REVIEW OF SIERRA LEONE MEDIA REPORTS
Public Information Office (PIO) of UNIOSIL - 12 March 2008
[Disclaimer: Excerpts below are from print media and news agency dispatches. UNIOSIL cannot vouch for the accuracy of the media reports].
UN Secretary-General calls for global action to address food crunch
An Op-ed by the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, (placed by UNIOSIL/PIO) and published in The New Citizen, has revealed that the soaring prices of food stuff and petroleum products are a threat to world peace as millions of the world’s most vulnerable people are at risk of hunger and malnutrition. The UN Secretary-General maintained that the world is now facing a perfect storm of new challenges as most countries especially those in sub-Saharan Africa are finding it extremely difficult to meet the Millennium Development Goals which aim to reduce by half the proportion of hungry people. He disclosed that the prices of basic staples – wheat, corn and rice- are at record highs, in the last six months, with global food stocks are at historic lows. The causes, according to Ban Ki-moon, range from rising demand in major economies like India and China to climate and whether-related events such as hurricanes, floods and droughts that have devastated harvests in many parts of the world. He added that increase in oil prices have soared the cost of transporting food and purchasing fertilizer while the cost of bio-fuels has reduced the amount of food available for human beings. Mr. Ban Ki-moon said these effects are having a toll on West Africa to South Asia leading to eruption of food riots that have the tendency to threaten fragile democracies around the world. He called on the United Nations to meet urgent humanitarian needs and strengthen programmes to help developing countries deal with hunger; tackle the increasing consequences of weather-related shocks.
President Koroma’s portrait deface in Bo for the second time
The portrait of President Ernest Koroma is becoming the centre of political turmoil in Bo, the second capital city, as it was reportedly defaced for the second time on Tuesday by unknown persons. This development has heightened political tension in the township as the three leading political parties, the ruling APC, SLPP and PMDC, are blaming each other for the instability. According to Awoko, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Member of Parliament representing the Bo district, Eric Jumu, blamed the Resident Minister South, Musa Tarawallie, for causing the disturbance. He accused the Resident Minister of maintaining a task force comprising ex-Kamajor fighters who are allegedly harassing and molesting peaceful citizens in Bo. Although Mr. Jumu condemned the act, describing it as disrespectful, he said Mr. Tarawallie should take full responsibility for igniting the ugly incident. The minority leader of the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), Legacy Sankoh, who is also representing Bo district in Parliament, holds the SLPP responsible for the troubles in Bo, saying “the lastest action is a deliberate ploy to create problems between the PMDC and the APC.” President Koroma’s portrait was reportedly painted this time round with orange to create problems between the PMDC and the APC, the report concludes. The Bo fracas was reported in Concord Times, Awareness Times and The
Exclusive.
Parliament approves two NEC Commissioners
Parliament on Tuesday approved the nomination of Mrs. Hannah Abigail Kewely and Mrs. Florence Kula Kebbie to serve as Commissioners of the National Electoral Commission (NEC). According to Awoko and New Vision, the two Commissioners have gone through the rigorous of the Committee of appointments in Parliament and have been certified as worthy to hold such enviable positions. The Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Hon Eddie Turay of the APC, told Members of Parliament that the committee adhered strictly to its established standard procedures by not only questioning the two candidates but also looking at their educational backgrounds, asset declaration and their obligation and vision for a successful and nationally productive tenure of office. The Speaker of Parliament, Justice Abel Stronge, congratulated the two candidates for their achievements and wished them well in their new assignment. Mrs. Kewele is an educationist who spent most of her working life as a teacher. Mrs. Kebbie has a wealth of experience spanning over ten years in planning, management, directing and supervising elections in Sierra Leone and East Timor.
Sierra Leone has the worst child and maternal mortality rate - UNICEF declares
UNICEF Executive Director, Ann Veneman, has said during her recent visit that Sierra Leone has the highest child and maternal mortality rates in the world due to under-investment in health programmes, malnutrition and harmful traditional practices, Independent Observer and The New Citizen write. Ann Veneman revealed that child mortality in Sierra Leone is the worst in the world at 270 deaths per 100,000 children born. “If you are a child born in Sierra Leone you have a more than one in four chance of not living to see your fifth birthday.” She was quoted as saying. She disclosed that the country has the worst record for prenatal care, with one in eight women dying during pregnancy or child birth, compared to a one in 76 average in the rest of the developing world and one in 8,000 in the developed world. The UNICEF Executive Director said there are now regular immunizations; vitamin A supplements; re-hydration for children suffering from severe diarrhea and the use of bed nets by women and children to protect them from malaria, with a view to keeping women and children alive.
PMDC henchmen join APC
The Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) is said to be facing difficult times ahead of the local council elections as some top executives have reportedly pitched tent with the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC), Concord Times reports. The Chairmen of the PMDC in Kenema and Bo Districts, Chief Ahmed Benson Suwu and Reverend Momoh Bockarie Foh, have declared their support for the APC. Addressing a mammoth meeting in Kenema, Chief Benson Suwu said his decision to join the APC was that the government’s dream was to upkeep the people of Sierra Leone. “APC is a reality party so everybody should come onboard and support them to develop the country,” he noted. The former initiator of the defunct Kamajors, Mohamed Mansaray, told ex-Kamajor militia at the gathering that President Koroma is God sent to help the people of Sierra Leone. “If we support this government most of our problems would be solved.” He told his colleagues. “A project of Le1.6 billion has been approved for ex-combatants in the South. Which government has ever done that? Not even the SLPP that we suffered for,” Mansaray disclosed. According to Independent
Observer, Reverend Bockarie Foh told President Ernest Koroma at State House that his decision to join the APC was personal and not influenced by anyone.
For alleged corruption, ex-servicemen demand replacement of their executive
Ex-servicemen of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces last Saturday reportedly went on the rampage demanding the swift resignation of their Secretary-General, Emadu Rogers, following allegations of corruption and incompetence, Independent Observer narrates. According to the report the vehicle of the Secretary-General, who has served the organization for over two decades, was besieged by the irate protesters who threatened to manhandle him. The protesters called for the election of a new executive alleging that in spite of donor and government funds, the Association has recorded little or no progress. They requested the assistance of the Anti-Corruption Commission to probe the Secretary-General. The ex-soldiers also appealed to the government to come to their aid to alleviate their sufferings.
(Compiled by UNIOSIL, Public Information Office)