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President Julius Maada Bio has spoken with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to condemn recent Iranian attacks on the Gulf nation, even as an opposition figure alleged without evidence that the Sierra Leonean leader is stranded in Dubai amid escalating regional tensions.
According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), President Bio expressed his “condemnation of the blatant Iranian attacks targeting the UAE and other countries” during the phone call on March 2, stressing that they constitute a violation of international law and United Nations principles .
The Sierra Leonean leader also affirmed his country’s “solidarity with the UAE in all measures it takes to safeguard its territory, security, and the safety of its people”. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed thanked President Bio for Sierra Leone’s supportive stance.
Both leaders called for restraint and an end to the military escalation in the region, emphasising the importance of addressing issues through dialogue and diplomatic solutions .
The official engagement comes as opposition political figure Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray alleged on social media that President Bio had traveled secretly to Dubai and was unable to return due to heightened tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran .
“BREAKING NEWS: Julius Maada Bio dae nar Dubai. R just received a reliable information that Maada traveled secretly to Dubai and E don go stuck and unable to return due to di US-Isreal vs Iran tens!on,” Mansaray posted, without providing evidence or disclosing his source .
As of publication time, the Government of Sierra Leone and the Office of the President have issued no official statement addressing either President Bio’s travel movements or the claim regarding difficulty returning to the country .
The allegations surfaced amid a major regional crisis. Iranian retaliatory strikes, launched in response to a joint US-Israeli assault on Iran, have landed across Gulf states, with three people killed in the UAE and damage reported at Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport . The conflict dramatically escalated following Saturday’s US-Israeli strikes on Iran that reportedly killed several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has held extensive consultations with multiple world leaders following the attacks, including US President Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and leaders from Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and numerous other nations .
President Trump reportedly suggested the conflict could continue for approximately four weeks, telling the Daily Mail: “It’s always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his call with the UAE leader, expressed readiness to convey UAE objections about the strikes to Tehran and provide all possible assistance in stabilizing the regional situation .
Efforts to independently verify President Bio’s location or travel status have not yielded confirmation . The Presidency has not indicated whether any scheduled engagements have been postponed, and it remains unclear when the president was last seen publicly in Sierra Leone
