By Kemo Cham
APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone) There has been a barrage of appeals
for calm amidst a rise in hate speech, ahead of the second round of Sierra
Leone’s presidential election later this month.
Supporters
of Sierra Leone’s incumbent All People’s Congress (APC) and the main opposition
Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) have been trading abusive exchanges, mostly
along ethnic grounds, following the announcement of the results of the first
round vote. There have been reports of violent clashes in parts of the country
as a result, notably in the southern Bo District, where rival party supporters
reported attacked each on Thursday, leading to the intervention of the police
and military.
The APC and
SLPP have dominated Sierra Leone’s politics since independence, must due to an
imaginary geopolitical divide created which gives the APC control over the
northwest region, and the SLPP control over the southeast.
The two
parties emerged at the top of the March 7 polls that also included 14 other
parties, with the SLPP leading by a slim majority. The National Electoral
Commission has set March 27 as run-off date.
There has
been accusations and counter-accusations as to who instigated the current wave
of hate speech.
Appeals have
come from politicians, civil society and the diplomatic community.
The Sierra
Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) described the trend of political
discourse as “ugly” for the country’s nascent democracy and warned it had a potential
to undermine the peace and stability of the country.
SLAJ also called
on its membership and the entire journalist community to resist any attempt by
politicians to use them to promote ethnic divisions.
“Sierra
Leone is hugely admired across the world for its ethnic and religious tolerance
which are deeply rooted in its culture. Any attempt to tamper with this
enviable attribute will spell doom for our nation and generations yet unborn,”
it said.
In a joint
statement signed by their ambassadors, the diplomatic missions of US, UK, EU,
Germany and Ireland expressed concern about the escalation of violence and
called on the government to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
They also called on the political leaders to renew calls for peaceful conduct
of their supporters and followers.
“The right
of all Sierra Leoneans to vote for whichever party they wish regardless of
where they live must be upheld. Anyone
who would infringe on peaceful expression of political views at the risk of
public safety should be held to account,” the statement says.
KC/APA
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