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The Sierra Leone Embassy in Saudi Arabia has officially denied circulating reports claiming a female Sierra Leonean pilgrim died during the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
Alhaji Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché for the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Saudi Arabia, released a statement clarifying that there have been zero reported fatalities among female pilgrims in the official Sierra Leone contingent. Bah confirmed that all pilgrims traveling under the Presidential Taskforce on Hajj currently remain in good health.
According to the embassy’s statement, the only reported medical incident so far involves an elderly male pilgrim who registered for the Hajj from The Gambia.
The official clarification comes in direct response to widespread, unverified reports that emerged on May 26. Those reports alleged that a Sierra Leonean woman, identified as Mariama Bangoura, had passed away after suffering a heart attack while performing pilgrimage rites alongside her husband.
The initial reports claimed that Bangoura was buried in Mecca on Sunday in accordance with Islamic tradition, which encourages the swift burial of the deceased. The news of her supposed passing triggered an outpouring of grief across Sierra Leonean social media, with many community members sharing condolences and prayers for her family.
The embassy’s recent update, however, indicates that no such death has occurred within the official Sierra Leonean Hajj contingent.
