The Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) has announced the official dates for the highly anticipated mediation dialogue involving the Sierra Leone government and the All People’s Congress (APC) party.

The dialogue, slated to take place from the 16th to the 18th of October, will see representatives from major international bodies – the Commonwealth, the African Union (AU), and the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) – mediating the discussions. These representatives are scheduled to arrive in Freetown during the week of the 8th October.

The mediation team will engage in separate consultations with both the Sierra Leone government and the APC party on the 13th and 14th of October, with a resting day on the 15th October.

The actual dialogue sessions will commence daily at 9:00 am in the grand ballroom of the Bintumani Hotel, Aberdeen, Freetown. Attendees are requested to be present by 8:45 am daily to ensure a timely start to proceedings. An opening ceremony will also be held on the 16th October, marking the commencement of the dialogue.

The ICPNC emphasized that only invitees will be granted entry to the venue. Parties involved have been requested to confirm their participation and provide the list of their delegation members for the negotiation.

The mediation dialogue seeks to foster unity and address pressing issues between the Sierra Leone government and the APC party, with the hope of charting a positive path forward for the nation.