Following the incidents surrounding the relocation of an Electricity Generation and Transmission Authority (EGTC) generator from Makeni resulting in fatalities, the National Grand Coalition (NGC) has on Wednesday July 22, 2020 called on the government to retrain and reequip the Operational Support Division (OSD) of the Sierra Leone Police with a view to repurposing the division to safely deal with civilian riots.
The Coalition through the statement registered great concern that what was then the planned relocation of a 1.6MW EGTC generator from Makeni to Lungi has resulted in so much mayhem and fatalities, and extended sympathy to the parents, relatives and friends of those who died in the recent protests.
According to NGC, the fact that the simple movement of a generator by the utility from one location to another could degenerate into so much chaos is indicative of the deep seated political divisions that exists in the country between the two major political parties, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All Peoples Congress (APC) party, which consider issues through the political lens.
NGC raised concern over the rules of engagement for security forces in the use of firearms on unarmed civilians especially by the Sierra Leone Police and other armed state security in Sierra Leone, which it said has not being taken seriously. The NGC further said that the Sierra Leone now fits the reproach of trigger-happy commandos of death.
The Coalition reiterated that it does not support or condone violence and unlawful conduct on the part of civilians, however legitimate their demands might be, and suggested the time is ripe for the Government of Sierra Leone to make it easy for citizens who have good reasons and desire to protest or demonstrate, so that citizens and security forces will use to public demonstration as a channel of peaceful and orderly means of democratic expression rather than as an invitation to mayhem or extra-judicial killings.
The NGC also notes that the Operational Support Division (OSD) of the Sierra Leone Police is a paramilitary force originally established and trained as such. “As a result, it does not seem to be equipped to deal with civilian riots. It is therefore our view that the OSD needs to be completely retrained and equipped with the correct gear to enable them deal with civilian riots. Tear gas, pepper spray, taser guns, water cannons, rubber bullets, helmets, batons and shields should be the equipment the majority of them should be trained to use, rather than assault weapons and live ammunition,” NGC emphasized.
NGC through their statement suggested that the Government of Sierra Leone could take the following steps to prevent a reoccurrence of the ugly incident in Makeni: “Speed up planned measures to engender national reconciliation and heal the big divide between the SLPP and APC in particular. Invite State and non-State actors to examine the underlying economic and social factors responsible for the involvement of youth in political violence, so that better solutions will be found that do not involve the shedding of blood.”
NGC also strongly condemned the fact that no independent investigation into the deaths during the Makeni riots had not been conducted despite appeals made by several organizations, including the NGC, for an independent enquiry, and it further reiterated calls for it.
By Stephen V. Lansana
24/07/2020. 7873