Lungi, Sierra Leone – In a symbolically significant moment ahead of the high-profile ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit, Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr personally received former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma upon his return to Sierra Leone on Sunday morning at Lungi.
The mayor shared her thoughts on social media, posting: “Exactly 2 years and 6 months since he left Sierra Leone, it was wonderful to receive former President H. E. Ernest Bai Koroma at Lungi this morning. Grateful for this day. #JoyfulMoment.”
Koroma, who served as Sierra Leone’s president from 2007 to 2018, had been living in exile in Nigeria since January 2024. He departed following an ECOWAS-brokered arrangement after facing serious charges, including treason, linked to the November 26, 2023, attempted coup in Freetown. That incident involved attacks on a military armoury and prisons, resulting in deaths and the escape of thousands of inmates. Koroma consistently denied any involvement.
Sierra Leone’s government recently dropped all charges against the 72-year-old former leader on health grounds, paving the way for his return. Information Minister Chernor Bah confirmed the decision to the media.
Koroma’s return coincides with Sierra Leone hosting the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit (July 12–19, 2026), which includes ministerial meetings in Freetown and the 69th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on July 19 at the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre in Lungi. The summit focuses on regional cooperation, peace, and economic integration across West Africa.
Aki-Sawyerr, who previously worked under Koroma during the Ebola response (earning an Ebola Gold Medal from him in 2015), has been Mayor of Freetown since 2018. Her warm reception underscores themes of national reconciliation and political maturity as the country prepares for an international diplomatic spotlight.
The development is viewed by many as a step toward healing political divisions in Sierra Leone following the turbulent post-2023 election period. Koroma’s All People’s Congress (APC) remains a major opposition force, and his safe return is expected to contribute to a more stable environment during the regional summit.
