By Ragan M. Conteh
The Assistant Chief of the Defense Staff at the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier Amara Bangura, has vowed that Armed Forces will fight against any form of terrorism and instability staged by a group of any individuals.
He made the decision at a press briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
“We will fight any group of individuals that attempt to create chaos in the country,” he said.
He made the bold statement while updating press men on the Economic Committee of West Africa States (ECOWAS )’ Stabilization Force to Sierra Leone, stating that the force will not substitute the RSLAF but will assist them in maintaining stability in the country.
Sierra Leone rocked by previous coup attempts and insurgent activities, is faced with insecurities and political tensions, ranging from hate speeches, tribal bigotry and a widespread of fake news circulated on social media.
But Brigadier Bangura said that the key focus of the ECOWAS Stabilization Force in the country is to maim any “terrorism acts and unconstitutional change of power,” he said, as he assured that the ECOWAS will not deploy their forces on the Streets.
Since 2014, according to him, the ECOWAS has spent about $ 10 million on the ECOWAS logistics’ proposed base in the country, adding that ECOWAS also wants to protect their logistics’ base.
The brigadier claimed that the RSLAF was mixed with some ‘bad soldiers’, but he averred that they have gotten to get rid of the bad soldiers, who have been undermining the integrity of the RSLAF.
“We have stable armed forces now; we have a stable police force now. There is a professional security personnel,” he remarked.
In December 2023, the Chairman of the West African regional bloc, President Bola Tinubu, promised to fight against coup and instability in Sierra Leone, thus promising to condemn attempted coups bent on unseating President Julius Maada Bio.
Tinubu’s leadership has been faced with numerous coups in West Africa, but the President of ECOWAS, Omar Touray, said last year they were dedicated to eradicating terrorism and instability in the region.
However, Brigadier Bangura revealed that they had already undergone the counter-terrorism training in Ivory Coast in a bid to prepare their forces for any upheavals in the region.
He relayed information that ECOWAS is keen on protecting their $ 10 million logistics base in the country, disclosing that the ECOWAS Standby Force will construct more structures in Lungi to beef-up their military base.
Even though he couldn’t disclose the exact number of the sizeable troops that will be deployed in the country, he promised to relay the information to the press after the final agreement with the ECOWAS.