By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
The main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) and the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) have unequivocally condemned the Sunday, November 26 attempted coup that disrupted normal business across the country.
The ICPNC stated that the incident poses a grave threat to the hard-earned peace in Sierra Leone and undermines the collective efforts invested in the recent series of stakeholder conversations and the mediated dialogue of September 18th, 2023.
They emphasised the importance of resolving issues through dialogue rather than resorting to violent means and the use of guns resulting in the loss of lives and property.
They said the events of November 26th caused widespread unrest and panic and disrupted the peace that had been genuinely achieved through the active participation and contributions of citizens, political parties, religious and traditional leaders, the government, and development partners. “The peace we enjoy is invaluable, and we must jealously guard and preserve it with our lives,” ICPNC stated.
The Commission called on all citizens to cooperate and work with the authorities, especially the security sector, to maintain the restored peace and appeal to all citizens to refrain from sharing unverified news, particularly on social media, as such actions have the potential to create undue tensions and panic, serving as a recipe for chaos and social unrest in the country.
For the APC, they firmly condemned what they described as dastardly act of violence, adding that they have carefully followed those unacceptable violent events with grave concern.
The APC expressed its strongest unreserved condemnation of any acts, occasions, or statements that are inimical to the political and social stability of the state.
The party, however, expressed dismay that in the statement to the high-powered delegation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Bio pointedly associated the party with the August 10 protests, and attributed their party’s contestation of the June 24 elections results to those violent events.
“We categorically condemn any attempt to associate our party to any form of violence. As a responsible political party, we strongly believe in the assumption of power through the ballot box and not through the barrel of a gun. That is why we have maintained, in no uncertain terms, our vehement condemnation of the use of brutal force by any party to gain and /or retain power,” they stated.
