The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) have confirmed that an ECOWAS Stabilisation Force will be deployed in Sierra Leone within the coming weeks or months.
The move comes in response to recent security challenges, including riots, demonstrations, and a failed coup attempt.
Speaking on the deployment, Colonel Issa Bangura, Director of Defense Public Relations and Information, stated, “The Force will strengthen Sierra Leone’s security apparatus in light of recent riots, demonstrations, and a failed coup attempt. ECOWAS has decided to deploy a sizeable force to support our security sector. This will deter any attempts at unconstitutional power grabs.”
The decision to deploy the force was made by ECOWAS leaders during their 64th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria, where they condemned the November 26 coup attempt and called for justice through due process.
The Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa emphasized the importance of the meeting, highlighting that the discussions focused on providing ECOWAS security support to Sierra Leone and operationalizing logistics deployment within the country.
“So, key discussion during this conference covered on the proposed ECOWAS security support in Sierra Leone and the activation of the ECOWAS standby force,” he said.
Last Friday, a delegation led by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), along with Members of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Planning and Economic Development and local authorities from Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, visited the ECOWAS Logistics Depot in Lungi, Port Loko District.
MoPED Minister, Madam Kenyeh Barlay, praised the cooperation of local leaders, MPs, and ECOWAS, highlighting the depot’s importance to both ECOWAS and Sierra Leone.
“The depot is not only important to ECOWAS but also to Sierra Leone,” Minister Barlay said. “We visited the depot in May this year and promised to engage stakeholders to address challenges affecting its timely completion, especially issues like land grabbing and security.”
Barlay emphasized the need to resolve pending issues related to the seafront land that the depot seeks to access. She noted that the project, which began in July 2000, has now reached a 99% completion rate despite facing obstacles like the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
“I want the project to be handed over to the government by the end of this year,” she stated.
Alhaji Aruna Musa, ECOWAS Representative in Sierra Leone, explained that the depot was established through United Nations and African Union protocols for peacekeeping operations and is intended to serve as a logistics hub and standby force within the region.
“The depot is the baby of ECOWAS. No mission would succeed without logistics,” he remarked.
The project consultants reported that the depot is over 97% complete, with only a few components such as water supply, fire equipment, tree planting, fencing, and fire hydrant installations remaining, alongside an additional building for the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces.
This deployment marks a significant step towards bolstering Sierra Leone’s security as ECOWAS seeks to ensure stability in the region.
