Samuel Kallon 
The United States of America has announced a visa travel ban to perpetrators and accomplices in Sierra Leone who’re believed to have ‘undermined’ democratic principles in the recent general elections of June 24 in Sierra Leone.
In a recent press statement by The United States of America, Anthony J. Blinken, US Secretary of State, has disclosed that certain individuals in Sierra Leone who’ve derailed democratic tenets during the country’s multi-tier elections would be banned from entering the United States.
“The United States will pursue visa restrictions for those believed to be responsible for, complicit in, undermining democracy in Sierra Leone, including through the manipulation or rigging of the electoral process; intimidation of voters, elections observers, or civil society organizations through threats or acts of physical violence; or the abuse or violation of related human rights in Sierra Leone,’’ says Mr. Blinken.
These individuals would include politicians and public servants who hold top positions in the country and have played a connivance role to stifling a peaceful democratic transition in Sierra Leone.
The US press statement for Sierra Leone, which was issued August 31, 2023, is entitled: “Visa Restriction Policy on Undermining the Democratic Process in Sierra Leone.”
Sierra Leone is the second West Africa nation after Nigeria whose politicians and public servants or violent citizens have been blacklisted to enter United States.
Nigeria was said to have suffered a similar fate as politicians and supporters there launched into series of violent acts in Abuja ahead of the country’s presidential elections on February 24 this year.
About three armed soldiers were killed in Abuja during elections protests.
The United States of America is considered the bastion of democracy in the world.
It has adopted this rule to prevent some Africans especially public figures from entering USA under the Democrat President Joe Biden for undermining democracy in their countries.
The sanctions and punishments are given to these African politicians and prominent individuals who are undermining the principles of democracy during elections periods.
USA had condemned elections rigging, bullying, thuggery, media attacks, in Nigeria on February’s elections.
As a bastion of democracy in the world, the United States is now imposing sanctions and similar restrictions on African leaders and public figures who are failing to upholding democratic values during elections.
“The decision to impose visa restrictions reflects the commitment of the United States to support Nigeria aspirations to combat corruption and strengthen democracy and the rule of law,” Mr. Blinken said in a press statement.
This similar pronouncement by USA against certain individuals in Sierra Leone is due to the unresolved allegations of elections rigging, lack of transparency, incredible elections, and the suppression of the will of the people in Sierra Leone.
Like in Nigeria, the policy by USA government respects the privacy of alleged individuals in Sierra Leone who may have been ticked by USA officials for having undermined Sierra Leone’s democracy during the recent June 24 general elections.
The United States government has announced this visa travel ban on Sierra Leoneans targeting ring leaders and their families to be denied traveling opportunities to USA.
Sierra Leone-US Visa ban may be applied on individuals of the country’s electoral commission who have refused to issue out publicly June 24 elections’ results by districts after repeated requests by EU, UK, USA, CSOs and other international elections observers’ mission like The Carter Centre.
The controversial elections’ results announced by ECSL’s boss, Mohamed Konneh, put the incumbent president Julius Maada Bio of the ruling government Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) as the winner of Sierra Leone’s 2023 presidential elections on June 27, 2023.
Bio is now running a second five-year term in governance.
The opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) had disputed the elections’ results of June 24 pronounced by ECSL as rigged verdict.
The results were also contested by local and international CSOs as incredible and do not reflect the will of the people of Sierra Leone.
The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone was requested by elections’ observers and CSOs to issue out the official aggregated results but had refused to do so despite given enough time.
Equally so, in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, pronounced a similar policy statement banning some individuals in Nigeria from entering The United States.
“These individuals will be found ineligible for Visas to the United States under a policy to restrict Visas of those believed to be responsible for or complicit in, undermining democracy in Nigeria. Certain family members of such persons may also be subjected to these restrictions,” the statement reads in part.
To reinforce his message to Africa Leaders for upholding democracy, the United States’ president, Joe Biden had promised stiffer measures to be taken against any dictator in Africa.
President Biden made this statement by January 2023 at a meeting with six African nations’ presidents in which he committed US$165m to support elections, rule of law and good governance in Africa.
At Washington White House, President Biden called on Africa leaders to work towards achieving peace, democracy and good governance.
Sierra Leone is among the six countries in attendance of that meeting called by the world’s bastion of democracy, USA.
But, Sierra Leone has never heeded to the advice or spent the money as requested to promote the values of democracy, good governance and the rule of law at home.
The country’s democratic values have been shaken to the core as it has failed to hold a credible, fair, free and transparent general election in June this year.
There have been several human rights violations and abuses ranging from killings and several imprisonments of protesting civilians by the Bio-led government years and months before the general elections in Sierra Leone since 2018 when SLPP took over power.
In all these happenings, activists say such abuses by the government are typical examples of a crackdown on democracy.
Sierra Leone People’s Party’s government has been in the bad books of Western democracies like United Kingdom, France and The United States.
And the poor West Africa country has lost its glory as a country which was speedily walking on the path of democracy under the era of ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma.
The green, white and blue country, Sierra Leone, was ranked as one of the best democracies in Africa under the leadership of ex-President Koroma.
Koroma’s recognition in the world as a “true democrat” was as a result of his several strives to upholding democratic principles for his people in the country.
He had never killed a single civilian or civilians or imprisoned anyone for expressing their democratic rights.
The latest US travel ban on politicians and public servants in Sierra Leone has a negative impact on the country’s reputation in the world over.
Some of these politicians and public servants or other persons in Sierra Leone who are believed to have aided and abetted elections rigging and have engaged in other nefarious acts could now be seen as ‘non-democrats’ than true democrats in their nation and in the world over.
They are also ‘non-promoters’ of democracy, good governance, and the rule of law who’re unfit to enjoy traveling privileges and immunities to a country which is a strong believer and pioneer of democracy in the world.
