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The United States government may be considering imposing VISA restrictions on individuals believed to have undermined the democratic process during the recent elections in Sierra Leone.
U.S. Senator, Jim Risch (R-Idaho), a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tweeted on Wednesday that the United States is closely watching developments in Sierra Leone, including election-related violence, intimidation of observers, and the Electoral Commision’s non-transparent vote tallying & results.
His comments follow the declaration of the presidential election results on Tuesday which saw incumbent President Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) declared winner, defeating Dr Samura Kamara of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Party.
Kamara and the APC have refused to accept the result, describing it as a “daylight robbery”. Many international election observers also highlighted problems with transparency in the tallying process of the election results. National Election Watch (NEW), an election monitoring group that deployed observers in all polling stations across the country also said that the results declared by the ECSL show there are inconsistencies.
Jeffrey Smith, a Washington-based pro-democracy and human rights activist also tweeted on Tuesday saying that the United States Government will not endorse the Sierra Leone Presidential election result.
“Appears the U.S. Government and embassy in #SierraLeone won’t endorse the election result as announced, which declared incumbent president Bio as winner (with 1% over the required threshold). US reps will not attend the swearing-in.
“In May 2018, a White House delegation met with Bio on the eve of inauguration; they also attended his inauguration the following day. That the U.S. ambassador was absent today is notable.” Smith said.
Prior to the announcement of the results, the United States government had urged the Electoral Commission to ensure that the announced results reflect the will of the Sierra Leonean people.
“We applaud Sierra Leoneans for exercising their right to vote. We share concerns expressed by election monitoring groups about transparency of tabulation process. Sierra Leonean people deserve a free and fair electoral process with an outcome that reflects the will of the people.”, the United States Bureau of African Affairs said.
U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Ambassador David Reimer, also emphasized Washington’s keen interest in the election outcome, underscoring the importance of the results accurately reflecting the will of the Sierra Leonean people.
“Like all of us, Washington is keenly interested in the election outcome. The announced results must accurately reflect the will of the Sierra Leonean people.”, Reimer said.
The United States recently implemented visa restrictions as a punitive measure against those involved in election malpractices in democratic countries. Similar repercussions, including visa restrictions, were announced by both the United States and the United Kingdom for election interference and violence during Nigeria’s elections in February 2023.
In a statement on the US State Department website in May 2023, Secretary of State Antony Binken said “the United States is committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Nigeria and around the world. Today, I am announcing that we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 elections cycle.”
He clarified that the visa ban is specific to certain individuals and is not directed at the Nigerian people or the Government of Nigeria as a whole. According to the statement, these individuals, under US Immigration and Nationality Act, will be subject to restrictions on visas to the United States under a policy covering those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy.
“These individuals have been involved in intimidation of voters through threats and physical violence, the manipulation of vote results, and other activity that undermines Nigeria’s democratic process,” Blinken said.
On Wednesday, Senator Jim Risch confirmed Washington’s interest in Sierra Leone’s election affirming the U.S. governments’ decision to “hold accountable” those who undermine the country’s democratic process. If his statement is anything to go by, there are speculations that the United States may be looking into the same approach in Sierra Leone.
The imposition of visa restrictions on individuals believed to have undermined Sierra Leone’s democratic process would demonstrate the United States’ ongoing commitment to supporting democracy and the rule of law in Sierra Leone.
Will be glad to see all those idiots being given visa bans including our president… Sierra Leoneans deserve better.
Let the right thing be done, because if anything happens, we the “lower class”in the country will suffer a lot,so head of democracy, please help us for the right thing to be done.
We are praying let the same thing happen to our country mama Salon
Even you sierraloaded you failed the trust the people of sierra Leone have for you.
U.S government, we the voice of Sierra Leonea people want you to know that, the emerge winners of the past election want you president Biden to take off your hands from the outcome results of our just concluded election.
We don’t want you and your U.S Government to fuel up any unpleasant situation in Sierra Leone, please don’t do to us as you are doing in Ukraine and Rusher we need peace not war anymore.
We need strong actions from the international to reverse the results and also to protect our democracy in Africa. Thanks
Yes! we need justice; please help us from this misterious bondage.
The united nation must intervene forcefully and try to rectify this situation by forcing Julius Bio to do handing over,This is clear Julius bio lost the election .
Good morning from sierra Leone sure the ECSL and this present government are thieves
We want the right thing to be done here in our country sierra Leone 🇸🇱🇸🇱. There’s no democracy in sierra Leone no rule of law we living in a state of annachy. Our lives is at stake
It is better for him to handover what doesn’t belong to him. The elections were rigged.
The elections were not free and fare. And did not reflect the will of the people. Democracy has been undermined. What the Sierra Leonean people wanted is to remove that dictator from that seat.
