Peace rally in Sierra Leone...

On September 2nd a communiqué was signed by His Excellency the President and the two main political party leaders.

The meeting identified a number of matters of concern which were dealt with immediately. For example, the parties are not allowed to give ex-combatants and vigilante groups security roles in party activities. Also persons in possession of arms/offensive weapons/objects will be arrested and prosecuted. The police were urged to be more robust and impartial in carrying out their functions. The party leaders agreed to develop their inter-personal relationship. Etc.

In conclusion, the two leaders agreed to participate in a grand finale joint peace rally in Freetown, to demonstrate their commitment to the peaceful conduct of the run-off elections.

So, tomorrow (Sept 6th), at 10 am, the peace rally will begin. The route starts at Lumley round-about with a peace performance and then moves on to Congo Cross, Brookfields, past the Cotton Tree, to the Clock Tower, and finally ending in the East of the city at around 4pm. The convoy will included a number of different groups of people including: the Sierra Leone police, the Peace group, international religious Committee, Political Candidates, Party executives etc.

Hopefully this rally will bring the desired effect – peace. We are praying this won’t backfire.

UN statement regarding the election process in Sierra Leone...

The statement below was written following a special meeting convened by His Excellency the President Alhaji Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and the two main political party leaders on September 2, 2007. This meeting was held in order to make the necessary agreements in order to ensure that peace and stability would be maintained during the election period. The two leaders are to ‘strengthen their mutual trust and confidence which should flow down to their supporters in particular and the nation in general.’

Statement by The Executive Representative of the Secretary-General in support of national efforts to ensure peaceful and violence-free elections

3 September 2007

On behalf of the United Nations family in Sierra Leone, and on my own behalf, I wish to congratulate His Excellency the President, Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, on the timely initiative to bring together the leaders of the two political parties, the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the All Peoples Congress (APC) to agree on measures to ensure peaceful and credible presidential run-off election.

In the same vein, I congratulate the two presidential candidates, Hon. Ernest Bai Koroma (APC) and Hon. Solomon Berewa (SLPP), for the role they played in reaching an agreement on the issues stipulated in the Communiqué issued by the Office of the President on 2 September 2007.

For the United Nations, the historic meeting between the two leaders, held on 2 September under the aegis of His Excellency the President, marks an important milestone in the collective efforts to foster an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that had characterized the first round of the ongoing national elections, whose credible outcome has earned the country international praise and admiration.

As the nation embarks on the next and final round of the electoral process, due on 8 September, I wish to take the opportunity to call on the people of Sierra Leone and all political actors to continue to show patience and tolerance and support for the work of the National Electoral Commission and the Sierra Leone security agencies to ensure a peaceful and credible conclusion of the presidential run-off elections.

Election update - Freetown, Sierra Leone...

So just after posting the previous blog, we received a message through an NGO security tree saying that there was fighting in downtown Freetown. No more information was given. That was at about 2 pm this afternoon.

It is now 6 pm. I just got back from a run along Lumley beach and on returning to the center, heard from some of our staff that there had been shooting downtown. Some of our nurses asked to leave early so that they could be home before dark. It seemed like a wise thing to do. Reports later say that it was police shooting tear gas- no actual shooting took place. There was a clash between the two parties; men with sticks, machetes and knives. About two dozen people are said to have been wounded and taken to the hospital. Again, it’s hard to know how much of what we read or hear is accurate.

I decided to check on-line and sure enough found some articles.

See the following links.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01179661.htm

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL01214502.html

http://awarenesstimes.com/drwebsite/publish/index.shtml

PS: we are fine!

Looking ahead at next weeks run-off elections...

A week from today many Sierra Leoneans will again make their way to the polling station. This time they will choose between two candidates – Solomon Berewa (SLPP) and Ernest Koroma (APC).

To be honest, the tension in Sierra Leone is rising. Generally speaking life in Freetown continues as usual. Upcountry life seems a little more unsettled. News comes in daily about incidents that have taken place in various parts of the country (mainly the east and south- Kenema, Kono, Bo). It’s hard to know if the news is accurate. Reports came in yesterday that there was unrest in Bo and that houses were being burnt down. Today I heard that it was a rumor. I guess for the most part we don’t really know what is taking place.

