Ambassador Brian Hunt unfortunately is missing the point. The people of Sierra Leone now need protection more than the Dialogue and the MCC. The message here is, there are guns and bombs on the streets of Freetown, and it is the responsibility of the government to protect Ambassador Hunt and the American citizens in Sierra Leone.

The International Community sadly is trying to ignore the history of the people of Sierra Leone. In as much as the international community have their own interest, they should not forget that there will be no peace if the people are not put at the center.

The attempted failed coup of November 26th, 2023 was against the people of Sierra Leone. It should cross the mind of Ambassador Hunt, if he truly understands the history of Sierra Leone, that had the attempted coup became successful, the country would have plunged into genocide, slaughtering of citizens of Sierra Leone. It would have resulted in long years of war in Sierra Leone.

The government is currently engaged in trying to capture and bring back the hard core criminals who were let loose by the coup plotters. There is so much fear in the people. The government and the opposition should put all other discourse on hold and try to bring the coup plotters to justice. To break a Military Armory and cart away with guns with the intent to overthrow a democratically elected government should be investigated with all seriousness. The people of Sierra Leone lost 18 of their Servicemen in the process of protecting the lives of the people from the coup plotters.

Ambassador Hunt should know that there is a possibility that people will be attacked by gunmen when in meetings, or whatever political discourse the country may be participating in may be disrupted because there are people who are determined to derail the democratic process through the barrel of the gun. And they are scattered all over the country with heavy weapons.

Ambassador Hunt and the International Community should be worried, just like the people that guns, bombs, are in the wrong hands, and that hard core criminals are yet to be located since they were deliberately freed by the November 26th coup plotters.

The whole country is in trauma, total disbelief that a coup would be a means of unseating a democratically elected government. So the protection and security of our people should be paramount to both the government and the opposition. Both parties should work jointly to prosecute the attempted coup plotters who wanted to disrupt the Dialogue, and derail the democratic process. The situation now demand working together to bring tranquility to the country by bringing the coup plotters to justice.

Sierra Leoneans are becoming very suspicious, still trying to understand the agenda of the West. Some people are looking at the standoff between President Bio in trying to protect the natural resources of the country for the benefit of the people, and the Mining Operatives from the West, may have been a break-off point in most relations.

Clearly, Sierra Leoneans are aware that United States as a traditional partner is unwilling to help Sierra Leone wholesome, and their impact on infrastructural development has been very minimal, while China is making mark with infrastructural development in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leoneans are conscious of the fact that United States controls World Bank and the IMF, and therefore has hold on the poverty, and instability of our country Sierra Leone. The World Bank and the IMF currently supports life into Sierra Leone.

Therefore, Ambassador Hunt and the other moral guarantors, and community stakeholders should come together and support the government to deal with the urgent situation at hand. The government needs support from the opposition APC to work together and investigate the coup plotters. The people are terrified that criminals with guns are roving in their communities, and it is the responsibility of the government to protect the people.