Political commentator, Steven Kingsley Johnny has pushed back against claims made by Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden regarding Sierra Leone’s exit from the formal agenda of the United Nations Peace-building Commission (PBC), arguing that the move was a planned and internationally acknowledged transition rather than an abrupt withdrawal ordered by President Julius Maada Bio.

Blyden had questioned whether Sierra Leone’s removal from the formal agenda of the PBC after the 2018 elections weakened international oversight and support at a time when West Africa faces growing threats from transnational organised crime. She also stated that President Bio “asked UN Peace Building Commission (PBC) to quit Sierra Leone.”

Responding publicly to the statement, Johnny said Blyden’s characterisation of the process was inaccurate and failed to reflect the historical background and structure of Sierra Leone’s engagement with the UN Peacebuilding architecture.

According to Johnny, the PBC’s involvement in Sierra Leone began after the United Nations Security Council requested the establishment of the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone, known as UNIOSIL, to support post-conflict peacebuilding and institutional reforms following the country’s civil war.

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He explained that Sierra Leone and Burundi became the first countries officially placed under the Peacebuilding Commission in 2006 as part of what he described as a “country-specific model” aimed at implementing post-conflict recovery tasks.

Johnny stated that over a 14-year period, Sierra Leone benefited significantly from the UN Peacebuilding Fund through programmes focused on institutional strengthening, youth empowerment, security sector reforms, political reconciliation and anti-corruption initiatives.

He argued that Sierra Leone’s departure from the Commission’s formal agenda was not sudden, but rather “a carefully phased 14-year process driven by demonstrated institutional progress, peaceful elections, security sector reform, and national ownership of development process.”

Citing discussions held during a Peacebuilding Commission meeting in November 2019, Johnny said member states emphasised that “national ownership” should remain the guiding principle of peace-building efforts and that international support should align with the priorities of the host nation.

He further referenced a quarterly briefing held on December 17, 2019, during which the Chair of the Sierra Leone Configuration, Canada, informed the Commission about “the decision of the Government of Sierra Leone to exit from the Commission’s formal agenda.”

Johnny stressed that the decision was tied to the Sierra Leone government’s Medium Term National Development Plan, adopted on February 28, 2019 under President Julius Maada Bio. He said the development plan demonstrated that Sierra Leone had established a nationally owned framework capable of guiding the country beyond formal peacebuilding supervision.

“The adoption of the MTNDP was the major reason why the Government of Sierra Leone decided to exit from the Peace Building Commission’s formal agenda,” Johnny stated, adding that Sierra Leone was “not asked to quit” the country as Blyden had suggested.

He also noted that although Sierra Leone exited the formal country-specific configuration of the PBC, international engagement did not end, explaining that support continued through the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel on a regional basis alongside Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.

Johnny concluded his remarks by defending the government’s decision as an exercise of sovereignty and self-determination consistent with positions advanced by member states within the Commission.