Have We Forgotten The Price Paid For Our Hard Earned Peace & Democracy in Sierra Leone…
A True Story & Must Read Piece on Patriotism
Written By: Major Retired Brima Kargbo – A US & British Trained Officer ( Ex-Member of a Special Force Unit, RSLAF )
Dedication :This piece is humbly dedicated to The almighty God for the inspiration & all peace- loving citizens of Sierra Leone
Dated: Friday, 16th June, 2023 @ 0600 Hrs/GMT
It behoves us all as citizens to put the interests of our beloved country above all else as the price for peace is undeniably immeasurable and need not to be overemphasised.
It is certain that a good number of us if not all can proudly recite our National Pledge which was thoughtfully put together to give not only a nice melody or rhythm captivating our minds of proudly belonging to a land that we love, Sierra Leone; but also keep on reminding us of our vow and/or pledge of putting country first with utmost loyalty, pride, love, faithfulness, duty & honour that must have stemmed from enduring glory including but not limited to victory from the Burma war or military campaign and those glorious days our beloved country was respectfully classified as the Anthem of West Africa.
However, what is certainly amiss could not be unconnected with the fact that parents, guardians, senior citizens, mentors, religious and community leaders including most if not all of have seemingly found ourselves in diverse ways entrapped with so many issues that are either complex or otherwise to an extent that in most cases we hardly navigate our ways through. Such preoccupation has to a larger extent held us responsible for some of the issues confronting us today as a nation. Atimes we feel so much preoccupied to a point that we assumed it’s time wasting by telling, teaching and/or educating our young folks about our history by telling them how far we have come as a nation and people coupled with our horrendous civil conflict that lasted for some eleven(11) years.
The above flashback is premised not only on the missing link that have seemingly contributed to the intake of harmful drugs by some of our youth who in recent time have been pushed by selfish and unpatriotic politicians into committing acts of violence that undermined public safety and national security.
Undoubtedly the alleged intake of those harmful drugs including the most rumoured one called ‘kush’ ‘ must have seriously affected their state of mind or mental well-being; thereby easieasily fallen as prey used as recruitment tools to perpetrate violence to the whims and caprices of greedy & desperate politicians who wanted to usurp political power at all costs by resorting to barbaric and/ undemocratic means.
Worse still, is the naked truth that, those who had done absolutely nothing for Sierra Leone other than enriching themselves & family at the expense of the State & people are certainly the very ones that are hell bent on aiding, abetting, financing and/or sponsoring acts of insurgency that has the propensity to derail not only our hard earned peace and dream for a prosperous society; but also destroys the future of our children and children’s children.
Late President Ahmad Tejan Kabba of blessed memory summarised on a patriotic note the value of peace and the danger of conflict by saying, “… Never again shall we resolve to violence to settle matters of political importance. This is the child; she is going to grow up without a right hand. This is the product of war and hope we shall all learn from this and try to embrace peace wherever we are. “
Thus, such patriotic keynote address by a beloved President of blessed memory forms the basis of this write up. It is hightime that we all embraced those ideals that have for far too long bind us together as loving people in a society whose unique characteristic especially on peaceful co-existence stands out and second to none in the comity of nations interms of religious tolerance, inter- marriage etc.
I am a patriotic citizen that hails from the North and was meritoriously enlisted into the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) as a Commission Officer from the 30th July, 1999 to 28th May 2013.
For those of us that continued to embrace our hard earned peace coupled with making those tough decisions to have gained admission into the RSLAF following the infamous invasion of our capital city, Freetown on 6th January, 1999 and the rest of those members of the RSLAF who are very loyal and highly professional would never sit idly and allow hoodlums or elements purportedly hired by desperate politicians to tear apart or derail our hard earned peace and democracy on which rest not only our dreams for a better society; but also the brighter future of our children and children’s children.
Definitely, none of us would live forever but what is of utmost priority at this defining moment is our collective resolve to bequeath our children and/ or future generation with a society that actually resonates with our national identity or emblem of unity , freedom and justice.
Albert Einstein once said, ” The world would not be destroyed by the wicked but by the good men that remain silent”.
On that note and without any reservations, I would always stand by my country and fellow citizens especially those that embraced peace, respect for the rule of law, prioritize national security, treasure the tenets of democracy and yearn for massive developments that accelerate direct foreign investments & economic growth.
Whenever, I heard claims of a political party bragging of protecting the rights and/ or interests of its people who are predominantly from the same region (in this case the North ); I often take a deep breathe in disbelief considering the degrading and/inhumane treatment meted out to me in the form of administrative injustice whilst on secondment to the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) ably representing the RSLAF and by extension the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) between 2008 & 2010 including an unlawful retirement in May 2013. This goes without saying that, in recognition of my humble but remarkable contributions (as part of an Hybrid Military Training & Restructuring Team drawn from 4 ECOWAS countries including Nigeria 🇳🇬, Ghana🇬🇭 & Benin 🇧🇯 together with the US Military 🇺🇸 & the UK Army 🇬🇧 ) I was later presented in absentia with an Award at a colourful ceremony in December 2010 by the then President & Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, H.E. Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on behalf of her government and people.
