor sells daily necessities at a market in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Feb. 21, 2024. Formaldehyde also has euphoric properties, says the National Library of Medicine, which explains why kush users could be raiding Freetown's cemeteries. JOHN WESSELS | Getty ImagesJalloh noted that the use of synthetic drugs was not unique to Sierra Leone. ReutersIn 2015, BI's Erin Brodwin covered the rise of these synthetic drugs, marketed as "spice," "K2," "black mamba," or "crazy clown."

Persons: —, Sierra, Julius Maada, Michael Cole, Sally Hayden, JOHN WESSELS, Cole, Mabinty Magdalene Kamar, Abdul Jalloh, HUGH KINSELLA CUNNINGHAM, Thomas Dixon, Jalloh, Salifu Kamara, kush, BI's Erin Brodwin, Brodwin, tranq Organizations: Service, Business, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Anglia Ruskin University, The Irish Times, National Library of Medicine, Politico, Sierra, Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital, Police, Getty Images Local, Salone Times, BBC, Freetown Police Force, National Drug Agency, NPR, Guardian, Disease Control, Prevention, Reuters, Financial Times Locations: Freetown, African, Sierra Leone, West Africa, Mabinty, Waterloo , Sierra Leone, kush, New York City, New York, Kensington, North Philadelphia

☆ Sierra Leone: Fresh gunfire rings out after more than 13 killed during attacks on military barracks and prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Residents of Freetown said on social media that a fresh round of gunshots was heard on Tuesday afternoon in the Murray Town suburb. “Thirteen soldiers were killed in action,” Sierra Leone’s army spokesman Colonel Issa Bangura told CNN Tuesday of the botched attack on the army base. Prison officials estimate that the number of fleeing inmates could be above 1,800. A cash reward has been offered for tip-offs leading to the arrest of either the assailants or prison escapees. A nationwide curfew was imposed following the series of attacks on Sunday, leading to widespread flight disruption at the Freetown International Airport.

Persons: “, Umaru Fofana, …, Sierra, Issa Bangura, ” Bangura, ”, Maada Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Facebook, Manhunt, Police, Airport, Authorities, European Union, Ecowas Locations: Sierra Leonean, Freetown, Murray Town, Sierra, Murray, Kingtom, West, West African, United States, European

☆ Twenty killed in Sierra Leone attack and nearly 2,000 prisoners escape
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FREETOWN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Twenty people were killed and nearly 2,000 inmates escaped during Sunday's attack on a military barracks, a prison and other locations in Sierra Leone, officials said on Monday. The West African country was thrown into panic in the early hours when the assailants sent gunfire ringing across the capital Freetown. Some 1,890 inmates escaped from the Pademba Road central prison after the attackers broke in, according to a situation report that prison officials shared with Reuters on Monday. [1/2]Sierra Leone's Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh visits the central Pademba Road prison after unidentified gunmen attacked a military barracks and the prison, following which inmates escaped, in Freetown, Sierra Leone November 27, 2023. In August 2022, at least 21 civilians and six police officers were killed in anti-government protests.

Persons: Julius Maada Bio, Issa Bangura, Shek Sulaiman Massaquoi, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Umaru, Umaru Fofana, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Edward McAllister, Alison Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Sierra Leone's, REUTERS, European Union, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Freetown, United States

CNN —The president of Sierra Leone has described a foiled assault on a military barracks in the capital Freetown as an “attack on democracy.”In a video statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, late Sunday, President Maada Bio said most of the ringleaders had been arrested and calm restored. The news sparked fears of another potential coup attempt in West Africa. A nationwide curfew was imposed following an attack in the early hours of Sunday on the military barracks, leading to widespread flight disruption. Authorities revised the indefinite curfew, saying it would now run from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily local time, starting Monday. A divisive electionPresident Bio described the incident as an “attack on democracy,” but did not state outright that it was a coup attempt.

Persons: Maada Bio, ”, “, ” Sierra, Bio, Bio’s, Oluwole, ” Ojewale Organizations: CNN, West African, ECOWAS, ” ECOWAS, Institute for Security Studies, ” Locations: Sierra Leone, Freetown, West Africa, Sierra Leone’s, ” Sierra Leone, West African, ” West Africa, Guinea

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Climate change is “relentlessly eating away” at Africa’s economic progress and it’s time to have a global conversation about a carbon tax on polluters, Kenya’s president declared Tuesday as the first Africa Climate Summit got underway. He and other leaders urged reforms to the global financial structures that have left African nations paying about five times more to borrow money than others, worsening the debt crisis for many. Africa has more than 30 of the world’s most indebted countries, Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for the environment, Soipan Tuya, said. Africa’s GDP should be revalued for its assets, which include the world's second-largest rainforest and biodiversity, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said. “It is an African story, and I daresay it’s a global story, too.”___Follow AP’s coverage of the climate at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment and of Africa at https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Persons: William Ruto, Tuya, John Kerry, Kerry, Joe Biden, ” Ruto, ”, Ruto, “ It’s, Sahle, Zewde, Akinwumi Adesina, Adesina, Martha Lusweti, Antonio Guterres, Ursula Von der Leyen, lullabies, Sierra, Julius Maada Organizations: Africa Climate Summit, European Union, Kenyan, United, United Arab Emirates, Development Bank, ”, International Monetary Fund Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Africa, China, United States, U.S, United Arab, United Nations, Europe, U.N, Africa's, Nigeria's Niger Delta, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Congo, africa

