Abdul M Fatoma
5 July 2012
The culture of Political violence is not new to Sierra Leoneans. The country’s historical narrative – before and after 1977, and to date is characterised by politically motivated incidents of violence, torture, intimidation and false imprisonment.
This culture of political violence is a gangrene that is eating into our values and the cord holding us together as Sierra Leoneans.
This is evident in the recent tribal sentiments and abuses directed at one tribe or region, the Bo incidence that resulted to stoning and burning of houses, the Fourah Bay bye-election saga, to name but a few.
With barely 133 days and 3,234 hours countdown to 17th November, 2012, multi-tier national election, some segments of our society are predicting that this year’s general elections will be marred by violence.
This is premised on the early warning signs in retrospect to the above instances. One should get weary about the uncertainties that lie before us as a nation, with the understanding of how modern internal conflicts are triggered.
My question is: when will Sierra Leone free itself from the grip of this menace, which continues to rupture the spirit of tolerance and friendliness – the best resources Sierra Leone can boast of?
