By Abubakar Hashim
It’s exactly a week today, when an attempted coup was foiled in the early hours of November 26, 2023.
As investigations continue, with mass arrests ongoing, President Julius Maada Bio, last evening, spoke for the second time, with tough determination to weed out the culprits.
He revealed that “ investigations will be conducted based strictly on a law and order basis, not on political, ethnic or religious colourations”.
The curfew, from 9pm to 6am, still persists, to allow smooth manhunt of the coup accomplices and escaped prisoners, put at 1,890, about 95% of inmates at the correctional centre at Pademba in the centre of the capital, Freetown.
There is still an uneasy calm in the country, with offices and businesses operating at skeletal services for the past one week.
Unlike neighbouring Guinea with a current military government, due to the then 3rd term illegality by former President Alpha Conde, Sierra Leone has no business with military incursion as President Bio is now on his 2nd constitutional term.
Once the “Athens of Africa”, Sierra Leoneans must overcome the sad episode of last Sunday and hold firm on democratic constitutionality, similar to its closest neighbour, Liberia.
During the Liberian elections I covered, I saw how Liberians voted, votes counted and results announced. The incumbent President Weah congratulated the opposition candidate, now President Elect, Joseph Boakai, even before the final announcement of the results.
There was no violence, nor protests in the streets, despite a bitter and tightly contested elections.
Today, Liberia is a model for other African countries to emulate, despite its 14 year old devastating war and ugly past
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