Kailahun, Sierra Leone – In a show of personal commitment to affected citizens, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has donated a total of 2,400 bags of rice to residents of Yenga and surrounding areas in Kissi Teng Chiefdom, Kailahun District, following recent incidents of insecurity near the border.
The emergency relief package includes 400 bags of 50kg rice and 2,000 bags of 25kg rice, currently being transported in military trucks from Freetown to the Eastern Province. The food aid will be freely distributed to all internally displaced persons and residents whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the sudden unrest in the area.
Speaking in an exclusive telephone interview, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Alhaji Timothy Kabba, confirmed that the entire humanitarian effort is being financed directly by President Bio from his personal funds.
“This is not from the government budget — the President is personally footing the cost,” Kabba emphasized.
Minister Kabba, who is overseeing the delivery alongside Eastern Region Resident Minister Hon. Jusu Jaka Ngobeh, described the initiative as a swift and compassionate response to the growing needs of the affected communities.
In addition to the humanitarian aid, Kabba revealed that President Bio is actively engaged in high-level diplomatic discussions aimed at resolving the long-standing Yenga border issue.
“The President is fully involved in very serious diplomatic efforts at the highest levels,” he said.
Local authorities in Kailahun are preparing to receive the convoy and coordinate the distribution of the rice as it arrives in the coming hours.
Credit: Sylvia Olayinka Blyden
