When the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion was established in 2020 by an Act of Parliament, it carried the weight of a nation’s hope.

Tasked with preventing, managing, and resolving conflict while fostering sustainable peace, the Commission was envisioned as a cornerstone of #SierraLeone’s post-conflict recovery. President Julius Maada Bio championed its creation, promising a vehicle to heal the wounds of the past and unite a fractured society.

Its three-year report (2021-2023) showcases modest successes—mediating chiefdom disputes, promoting peace education in schools, and facilitating dialogue ahead of the 2023 elections. Yet, beneath these achievements lies a troubling reality – the Commission is beset by internal dysfunction, threatening its ambitious mandate.

The ICPNC’s challenges are not merely operational; they are systemic and deeply political. The report candidly acknowledges insufficient funding and logistical constraints—delays in budget disbursements, inadequate office space, and a reliance on just two official vehicles. These are serious hurdles, but they pale in comparison to a more insidious problem – a staff crippled by incompetence and political patronage. Contrary to the spirit of the Act, which envisioned an independent body, the presidential appointment of senior staff, opening the door to a flood of political appointees—wives, relatives, and friends of State House insiders.

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SierraEye Salone has learnt that these individuals, often unqualified for their roles, have turned the Commission into a battleground of infighting and insubordination rather than a beacon of peace.

The scale of this dysfunction prompted the ICPNC Board to commission a Management and Functional Review (MFR) by the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU). The review’s findings were damning – top directors, many of whom owed their positions to political connections rather than merit, were failing to deliver. The recommendation was sweeping—fire them all and readvertise the posts to bring in competent, independent staff. Yet, instead of reform, the process ignited a political firestorm. The PSRU Director, Sulaiman Phoray-Musa, who oversaw the review, received a suspension letter from the Secretary to the President—whose wife, the ICPNC Director of Finance, was among those slated for dismissal. Though Phoray-Musa has not stepped aside, his recommendations remain unimplemented, leaving the Commission in limbo.

This is more than a bureaucratic squabble; it’s a betrayal of the ICPNC’s purpose. A commission meant to resolve conflict now mirrors the very divisions it seeks to heal. Staff challenge the Executive Secretary’s authority, flout Public Service rules, and prioritize personal agendas over national cohesion. The Board, despite its efforts, finds its hands tied by interference from State House, where powerful figures shield their allies.

The irony is stark. President Bio made the ICPNC a flagship priority, pledging to unify Sierra Leoneans and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s lingering recommendations. The three-year report shows flickers of progress—peace marches, stakeholder mappings, and electoral mediation—but these are overshadowed by internal chaos. A commission with a staff of 44 and a budget too small to sustain local peace monitors cannot fulfill its ambitious mandate when its leadership is politically compromised and operationally paralyzed.

The President must step in decisively. First, he should enforce the MFR’s recommendations, purging the Commission of partisan deadweight and ensuring appointments are merit-based, not dictated by State House favoritism. Second, he must secure adequate funding and resources—functional offices, vehicles, and a Peace Fund—to empower the ICPNC to act.

Finally, he should shield the Commission from political meddling, honoring its semi-autonomous status under the law. The Board and Parliament, which recently received the three-year report, must also press for these reforms, amplifying the call for accountability.

Sierra Leone cannot afford a peace commission at war with itself. The ICPNC’s mandate—to prevent conflict, promote reconciliation, and build a cohesive society—is too vital to be undermined by internal strife and political gamesmanship. President Bio’s promise of peace hangs in the balance. He must act now to rescue this institution from its own turmoil, lest it become another casualty of the divisions it was created to mend.