Sunday May 25th marked the 11th anniversary of the overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah after one year in office by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).
The AFRC coup also saw for the first time in the history of the country, the invitation of the Revolutionary United Front [RUF] rebels, by the Sierra Leone Army (SLA) thus forming the AFRC.
A release from Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), a national non-governmental organization which is desirous of promoting the ideals of good governance, peace, justice and accountability in the country, wishes to remind the general public of this red- lettered day in the calendar of the country’s political history.
The reminder, it is stated “is to ensure that citizens reflect on the ugly incidents of the past, with a view to preventing a recurrence of such phenomena, even as we strive towards stability and democratic consolidation.”
The eventual outcome of this unholy alliance, according to the CGG, was widespread carnage and unduly destruction.
Hundreds of lives were lost, thousands displaced and millions worth of property looted and destroyed. ‘The Peoples’ Army’, as the rebels came to be known, wrecked immeasurable havoc on the ordinary citizens of the country. The days and months that followed are best left un-exhumed.
The organization believes that if Sierra Leone and its people are to deter another ‘May 25’, the incidences of lawlessness, disrespect for the rule of law, corruption and other socio-economic and political vices should be shelved to incorporate the principles and practice of democracy. They therefore suggest that there is the need to honour the fallen heroes and heroines who lost their lives for the restoration of peace and democracy in Sierra Leone.
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