This goes without saying with humility that, I was part of an Hybrid Training and Restructuring Team that offered salient pieces of advice for troops of the Armed Forces of Liberia(AFL) to be sent to the Republic of Sierra Leone for further and/ or advanced military training and/or courses. Thus, same was endorsed by the relevant authirities and troops of the AFL had begun attending training and/or courses to Sierra Leone since 2010 ; and still continue to do so unto this present moment (2023) and possibly beyond.
Though with humility but delighted and honoured to disclose that parts of our esteemed and vibrant products painstakingly trained and/ or mentored through sound human capital development are currently providing strategic leadership as Heads of the Liberian Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces of Liberia respectively 🇱🇷
Nonertheless, prior to my assignment to the Republic of Liberia; I was among thousands of able-bodied citizens that applied for commissioning into the RSLAF in 1999 following the infamous invasion of Freetown by some elements of the then AFRC & RUF during the first term in office of the then President and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, H.E. Dr. Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabba (of blessed memory).
Objectively, our enlistments into the RSLAF in 1999 saw a good number of outstanding applicants comprised of both Courses 1 & 2 that were later trained & commissioned at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna were among one of the best intakes of officers ever recorded in the recruitment annals of the intakes of officers into the RSLAF. And, as God would have it, I successfully went through a rigorous final selection exercise that was highly competitive with over thousands of applicants drawn from the respective geopolitical regions of our beloved country, Sierra Leone. Those of us applicants (by then) bravely answered to the clarion call of the People and Government of Sierra Leone during such defining moment of restoring and/ or consolidating our hard earned peace, democracy & security. Thus, I would also respectfuly give huge credit to those respective nations & foreign troops including but not limited to the Nigerian-led ECOMOG forces and the British troops but also our loyal Government troops all of whose immense contributions and/ sacrifices to restoring sanity need not to be overemphasised . Therefore, may the souls of all fallen heroes and heroines in the face of protecting our territorial integrity by Land , Sea and Air including lives and properties continued to rest in perfect peace 🙏🏽
However, little did I know that on the 28th May 2013 my chosen career deservedly secured in 1999 would have been arbitrarily and maliciously truncated during the era of a political party which claimed to have not only come from the North but also sought the interests and rights of those that also hailed from the same region it vociferously professed to have its main strongholds.
Sadly, my retirement came barely a week following the death of my father; whose demise took place on 20th May 2013, just a year after the death of my mother that occurred on 5th May, 2012. Both deceased parents of blessed memory hailed from the northern province , Bombali District. Thus, I am naturally a proud northern that puts country first and not tribe or region.
To my mind, such claim made by an old political party sounds not only ironical but very cynical following my retirement; moreover where there were no grounds for such compulsory retirement, which has since been criticised and strongly condemned by the Office of the Ombudsman as the lead institution mandated by an Act to investigate all allegations of adminstrative injustice and was under the purview of the ombudsman from 2010 to 2020; while other institutions were also notified on dates stated against each namely, the Human Rights Commission in 2013 ; Anti-Corruption Commission in 2013; Campaign for Good Governance from 2013 to 2015; Center for Accountabiloty & Rule of Law( CARL ) in 2014 ;
Sierra Leone Bar Association in 2015 & 2016, Legal Aid Board of Sierra Leone in 2016 and Campaign for Human Rights Development and International ( CHRDI ) in 2020 .
That notwithstanding, such baseless retirement also attracted the swift intervention of the then Office of the Executive Representative of the United Nations Secretary General (ERSG)-UNIPSIL in 2013 and the Secretariat of the Mano River Union Secretary General in 2014.
Sad to also note that even when The Office of the President was respectfully approached by my humbled self about such blatant administrative injustice via correspondence dated 22nd July, 2010 followed by an audience with the then Secretary to President on the 2nd August 2010; inadditon to adequately & respectfully notifying some of our moral guarantors and key members of the diplomatic community; yet my complaint was never addressed even when I convened a press conference at *SLAJ HQ on Thursday, 31st October 2013. That press conference was later broadcast for three(3) consecutive days by SLBC TV, followed by several radio interviews hosted by SLBC morning Coffee, Radio democracy FM 98 1, Star Radio FM103.5 and Culture Radio including several publications done by some media houses; yet the past administration of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma did not bodge or bother to address same as the records speak.
