Sierra Leone Telegraph: 4 January 2022:
A high-level delegation from the Republic of Mali has today concluded a one-day working visit to Sierra Leone, where they engaged President Dr Julius Maada Bio on the return to constitutional democracy and peace in Mali.
Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who led the delegation – Abdoulaye Diop, discussed his government’s view as to how to return Mali to constitutional rule and maintain peace with President Bio.
“I am here as a special envoy from the interim President of Mali, Colonel Assimi Goïta, to seek the guidance and expertise of Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio to be an engine of peace, security and stability in the subregion. And to also assure the leadership of ECOWAS about his willingness to return Mali to constitutional order. Mali is presently facing many difficult challenges. We are ready to work in a collaborative fashion of peace and security,” he said.
He said that they wanted to tap into the experience and expertise as well as the role of President Julius Maada Bio, in returning Sierra Leone to constitutional rule and transfer of power from a military to a democratic civilian rule.
President Bio thanked the special envoy, the Malian delegation and the Interim President of Mali, Colonel Assimi Goïta, for their trust in his continued support to help facilitate the return to a peaceful democratic rule in Mali and the subregion.
He added that just as in the days of the civil war in Sierra Leone, when Mali came to help the country, his government is also willing now to give technical assistance and also make available their expertise to help the process of restoring peace and security to Mali.
It could be recalled that in May last year President Bio called for consultations and communications with stakeholders at the ECOWAS Extraordinary Session on the political situation in Mali in Accra, Ghana.
“ He said that they wanted to tap into the experience and expertise as well as the role of President Julius Maada Bio, in returning Sierra Leone to constitutional rule and transfer of power from a military to a democratic civilian rule.” Though the Malian delegation seems to have been duped, by buying into the lies and deceptions of Bio being a democratic advocate, my hope is, the president will confess to this delegation that, he never really relinquished power by his own accord during his junta grip into our nation.
The fact remains, if it was not the relentless pressure mounted by the international community, backed by our bravery women, in the likes of Ms. Zainab Bangura, who took to the street in demanding that Bio must go and allow elections before peace, chances are that, Bio and his junta brigade would have never allowed a peaceful return to democracy. Oh yeah, maybe he could also inform them about the millions of dollars given to him and his team as a form of bribery, just so our nation can return to democracy. As karma dictates, within a short period, he squandered all the monies, only to depend on hand outs from friends and relatives.
I understand elections aimed at returning Mali to civilian rule were previously scheduled for February this year. It seems the Military authorities there are now asking for more time, for an extension of up to five years of the initial period of transition! The reason being from their perspective their county’s continuing deteriorating military situation. How convenient! The longer the military instability lasts the more legitimate their unwillingness to give up power becomes.
The moral of all this? Never trust the men in Khaki (in West Africa at least), especially when they promise a smooth transition of power to civilians. I hope the people of Guinea are watching. Their own men in uniform now in power may well come up with their own reasons for wanting to kick the can of transition to civilian rule down the road. Power tastes good, intoxicatingly so when power political and power military are held and exercised by a group of self-anointed, Kalashnikov-wielding saviours of a nation.
O my God!, congratulations to H.E Dr. Breg. J.M.Bio, the President of the Rep. of Sierra Leone. Before you say something about yourself, let the people speak out, all the Sierra Leoneans are proud of your leadership of bringing up the real image of this blessed small country, you will live for longer than expected. We all welcomed the” Malian delegates” for their respective engagement with President Bio, because of his demonstration and leadership he shows to the whole world, when he first visited, the interim president in the neighboring Guinea, his gallant comrade(Mamady Doumbouya). Critics say a lot, now this is the result folks. The Malian stakeholders and delegates have met specially to share hid expertise with them, mainly the order came from the coup leader himself, Col. Assimi Goita.
I believed that this is not the best time for some of the enemies, will they get better sleep? only God knows. Stay tune I’ll be back.