The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations (UN), and the African Union (AU) have pledged to facilitate discussions between Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), and the Government of Sierra Leone to address outstanding concerns regarding the implementation of the tripartite committee’s recommendations.
This move comes in response to issues raised by the APC about the ongoing National Unity Agreement implementation.Sidi Yayah Tunis, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, revealed in a phone interview with Concord Times that the Moral Guarantors—including ECOWAS, the UN, and the AU—have expressed their readiness to mediate a meeting to ensure the concerns of the APC are addressed.
The international delegation, led by Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, and Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, former Vice President of The Gambia, arrived in Sierra Leone on October 14 to oversee the progress of the National Unity Agreement signed between the APC and the Sierra Leonean government.
The ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray, along with Simão, deployed a joint Monitoring Mission of the International Moral Guarantors from October 15 to 18, 2024.
Their goal is to assess the implementation of the agreement and address the recommendations made by the Tripartite Committee, which was formed to guide the resolution of political tensions in the country.
According to Sidi Tunis, the APC leadership met with the mission at their headquarters in Freetown. “The meeting was productive as we were able to highlight our dissatisfaction with the current framework for implementing the National Unity Agreement and the composition of the steering committee established by the government.
The Moral Guarantors have promised to assist in facilitating a meeting with the government to resolve these issues,” Tunis said.In addition to engaging the APC, the mission will also meet with other political parties, members of the national parliament, the judiciary, and representatives from civil society organizations, security agencies, and regulatory bodies.
The purpose of these meetings is to ensure comprehensive feedback on the implementation of the Agreement for National Unity and actions related to the Tripartite Committee’s recommendations.
This intervention by international bodies underscores the critical role that the Moral Guarantors play in maintaining peace and stability in Sierra Leone as political actors work toward ensuring that the National Unity Agreement is effectively implemented.
