Sewa News Stream

Ahead of Sierra Leone's flag day on April 27, social media commentators have expressed concerns that the next elections may be influenced well before 2028, following the widely discredited June 2023 elections.  Jeminatu Sesay shared an infographic highlighting the roles of institutions, funding, and narrative in shaping election outcomes before voting occurs.  She urged Sierra Leoneans to scrutinize the institutions overseeing the process, those setting the rules, the sources of political funding, and the individuals shaping public opinion.  Another analyst, Alfred Peter Conteh, noted that election laws were not upheld in 2023 . Edmond Alpha, chairman of the Elections Commission of Sierra Leone, who declined to publish the 2023 results as required by law, has indicated he does not plan to change his approach in 2028.  Last week, the embassies and high commissions of Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom expressed support for the International Mora...

During the same week, Zainab Sheriff was jailed for incitement on the orders of President Maada Bio, and his wife, Fatima, Kadiru Kaikai, an associate of the president, made violent election-related statements without apparent consequence. In a mobile phone video , Kaikai, affiliated with Spire USA Inc., stated in Krio that he would wage war in Sierra Leone if not made president in 2028. He estimated the conflict would cost $3.3 million and claimed to have budgeted for it, with plans to begin in Masiaka, a centrally located city. Meanwhile, representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, and the Commonwealth concluded a joint mission to Sierra Leone. They presented recommendations, including the urgent establishment of a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, as outlined in Recommendation 20 of the Tripartite Report, to review the electoral cycle, assess electoral preparedness, and guide legislative reforms ahead of t...

Sierra Leone, like Guinea-Bissau and Mali in West Africa, has become a transit hub for cocaine trafficking to Europe, with coastal Africa playing a central role for transnational organized crime networks. These networks, including those reportedly led by convicted Dutch trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, exploit the region's strategic geographic location between Latin American production zones and European consumer markets. According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime , cocaine trafficking represents one of the most profitable criminal economies, encouraging sophisticated networks to involve local and regional actors, and to invest in infrastructure and protection. Enhanced enforcement on direct Latin America–Europe routes and improved trade connectivity have made West Africa an attractive alternative for traffickers, who exploit legitimate trade to conceal shipments. Cocaine shipments are often stored, repackaged, and transferred between modalities in West Afr...

  In 2021, numerous reports stated that a by-election in Koinadugu, the largest district in Sierra Leone and one of the least densely populated, had been taken over by Lahai Lawrence Leema, then deputy minister of internal affairs and a retired military officer of the Republic of Sierra Leone. " It has become too much the case that thugs overrun our polling stations during bye-elections with the police throwing their hands in the air as if it is not their job to keep the peace ," wrote Vickie Remoe, a media producer. A leading voice opposing violence and intimidation, Remoe praised the Sierra Leonean observers of National Election Watch (NEW) for their commitment to transparency at polling stations. The following week, on Africa Young Voices (AYV) television, Leema attacked Marcella Samba Sesay while on-air with AYV's Samuel Wise Bangura. Before being evacuated from Sierra Leone for her safety after the June 2023 elections, Sesay served as the executive director of the Ca...

 An X post reports on an AD newspaper article detailing a tense exchange at a summit, where the Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof urged Maada Bio to extradite Jos "Bolle Jos" Leijdekkers, a fugitive convicted of smuggling over 1,000 kg of cocaine valued at €50 million. Leijdekkers, a 33-year-old Dutch national wanted since 2023, evaded capture by relocating to Sierra Leone, marrying Bio's daughter Agnes in early 2024, and integrating into the president's inner circle, as evidenced by photos of him at official events alongside family members. This family connection has complicated bilateral ties, with Dutch officials viewing it as state-sponsored protection for a major European drug trafficker, potentially affecting Sierra Leone's international aid and cooperation amid ongoing scrutiny of Bio's administration. Prime Minister Dick Schoof has urgently requested the President of Sierra Leone to extradite cocaine dealer "Bolle Jos" Leijdekkers....

