Olangba Albert Kanu: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 16 March 2026:
Concerns about the conduct of Sierra Leone’s 2023 elections have been widely discussed both locally and internationally. Several election observer missions and independent stakeholders pointed to shortcomings in the transparency of the process and raised questions about aspects of the management and announcement of results.
These concerns contributed to a broader national debate about the credibility of the electoral process. In response to these issues, the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) chose to suspend its participation in governance structures, creating a political stalemate that required intervention from regional and international partners.
Diplomatic engagement led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), alongside the African Union, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations, helped facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition.
These efforts eventually led to the Agreement for National Unity (ANU), a framework designed to ease political tensions and restore normal participation in governance.
Among its provisions was a commitment by the President to address the nation on themes of dialogue, unity, cohesion, and peace. In parallel, the APC agreed to resume its role within the country’s governance framework as part of the broader effort to stabilize the political environment.
The agreement also required the President, in consultation with the APC, to establish a cross-party Committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies Review, with a three-way leadership nominated by the Government of Sierra Leone, the APC, and development partners.
This committee was tasked with examining the electoral systems, structures, and processes of the 2023 multi-tier electoral cycle.
Importantly, the committee was also mandated to review previous elections to identify and address contentious issues in elections and results management, including the collation, verification, authentication, and publication of electoral data in line with international best practices. The goal was to strengthen the credibility of future elections.
The agreement further stated that the committee’s recommendations “shall be actionable and implementable.”
While the first resolution was implemented in a structural sense, progress stalled significantly when it came to the second and third resolutions. The government has since taken a path that deviates from the agreed roadmap.
Such actions are inconsistent with both the spirit of the agreement and the broader national interest.
The 80 recommendations of the Tripartite Committee are intrinsically linked to the Resolutions of the Agreement for National Unity. Therefore, focusing only on the Tripartite recommendations while neglecting full implementation of the ANU creates the misleading impression that all obligations have been fulfilled.
To be clear, Resolution 1 of the Agreement: The President’s National Address on dialogue, unity, cohesion, and peace was delivered. Resolution 2 was also achieved when the APC returned to governance.
However, the APC’s renewed boycott stems from concerns that the government is falling short in implementing the remaining resolutions. Resolution 3, which relates to electoral reform through the Tripartite Committee process and a critical resolution as a matter of fact, remains largely unimplemented.
By most assessments, progress on this resolution is barely 10 percent, meaning meaningful reform has yet to occur.
Regarding Resolution 4, there were some positive developments, including the release of political prisoners and the return of some political actors from exile. However, several cases remain unresolved, and contrary to the agreement, full repatriation of exiles and internally displaced people has not been achieved.
Similarly, Resolution 6, which commits both parties to re-engineer and rekindle relationships within the national socio-political ecosystem including engagement between the President and former political leaders has not been implemented.
Given this situation, it is misleading for the government’s chief negotiator, David Sengeh, to assert that the government has fulfilled 100% of the Agreement for National Unity.
Complete implementation of the ANU requires complete implementation of the 80 Tripartite Recommendations.
These agreements were formal commitments between the Sierra Leone Government (SLPP) and the opposition APC, supported by international mediators.
If the government seeks national unity, it must fully implement the recommendations rather than partially fulfil them and claim success, as this undermines trust in the process.
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