There is much talk about the upcoming run-off. A lot of people are anxious. Only time will tell…

Here are some quotes from various news agencies online:

“The risk that Sierra Leone could again descend into the chaos and civil war of the 1990s remains unlikely ahead of the second round of presidential elections on 8 September, according to international officials - even after outgoing president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah threatened to impose a state of emergency following election-related riots in the main diamond town of Kono on 27 August and the stabbing of at least six people in Freetown.”

“However, as the September 8 election day draws nigh and the contest narrowed down to two contending gladiators, tension has again resurfaced in the land. Reports of clashes between supporters of the rival candidates have been rife in recent days, prompting the imposition of curfew in the eastern district of Kono. President Tejan Kabbah has threatened to declare a state of public emergency if the two rival candidates do not rein in their supporters.”

Water shortage despite rain and full tanks...

Despite the heavy rainfall, we have been out of water for three days.
Despite the fact that all 4 water tanks on my roof (which supply most of the compound) are FULL, we were still out of water.
Definitely not logical.

There was no water in my shower and no water coming out of my tap.
Sporadically however, the toilet would flush.
Again illogical!

Surprise surprise, the water situation on our compound has been a mystery for the past 2+ years.
Numerous plumbers have tried to figure it out.
A surgeon and a communications guy have been our ‘water men’.
Our security guards check the water levels and are frequently sent back up to check that all of the valves are open.
We are faced with a challenge every time we have water problems.

So, yesterday afternoon, when the rain started coming down, and we still didn’t have any water, my friend decided she would wash her hair in the rain.
As she went out to find a spot I suggested we first try the stand pipe on our compound.
Fortunately water flowed from the tap!

So, with gallons of water in the Milla tanks above my head and liters of water falling out of the sky we ended up washing our hair…
Outside,
Under the stand pipe,
While standing in the gutter!

Sierra Leone's National Anthem...

High we exalt thee, realm of the free;
Great is the love we have for thee;
Firmly united ever we stand,
Singing thy praise, O native land.
We raise up our hearts and our voices on high,
The hills and the valleys re-echo our cry;
Blessing and peace be ever thine own,
Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.

One with a faith that wisdom inspires,
One with a zeal that never tires;
Ever we seek to honour thy name
Ours is the labour, thine the fame.
We pray that no harm on thy children may fall,
That blessing and peace may descend on us all;
So may we serve thee ever alone,
Land that we love our Sierra Leone.

Knowledge and truth our forefathers spread,
Mighty the nations whom they led;
Mighty they made thee, so too may we
Show forth the good that is ever in thee.
We pledge our devotion, our strength and our might,
Thy cause to defend and to stand for thy right;
All that we have be ever thine own,
Land that we love our Sierra Leone.

We really pray that blessing and peace will remain, especially in times like this. And that no harm will fall on the children of Sierra Leone. Please continue praying for this nation as the run-off for the presidential election approaches.

Math kept simple...

Last Saturday we went to Lakka beach as a final farewell to the German pediatrician who was covering for me during my holiday. It was a little crazy going to the beach in the middle of rainy season, but actually quite nice; except for the state of the roads- they're the worst they've been in the past 2+ years! It was dry while we were out there at least.

We had a great time talking, playing crazy Uno and eating plates of chips with either fish or chicken. The waitress was very friendly and gave good service. But we had to laugh a little in the end when we saw the bill. I guess it wasn’t actually very funny, but the way the total amount was written was pretty cute.

As you can see, the total amounted to Le 100,12,000 rather than Le 112,000. I guess it is best to keep math simple.

Final results Sierra Leone elections 2007...

Aberdeen, Freetown, Sierra Leone - Saturday August 25, 2007

1,839,208 votes at 6,171 polling stations have been counted. The results are out. At 10:00 this morning the final results of the Sierra Leone elections were announced over the radio. To be honest, the announcement did not come as a surprise. For the past week people have been talking about the upcoming run-off. The only difference now is that it is official. And the campaigning can begin.

The presidential run-off between the All People’s Congress and the Sierra Leone People’s Party will be held on Saturday, September 8th, 2007.

Please continue praying for Sierra Leone- the people, the leaders, the church. Thanks!

Results for the Sierra Leone presidential elections:
APC 44.34% SLPP 38.28% PMDC 13.89%
Remaining votes: CPP 1.56% NDA 0.96% PLP 0.57% UNPP 0.39%

Results for the parliamentary elections:
APC 59 seats; SLPP 43 seats; PMDC 10 seats