On the other hand, here is another political party that is viewed by many to have and continue seeking not only the interests but also protecting the rights of those that hailed from the same region it professes to have its stronghold. Yet, it was during the era of that same political party that I was meritoriously Commissioned into the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces in 1999 without any undue influence as my enviable records continue to say it all. Additionally, I had meretoriously enjoyed to have been nominated by the then RSLAF chain of command to attend military courses and/or training to the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana in 2002 and 2006 respectively during the era of such political party.
Besides, despite several interventions in 2010 by State & Non-State Actors against such blatant administrative injustice systematically perpetrated and endorsed under the watch of the past APC-led administration, yet such act continues with impunity leading to my unjust retirement from the RSLAF in 2013; a retirement which unto this moment has no basis and still remain unresolved. However, as a patriotic and law-abiding citizen that respects the rule of law and also believes in exploring non-violence means to seek justice had never accepted as a way of demonstrating a silent but firm protest by not accepting my end of service benefit since 2013 unto this present moment.
However, I had since continued seeking justice through the use of non-violence means; an assertion or claim that could be stoutly attested to by State & Non-State Actors including but not limited to the Government of Sierra Leone (with specificity to key members of its 3 Arms- i.e Executive , Judiciary & Legislative) , the US Embassy 🇺🇸, the British High Commission 🇬🇧, the Delegation of European Union to Sierra Leone 🇪🇺, the Office of the Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Sirra Leone, Nigerian High Commission 🇳🇬, the Ghanaian High Commission 🇬🇭, the Liberian Embassy 🇱🇷, the Secretariat of the Mano River Union, Inter-Religious Council, the Sierra Leone Bar Association, Legal Aid Board, Anti-Corruption Commission, Human Rights Commission, Office of the Ombudsman, Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), Open Society Initiative for West Africa(OSIWA), Transparency International- Sierra Leone Branch, Institute of Governance Reform(IGR), Mano River Union Women, Sierra Leone Association of Journalists(SLAJ), Political Parties Association (APPA) and Campaign for Human Rights Development and International (CHRDI).
The answer is anyone’s guess as to who is fooling who when it comes to protecting or alienating people from the same or different regions in Sierra Leone. But, what I would unreservedly say is that, no one, I repeat no one will take away the fact that, I am a patriotic and true citizen of Sierra Leone.
In as much as it has been emphasised and also overemphasised that no citizen has more rights than the other, so also no citizen has the right to arbitrarily demand or coerce a fellow citizen to vacate the seat of power without the registered will of the people through the ballots box. I believe gone are those dark days of coup de’ tat, rebellion or insurgency especially in our beloved country as we have come a long way as a people and country. If not for any reasons, but please let’s pause for a moment and remember that, our children and children’s children need a brighter future with equal opportunities and justice. Thus, the question remains, what would it really benefit our children including future generation if greedy, selfish & unpatriotic folks plunged our beloved nation into a state of anarchy or another civil conflict ? I guess neither a single child nor posterity would gain anything.
Though our President and Commander-in-Chief H.E. Brigadier (Rtd) Dr. Julius Maada Bio had already re-echoed both an appeal to maintain our hard earned peace; he had also issued a strong warning especially to those ex-servicemen out there whose services may have been hired to wage war against our beloved country and her peace-loving people that suggest any attempt of such would be fiercely contered, defeated and destroyed using preponderance force.
To that note, let me humbly lend a patriotic voice to categorically state that being ex-servicemen allegedly hired by rogue & desperate politicians to wage war against our beloved land & people exposes not only your level of unpatriotism and disloyalty to the State; but also your level of naivety by day-dreaming that you would ever succeed to overrun our loyal & professional troops by you mounting a deadly & suicidal mission that you would have wished not to have pursued. Equally so, your level of training does not in anyway give you such leverage and/or latitude to have assumed that you would survive such deadly mission that is reportedly financed, sponsored and supported by faceless or desperate group of unpatriotic politicians to wage any form of insurgency or guerilla warfare against our country and people. But, it is rather wise enough for you folks to put on a thinking cap that resonates not only with patriotism; but with the oath taken on that very day of your passing out ceremony as either recruits or Commission Officers. Otherwise, your will to fight & cohesion as an enrmy or opposing force of the State would definitely be shattered and/ or overwhelmed by the preponderance of heavy firepower from our loyal government troops that are combat ready and well trained to protect the State and her people form both internal unrest through insurrection and also external aggresson.
Also, let me unequivocally state that, His Excellency The President and Commander-in-Chief of the RSLAF, Brigadier (Rtd) Dr Julius Maada Bio who in his youthful age started making tough decisions not only to have joined the Sierra Leonean Army but to have handed over power to a democratically elected government in 1996 also has a remarkable military background similar not only to that of the First President and Founding Father of the United States of America 🇺🇸 ( President George Washington ) who was a Commanding General of the Continental Army during the revolutionary war that paved the way for American independence on 4th, July, 1776; but also Sir Winston Churchill 🇬🇧 who as Prime Minister rallied the British People during World War II and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory; thus celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany 🇩🇪 on victory day in Europe on 8th May, 1945 . Also were other remarkable Generals who served as Presidents of the United States of America 🇺🇸 like General Harry Truman whose unprecedented role by ending segregation in the US Army in 1948 and General Dwight Eisenhower who ordered the Army to stand in front of a huge crowd of protesters to allow Nine(9) Black students to enter the Central High school at the start of 1957-58 school year in the State Capital, Little Rock need not to be overemphasised.