Since 2018 he took over power there has been a lot of human rights abuses, intimidation, violence, killings of innocent citizens and destruction of properties. Visa ban serves them right but nothing will make us happy if he is removed from that office by fire 🔥 by force
Please we need help this election is not free and fair we don’t need president bio anymore we need changes,president bio is a killer president bio
is busy killing our people in Sierra Leone
They think they can ridge the election and went free …,ALLAH WILL SURELY SUFFER U GUYS 😭😭😭😭
US and partners please do your utmost to restore democracy in Sierra Leone
We need changes we do not need president bio anymore because is a killer president bio is busy killing our people in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 don’t have reserved so therefore if there will be a ban or sanction 😞
SLPP nar we all dae suffer aàaa!!!!! SLPP nar we all dae suffer aàaa!!!!!! Lonta
Please note A P C supporters are not the only people in Sierra Leone,we the people have spoken that’s why we voted H.E Bio
The US is not overly concerned about our politics as long as human rights are maintained and the current governmentis showing signs of development, which they are.
With such APC track records of incitement, insults, killing of police, on record that they, the APC will make the country ungovernable since 2018, Aki Sawyer crowning it all with her fake publicity and appeal to the EU and other stakeholders, do you think the US does not have such information/intelligence for them to go ahead to consider to ban ecsl worker?
The US has more important issues to deal but home and in Ukraine to worry about sierra leone.
We can breathe any longer our lives matters our votes must be counted
Plz U S Govt take action towards this situation in Sierraleone,we don’t need useless bio again to suffer us😭😭😭.
Husai una kin pull den fake news em…
It indeed a daylight rubbing, our democracy has been scuttled, what a shame for mama salone. We need the right thing to be done because we are suffering from the hands of this SLLP government. Sierra Leoneans need light, there are lot of violence and intimidation on us.
Sierra Leone is a state by it own and it has to be rule by it people, the election is over and from all indication the people have spoken and nothing is going to change that, therefore be it U.S, E.U, and any other actors, Sierra Leone need peace not incitement from any foreign group or person’s, so you can come and do business here with guns, we are no to such, sierra Leonean not ready for such, we are a civilized state and our president elected has away demonstrated lots on good governance and this have kept the peace we are enjoying till date after the brutal rebel war and he is still driving forward to maintain the peace and development of his people.
Human Right Activist Remove These Incumbent Tribalistic Rabel Leader For Us
If Not Hmmmmmm
We want him to handover. We do not need him as president.
All this no make sense
But why the international observer allowed the results to call
You need peace in country,no freedom No justice,no human right
Dr. Bio has been elected through by the country constitution, and so no one can remove him from the power he is the incumbent president we know and there will be no other person until 2028 noted.
It’s right USA🇱🇷🇱🇷 to ban those people’s that involves in elections malpractice in Sierra Leone 🇸🇱🇸🇱this country is a democracy State
Alot off we the Sierra Leone are suffering under this SLPP government so we call international partner to arrive in Sierra Leone immediately to take off this ✋ hand’s blood president this man doesn’t respect the democracy in Sierra Leone.
Please we need your help here in Sierra Leone vampire bio will continue to suck our blood by killing us for our right please president joe come and rescue us from this wicked jonta ruler who call him self father of democracy but he is not because he is thief he is killer so we don’t need him to rule us again please sir we are looking forward to your action sir and thank you very much 😭😭😭😭
This SLPP government don’t good for this Sierra Leone
When there is ban of visa it will affect both APC, SLPP and Sierra Leone as a whole. So we don’t need jubilation for that, it a lose for all of us.
Hi to all government in the world please help us through by this election, this election is not free and fear fumer president bio his not deserve the winner president,so please help us through by this election
All international community and the world at large we call on you to please intrvain with the current situation in sierra leone or else another sad story is on the way. So please don’t seat and watch us go the wrong way
Love the people on here that are saying the country/people have spoken, or worse, dared say Paopa Bio was elected through the constitution. You see elections being stolen, you see your country being destroyed and you are okay with that. Why? We need to keep reminding foreign powers because it is very possible that they forget or move on. We can not let this become okay or normal. Yes, this is not the first time democracy is being infringed upon in our country, but Bio is taking it to a whole new level. He doesn’t care what people think and he is giving us all the middle finger. He will create a template and then there will be new mini Bios who will actually outdo him. We need to fight this so who ever is entertaining such thoughts knows they can’t be successful at it. 56% my foot. He knew in a runoff, the other parties would have gotten together and he would have lost, so he told his lackey to ensure no runoff. Sierra Leoneans need to stand up. He got away with the nonsense he pulled with parliament when he came into power so he thought he can do anything he wants. Let’s correct his thinking. We know no way Gento won the mayoral race, so they better think twice about that one.
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🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱
Please! starting from the US, FRANCE, GERMANY, ENGLAND, IRELAND ETC,ETC, ETC. This is the time we the Africans will take you very serious if what you people do what you said. We are kindly, asking for the SANCTIONING of Sierra Leone just for six(6) months; for others to know we’re depending on donor partners for survival. !!! We do appreciate if actually, endorses that. And we’re waiting for your SANCTIONS immediately!!!!
Alhamdulillah thank you so much the U.S government for this action
Sierra Leone need peace so it is better for the international bodies to step in before it is too late
WHY PEOPLE DON’T DISPLAY DECENCY IN PUBLIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD? IS THAT HOW PEOPLE DO MAKE COMPLAINTS ABOUT ANY ISSUES THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH. USING INVENTIVENESS FOR PROBLEM’S SOLVING DOES NOT HAVE ANY REASON TO SUCCEED IN THE FUTURE.