The All People’s Congress (APC), Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, has firmly rejected the government’s proposed road map for implementing the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee, a document delivered to President Julius Maada Bio in July 2024.
The APC claims that the government’s unilateral approach undermines the spirit of inclusivity needed to achieve meaningful reforms in the country.
During a press briefing held at the APC headquarters in Freetown, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Sidi Yayah Tunis, expressed the APC’s dissatisfaction with how the road map was being handled.
He argued that the government’s strategy lacked proper consultation with the opposition and that relying solely on state institutions for implementation would be insufficient to achieve the necessary changes.
Tunis stressed that the APC had not been officially presented with the details of the road map, accusing the Steering Committee of pushing through a flawed proposal.
“You cannot expect government institutions to implement these reforms effectively on their own,” Tunis remarked, indicating that the party would not support a process that did not engage all stakeholders.
The APC’s concerns were raised during a meeting with international peace facilitators, including representatives from ECOWAS, the Commonwealth, the African Union, and the United Nations.
The international mediators were present to assess the progress of the recommendations stemming from the Tripartite Committee and the Agreement for National Unity, both of which are aimed at resolving key political and institutional issues in the country.
According to Tunis, the international facilitators inquired about the status of the implementation process, asking which of the recommendations had been completed, which were still in progress, and which had not yet been initiated. The APC took the opportunity to outline several areas where they believed the government had fallen short, particularly in addressing critical issues related to electoral and institutional reforms.
Lawyer Abdul Karim Kamara, a member of the APC’s Publicity Committee, added that the government had neglected several crucial resolutions outlined in the Agreement for National Unity.
These included the release of political prisoners detained following the 2023 elections, addressing salary backlogs for elected officials, and halting politically motivated legal cases against opposition members.
The APC has made it clear that they will continue to press for a more inclusive and transparent process in future discussions with the government.
The party believes that only through genuine collaboration and commitment to the Tripartite Committee’s recommendations can the country move toward sustainable reforms. International mediators have suggested that both parties meet again to address these concerns and seek a way forward.
