By Hassan I. Conteh

Sierra Leone’s general election was touted as the hottest in the sub-region this June.

The country was silenced by police brutality of innocent civilians at the height of political campaigns.

People’s freedom of movements and expression were severely curtailed with heavy presence of barrel-guns on most parts of urban streets as a way of keeping away protesters.

Many protesters of freedom saw a doom on their lives. They were killed, tortured, and some locked into cells and prisons.

There had been many killings in the capital Freetown and northern parts of Sierra Leone.

Many towns in the west and north of Sierra Leone (Freetown, Makeni, Port Loko, Masiaka, Waterloo, etc.,) became target of police oppression on the eve of elections on Saturday.

Several protests undertaken by these opposition powerbases were suppressed by security guards notably police armed-wing, operation support division.

The OSDs guys were said to be acting ‘unlawfully’ as they subdued innocent lives to deaths.

And sadly, none an officer accused of killing civilians was jailed or sacked immediately by SLPP’s government.

Most of the killings that happened in the wake of elections on June 24, were never treated seriously by Bio’s government.

Despite more people being killed in Freetown, Makeni, Masiaka, CSOs voices became muffled in hypocrisy as activists were never seen to have widely condemned police ‘reckless’ killings across the country during protests times.

The sit-down strikes on August 10, 2022, were undertaken by peaceful Sierra Leoneans as an affront to the rising cost of living in the country.

While a pump price on a gallon of fuel became exorbitant (sold at  around Le 21), the cost on a bag of rice, Sierra Leoneans’ staple food, equally more than jumped past the basic wage of a public worker.

A sac of rice was sold above Le 600 last year. The tariff on phone use was increased by telecom companies while transport charges to and fro the capital city and rural urban became expensive too to contend with by citizens.

These events, understandably, forced women welfare advocates (not mainstream civil societies activists) to call for a nationwide peaceful demonstrations.

But security officers responded with ruthless hands as women advocates were arrested and caged behind bars but were later released.

“This regime has not recognized human rights of people,’’ an outspoken voice by a wealthy business man expressed his view ahead of elections on Saturday 24.

Apart from these demonstrations that lasted for about three days, a wave of similar protests also followed just few days to voting day, Saturday June 24.

The protests were organized by a team of opposition political parties and were said to be conducted peacefully.

But that also inflamed the anger of police officers who got many civilians arrested between June 12 and 13.

The north of Sierra Leone especially Makeni city was mainly the flashpoint of violence sit-downs during the two days which saw many countless civilians arrested and brought to the city.

There have been no official reports of the total number of deaths recorded by so-called civil society activists.

While social media footages showed some men being stabbed and pierced by machetes.

Even on days before the voting day, there were some shootings at the main opposition’s, APC party, head office at Brookfields  in Freetown. The three days to elections on Saturday created huge panic on Sierra Leoneans.

Sierra Leone was on troubled waters as a day hardly past without police carrying out terrifying and scaring shootings, and killings happened in most of these instances.

As Sierra Leoneans were troubled by such unfolding tragic past, an atmosphere of calmness returned to the nation as a president-elect was announced by chief electoral commission for Sierra Leone.

The incumbent president Julius Maada Bio was re-elected for a second term in office by the country’s electoral commission on June 27 by 4pm. The news, to many Sierra Leoneans, was music to the air.

Most average Sierra Leoneans, even the dejected and critic of Mr Bio, became happy as they heard no shot of gun on that day.

A peasant farmer in Mangey village in Falaba district, Pa Umaru Kargbo, responded through a private phone talk with calmness.

“Yes, I was also told this evening that [ the Pa ] Mr. Bio has won again, but what do you observe the atmosphere to be like in Freetown? he asked. When the caller in Freetown answered Pa Umaru Kargbo that there was a semblance of peaceful atmosphere in Freetown and Waterloo, Pa Kargbo reacted: “it is good to have a peace because that is what we are more concerned about. With peace in the country, even if things go up and up, one has to choose from where one thinks his or her money reaches,’’ he said. “So, let us closely watch what will happen next ! “, he ended his talk on phone.

For most Sierra Leoneans like Pa Umaru, they think peace must triumph over tyranny.

Since most people in Sierra Leone are still quiet and sad over the election result that probably did not go in their favour and in favour of the candidate they love.

However, a good number of them are talking in group or twos that it is good for the country to remain peaceful as it is now since the day an official result by electoral commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, was broadcast to all.