And last but not the least was Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings whose transformative leadership style as described by most has in no small measure placed Ghana 🇬🇭 as a shining example of stability, democracy and development.
The aforementioned exemplary States men are all of blessed memory. May their gentle souls continued to rest in perfect peace; while huge credit is given to each of them for their respective enduring legacies that would continue to impact both present and future generations.
For those of us who had professionally served the colours and those still serving could attest to the fact that, Sierra Leone lost its enviable slot for UN Peacekeeping Missions through the contribution troops during the past administration of the APC-led Government under whose watch the welfare of our gallant & disciplined troops were not only grossly undermined by ordering troops out there (i.e. on UN Missions) to fetch some firewoods and charcoals to preparing their meals while on such Mission mostly in volatile terrain that also cost the lives of few RSLAF soldiers in Darfur, sudan. Such Administration also witnessed a situation where monthly allowances meant for soldiers were directly paid and in full amounts to the GoSL by the United Nations but sadly reported that, huge amounts of monies were wilfully slashed off the allowances of each soldiers by few corrupt individuals while our soldiers reportedly received pittance from home Governme during the era of the previous administration of the APC party as the records speak and also coutesy of the then monologue aired by Dr. David Tam Mbayoh of the then Radio Eagle
Again, during the past administration soldiers were falsely accused by bunch of misguided operatives with certainly no intelligence bearing., yet concocted a somehow baseless intelligence purporting that those soldiers were planning to stage a coup de’ tat. They (the soldiers) were arbitrarily incarcerated at the Pademba Road maximum prison for an unprotracted period before been tried by a Court Martial that later acquitted and discharged all those soldiers on grounds of certainly no evidence found; but without any compensation been paid to them for such blatant injustice though were later recalled to continue their service with the RSLAF.
Also, it’s a known fact that, soldiers across the globe including ours earned more cash that subsequently upgrades their financial status inorder to adequately upkeep themselves & families backed with high spirit of motivation or morale that inturn would increase their state of combat readiness whenever they are on external or overseas deployments. This includes but not limited to troops of the United States of America 🇺🇸 where I had
one of my best military training but also the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, the federal Republic of Nigeria 🇳🇬 ; the Republic of Ghana 🇬🇭 and even the Republic of Liberia 🇱🇷 to name but a few.
Our expectations either as professionals and/ or patriotic citizens especially for those of us who had served and have adequate professional backgrounds in so far as military doctrines are concerned and even for those still serving would positively anticipate an unprecedented push or progress by the President Bio-led administration of revamping Sierra Leone’s UN slot by one of theirs & also ours, H.E The President & C-i-C Brigadier (Rtd) Dr. Julius Maada Bio, whose administration has in no small measure facilitated our recent readmission as a Non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Congratulations to all of us and thank you His Excellency for making us all so proud as citizensof Sierra Leone.
In all of those flashbacks and to those of you out there tagged ex-servicemen who have reportedly said to have joined the old guards of desperate & unpatriotic politicians to disclose to our nation where has President Bio gone wrong with the affairs of the State and perhaps with your welfare as ex-servicemen when elections are just around the corner for you to either endorse or disprove his second term…
Probably, it would be far off better if and only if you all out there think wisely as ex-servicemen that have once put the interests of the State above oneselves by voluntarily joining the army for the overall good of our society. Thus, it would be folly-hardy on your part and also those untrained would -be fighters in your camp(s) to pursue a risky & deadly venture that in the end would cost your lives & many other unpatriotic citizens and/or politicians.
Professional Armies including the RSLAF highly treasures the unique partnership biild over the periods with their civilian counterparts especially in nation building. Thus, George Washington once said, ” Every post is honorable in which a man can serve his country “
Therefore, I am craving the indulgence of all and sundry including ex-servicemen that it is hightime all of us put the interests of our beloved country above all else as the stakes are very high whilst the gains for peace & stability are immeasurable. There is nothing and I repeat, absolutely nothing that is worth than peace & stability . The costs of our civil and/ or any other conflicts coupled with its antecedents of massive collateral damage caused to both lives and properties were extremely huge.
Therefore, let us all give peace a chance and always respect the Rule of Law.
A word for a wise is certainly quite sufficient.
Long live fellow citizens !
Long live our beloved country, Sierra Leone !
Long live democracy !
