Chairman of Sierra Leone’s main opposition All People’s Congress Party – Minkailu Mansaray has died

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 15 June 2026:

Sierra Leone’s main opposition APC party’s  National Chairman – Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, has passed away after a long illness.

Alhaji Foday Yansanneh has been serving as Acting Chairman, during Minkailu’s long stay in London where he has been receiving medical treatment.

There have been several reactions on social media:

“We have lost our party Chairman, Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray. APC plunged into deep mourning . May he RIP. Hope he will receive a state funeral.”

“His death has come as a shock to members of the All People’s Congress (APC), supporters, and many across Sierra Leone. At this time, the cause of his death has not been officially disclosed, and details surrounding his passing remain limited.

“Hon. Mansaray was a respected political leader who played a significant role in the affairs and leadership of the APC. His dedication to public service and his contributions to the party will be remembered by many.”

Minkailu  previously served as deputy leader of the All People’s Congress (APC) party before his election as Chairman.

An experienced career businessman in the insurance industry, Minkailu Mansaray worked for many years as an executive at the Sierra Leone National Insurance Company.

Mansaray was an elected member of Parliament from 2002 to 2007, when the APC became the ruling party.

He was Sierra Leone’s Minister of Labor from 2007 to 2010; and  became Minister of Mines and Natural Resources in 2010. In 2012, Mansaray was elected deputy leader of the All People’s Congress (APC) party.

Mansaray is a senior and long-term member of the All People’s Congress party (APC), and is a member of the APC National Advisory Council, a powerful body within the APC, that is made up of the most senior members of the APC party. He is a close ally of the former president Ernest Bai Koroma.

He is a graduate of Fourah Bay College, and a close ally and personal friend of Sierra Leone’s president Ernest Bai Koroma, with whom he worked at the Sierra Leone National Insurance Company.

Mansaray was born in Tonkolili District in the North of Sierra Leone, though he grew up in the capital Freetown. He is a devout muslim of Temne heritage.