☆ Sierra Leone ruling party wins 60% of parliamentary seats in contested vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FREETOWN, July 1 (Reuters) - The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party has won 60% of the seats in a parliamentary election, the election commission said on Saturday, as the main opposition party demanded a rerun of the vote that also saw President Julius Maada Bio win a second term. The SLPP won 81 seats while the opposition All People’s Congress won 54, according to the results read by the commission's chairman Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. The results showed the ruling party made significant gains in the bellwether diamond-rich district of Kono, winning seven of the 10 seats where they had none previously. They also made gains in the opposition heartland of the north and west, especially in the capital Freetown. The APC also said it would refuse to participate in any form of governance as a result of the alleged election irregularities.

Persons: Julius Maada, SLPP, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Alessandra Prentice, Louise Heavens Organizations: Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra, Kono, Freetown

☆ Sierra Leone's main opposition party demands rerun of general election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, July 1 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party said it had decided to formally reject the results of the national election won by President Julius Maada Bio, citing "glaring irregularities", and called for a rerun of the June 24 poll. Bio was re-elected for a second term with 56% of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off against main rival Samura Kamara of the opposition All People's Congress (APC). But Kamara has questioned the official tally, while European election observers noted statistical inconsistencies. In its first official statement on the full results, the APC said on Friday it rejected the outcome "given the glaring irregularities and violations of established electoral procedures." "A rerun after an official declaration of results and a swearing-in ceremony is unconstitutional," he said by phone to Reuters.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Swaray, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: People's Congress, Reuters, EU, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, United States, Britain, Ireland, Germany, France

CNN —Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio has been reelected for a second term in office, the country’s electoral commission announced Tuesday. Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won nearly 1.6 million votes – 56.1% of the total ballots – to defeat his closest opponent, Samura Kamara of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, who won a 41% share of the vote. Bio took an early lead on Monday, according to provisional results released by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). But the tallying of votes was fraught with controversies with international observers expressing concern about the integrity of the process. The APC party has yet to react to the final declared results.

Persons: Maada, Bio’s Sierra, Samura Kamara, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s Congress, Electoral, Sierra Leone, “ Carter Center, APC

☆ Sierra Leone election marred by transparency fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsSierra Leone election marred by transparency fearsPostedSierra Leone's electoral commission says incumbent president Julius Maada Bio is leading the vote count in a presidential election that has been marred by claims of a lack of transparency and violence. David Doyle has more.

Persons: Julius Maada, David Doyle Organizations: Sierra Locations: Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone's

☆ Sierra Leone main opposition party rejects partial presidential poll results
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FREETOWN, June 27 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party has rejected the partial results of a tense presidential election that showed President Julius Maada Bio leading the poll, alleging irregularities in the tallying process. The All People's Congress (APC) party's main candidate Samura Kamara, 72, is the incumbent's main rival. A provisional results sheet on Monday showed Kamara trailing behind Bio with just under 800,000 votes, compared to over 1 million for the president. [1/2]Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to remain peaceful.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Cooper, Sierra Leone, Umaru, Sofia Christensen, Christina Fincher Organizations: Congress, party's, All, REUTERS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sierra

CNN —Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio has taken an early lead in the country’s presidential election, provisional results showed. The election is considered a two-horse race between President Bio, 59, of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and 72-year-old former cabinet minister Samura Kamara, who leads the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party. Bio has so far polled more than a million votes and currently leads Kamara with over 200,000 votes, according to ECSL. Earlier, Bio’s SLPP party said it was “greatly anticipating a landslide victory” following an internal review of its performance in the elections. Hundreds of supporters of the opposition party, APC, hold up signs calling for the Chief electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, to step down after allegations of electoral fraud.

Persons: Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, ECSL, Bio’s, Mohamed Konneh, John Wessels, Yvonne Aki, Sawyerr, “ Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s Congress, Getty, APC Party Locations: Freetown

☆ Sierra Leone's President Bio leads presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is leading the presidential election count, the West African country's electoral commission said on Monday after 60% of votes have been counted. His biggest rival is All People's Congress' (APC) candidate Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. A provisional results sheet showed Bio had received over 1 million votes so far, compared with just under 800,000 for Kamara. The election commission on Sunday outlined several instances where officials were beaten or intimidated. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to keep the peace.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Augustine Sorie, hasn't, Marrah, Cooper Inveen, Anait Miridzhanian, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Sierra, African, APC, Electoral Commission Sierra, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Electoral Commission Sierra Leone

☆ Woman unresponsive after gunshots heard at Sierra Leone opposition HQ
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Cooper Inveen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The window of the room she was found in had a shattered hole the size of a fist, the reporter said. It is not immediately clear what happened outside the press conference or how the woman was wounded. Two witnesses caught inside the building, who were later released by security forces, told Reuters they heard gunfire and saw tear gas. The police and security forces did not respond to a request for comment. Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters before the election, while the APC's recent questioning of the independence of election officials raised tensions.