  Sierra Leone's passport is currently ranked #70 among residence and citizenship by investment programs. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone's "Passport Bros" are offering passports for prices as low as $140,000. Why is this occurring? It is due to President Maada Bio and his associates being deeply involved in corruption, which allows kleptocracy to prosper at the expense of the citizens. No country in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region should be selling passports for $140,000, except Sierra Leone, where it is reported that a drug lord finances the president. To acquire citizenship in Sierra Leone, one must make a donation of $100,000, purchase property worth $200,000, invest $1.5 million, provide $400,000 per investor, and pay $150,000 to the University of Sierra Leone. Some non-Africans in Sierra Leone are still denied access to its heritage and business opportunities, despite many having contributed significantly more than the $140,000 fee. In comp...

Can Rapaport's vision of "Tikkun Olam" truly stand up against China's Belt and Road Initiative or the influence of a Dutch drug lord in Sierra Leone?  In 2017, artisanal miners from a small hamlet discovered a 709-carat diamond, later dubbed the Sierra Leone Peace Diamond. This village and the surrounding area lacked clean water, electricity, schools, health facilities, roads, or bridges. The Rapaport Group announced that for the first time, millions of dollars from the sale of the Peace Diamond will go toward providing vital infrastructure and improving the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. On March 12, 2025, the Rapaport Group announced its sixth trade mission to Sierra Leone . Serving more than 20,000 clients in over 121 countries, the Rapaport Group will lead an international delegation of diamond dealers, jewelers, and industry leaders on an immersive journey from May 4 to May 9, 2025. This trip aims to provide firsthand exposure to artisanal dia...

Jos Leijdekkers, a.k.a. Boll Jos, remains in the headlines of Sierra Leone's newspapers despite the president's denial that he knows the wanted Dutch criminal Bolle Jos, reportedly his daughter's boyfriend or husband.  Recently, videos surfaced showing Bolle Jos celebrating with high-ranking officials in Sierra Leone, prompting the government to announce that it has launched a search for the Dutch fugitive.  Meanwhile, a Dutch journalist covering the Bolle Jos case was detained in Sierra Leone. Shaken by her experience, journalist Sophie Van Leeuw left Sierra Leone and shared her observations about the oppressive methods used by the Maada Bio administration to silence dissent and restrict press freedom.  This week, further reports emerged revealing that the Sierra Leone government is bribing and threatening local journalists to prevent them from reporting on the wanted Dutch drug trafficker, Jos Leijdekkers. According to De Telegraaf, several reporters in hiding have disc...

On March 6, Dutch Minister of Justice David van Weel announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he had a conversation with his colleague, Alpha Sesay, Sierra Leone's Attorney General and Minister of Justice. A significant topic of discussion was the Dutch extradition request for Jos Leijdekkers , who is wanted for serious crimes. Van Weel noted strong indications that Leijdekkers is currently in Sierra Leone. He emphasized that discussions like these are vital for combating transnational organized crime. Thomas Dixon , a Sierra Leonean journalist, reported that Maada Bio has relieved Alusine Kanneh of his position as head of the immigration service after a video surfaced showing Kanneh partying with Leijdekkers, who is known as Omar Sherriff in Sierra Leone. A bulletin from Emmanuel Gaima, secretary to the president in Sierra Leone, announced that Moses Tiffa Baio has been appointed as the new Chief Immigration Officer, effective March 7. An article on FTM published on March 7...

Victoria Adjo Climbié had a smile to remember. Ten years this February, she was murdered by her guardians in London. The once happy little eight-year old girl from Ivory Coast had suffered a catalog of abuse right up to her death in February 2000. A United Kingdom- government inquiry reported that there were 12 missed chances to save her. All the agencies and people with power to do something —the police, social services department of many local authorities, the National Health Service, the NSPCC, and local churches—had failed. All of them had noted the abuse and done nothing. Victoria was found with 128 separate injuries when she died. Since then, the U.K. government has done much to protect children. Part of their plans included working with London's African communities that develop and strengthen community-based preventive activities in this field. AFRUCA was one of them. Established in response to the need for support at a grassroots level, Africans United Against Child Abu...