Hawa Sally Samai, the Executive Secretary of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC), said President Julius Maada Bio has agreed to meet with opposition leaders from the All People’s Congress (APC).

“President Bio has agreed to engage the main opposition APC with independent mediators, in the interest of peace and national cohesion, at a date to be announced,” Samai revealed in a press release.

She said that the APC was able to put out their concerns when they met in a dialogue about two months ago.

The ICPNC Executive Secretary said Bio was briefed on the concerns raised by the main opposition and promised to dialogue with them in the presence of independent parties.

She furthered that confirmation from Bio prompted them to contact the African Union, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth to be part of the dialogue.

She said “I want to tell everyone in Sierra Leone that we have contacted all these people and they said that they will be very happy to come and dialogue with the two parties.”

Samai said they are currently in that process and some of them gave them the date of their coming and the Peace Commission is working towards their coming. She ended by noting that the ICPNC is currently preparing to welcome the mediators in the country.

There is presently a stalemate between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the main opposition APC due to disagreement over the June 24 General Elections. The main opposition is claiming that the elections lacked transparency and was stolen. They demanded that the country’s electoral commission release result by polling stations. APC is at current boycotting government and governance until their requests are met.