Persons: Samura Kamara, Julius Maada, Sidi Yaya Tunis, Bio's, Kamara, Cooper Inveen, Edward McAllister, Philippa Fletcher, Chris Reese, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Congress, APC, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN

[1/6] Ballots are displayed at a polling station, after polls closed, on the day of the national election, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, June 24, 2023. The race is expected to be close between the incumbent and the All People's Congress' (APC) Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. The main opposition APC also said their election representatives were attacked and intimidated in three districts, highlighting the tense backdrop to the vote. Inflation soared to its highest level in over 20 years in 2022, while the national Leone currency slumped 60% in value. Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters ahead of election day, while the APC's recent questioning of the independence of election officials has raised tensions.

Persons: Cooper Inveen, Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio's, Samura Kamara, Abu Koroma, We've, Kandeh Yumkella, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Kamara, Alessandra Prentice, Angus MacSwan, Ros Russell, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Provisional, APC, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, FREETOWN, Sierra, Leone, Ukraine

☆ Sierra Leone : Tensions mount ahead of high-stakes elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Sierra Leone is gearing up for crucial presidential elections on Saturday amid growing discontent and calls for change from its citizens. Sierra Leone has also faced devastating epidemics, including Ebola in 2014 and the Covid pandemic. President of Sierra Leone and Leader of Sierra Leone People's party (SLPP), Julius Maada Bio, addresses his supporters during his final campaign rally in Freetown John Wessels/AFP/Getty ImagesTwelve candidates are challenging Maada Bio, 59, in the general election, including the leader of the opposition ‘All People Congress’ (APC) party, Samura Kamara. ‘The people are tired’The mood in the country is tense as the country prepares for the high-stakes elections. Sierra Leoneans are concerned about several issues, including economic management, food shortages, healthcare services, infrastructure development, and education.

Persons: Julius Maada, Freetown John Wessels, Samura Kamara, Kamara, ‘, Mohamed Konneh, John Wessels, Sierra Leoneans, ”, Aminata Fanta Koroma, Kadira Rodhe Kamara, Bio, Ishmael Beah, ” Beah Organizations: CNN —, Getty, Congress, Police, European Union, International Monetary Fund, CNN Locations: CNN — Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone, Freetown John, Freetown, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Germany, France, Sierra

☆ Sierra Leone opposition leader decries lack of access ahead of Saturday's vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Cooper InveenFREETOWN, June 23 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition candidate said on Friday the lack of election campaign access to some strongholds of the ruling party and unsupervised distribution of ballots could open the door to rigging. "Our biggest concern going into this election is the lack of access of the opposition party to the southeastern part of the country, and we're talking about seven districts," Kamara said in an interview on Friday. "So that makes a worrying situation where you're opening a door, you're opening a window, even if you're not doing so, you're opening a window for great suspicions of rigging," Kamara said. Asked if he'll accept the outcome of Saturday's vote, Kamara said, "It's not me.

Persons: Sierra, Samura Kamara, Cooper Inveen, Julius Maada, Kamara, he'll, Bate Felix, Richard Chang Organizations: All, Congress, REUTERS, People's Congress, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, Cooper Inveen FREETOWN, West

Around the world we talk a good game about the importance of education, but we rarely act as if we mean it. Here’s an unlikely exception: Sierra Leone, one of the world’s most impoverished countries. If Sierra Leone can do this, other countries can — and surely the United States can emulate that same determination to help every child learn. This education revolution in Sierra Leone is the brainchild of President Julius Maada Bio and his youthful minister of education, David Sengeh. A Harvard graduate, Sengeh was working for IBM when President Bio asked him to come home and help his country — but now they face a test.

Persons: Julius Maada, David Sengeh, Sengeh, Bio Organizations: Harvard, IBM, Nationwide Locations: Sierra Leone, —, United States

☆ Sierra Leone opposition calls for election chief to resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Samura Kamara, head of the All People's Congress (APC) party, said he wanted the chief electoral commissioner and all regional commissioners of the national election body to be replaced by "an independent internationally accredited team". "The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is gravely concerned about the deliberate attempts by the All People's Congress to disrupt the peaceful elections and reverse the democratic gains Sierra Leone has made," it said in a statement on Thursday. Sierra Leone's chief electoral commissioner Mohamed Kenewui Konneh also rejected Kamara's accusations and said none of his team would resign. Kamara said that if the officials did not resign within 72 hours, the APC party would meet and "decide the next steps". On Tuesday, dozens of young people were arrested following opposition protests in several cities calling for the electoral commissioner to resign, local media reported.

Persons: Leone's, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Julius Maada, Bio's, Sierra, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Umaru Fofana, Cooper Inveen, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Congress, Reuters, Sierra Leone People's Party, All, Sierra, Sierra Leone's, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra

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