Sierra Leone News: Health Volunteers chased out of community in Bonthe

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A team of volunteers working in Bonthe District as part of the three-day nationwide “Ose-to-Ose Ebola Tok” lockdown were allegedly rejected and chased out of the Kpetema community of Bum Chiefdom, possibly as a result of a boundary dispute with a neighboring chiefdom. Malcolm Cole, the District Coordinator for the Office of National Security (ONS), said that while health volunteers were engaging the community, a man identified as Alpha Senesie shouted to villagers to ignore any Ebola message delivered by volunteers from neighboring Sogbini Chiefdom, and to refuse to accept the bars of government-issued soap they were handing out. He claimed this was an order from their Paramount Chief, PC Alex J.J. Kainpumo of Bum Chiefdom. The Paramount Chief strongly denied this allegation in the presence of the Assistant District Officer, the ONS District Coordinator, and the District Medical Officer. The supervisor of the team, Albert O. Vandi, confirmed that the volunteers were chased out of the Kpetema community by young men armed with sticks, stones and machetes, but he had no report of any casualties. Reports gathered by PC Kainpumo suggested that the incident might have been sparked by the presence of one Jaiah Sandi among the volunteers. Sandi is a native of Sobini Chiefdom, which is engaged in a bitter boundary dispute with Bum, and this might have angered people. The volunteers’ allegation was denied by the Local Unit Commander of the Bonthe Police Division, Superintendent Amadu Turay. Turay said that a team assigned to conduct the Ose-to-Ose campaign was dispatched to Bum Chiefdom, but the plan was not strictly honoured. Mr Turay said the volunteers failed to present the true picture of the incident, and the allegation that they were chased by villagers with weapons is untrue. He added that none of the volunteers had made a formal complaint to the police. The situation has since been brought under control. The chairman for civil society in Bonthe District, Rev. Joseph Victor Gbando, blamed the district health management team for failure to recruit volunteers from the local community. Rev. Gbando said recruitment of volunteers from their respective communities was key to the success of the campaign. The two chiefdoms over the years have been constant rivals as a result of their boundary dispute. The two chiefdoms are fighting over the communities of Kpetema, Balay and Matagelema. Earlier this year, there was a heavy clash between the two chiefdoms in which a number of people from the two chiefdoms were seriously wounded. Mr Cole said that a government decision had confirmed that the disputed communities fall within the territory of Sogbini Chiefdom. Friday September 26, 2014

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