Freetown, 12th September 2024 — The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) have dismissed recent allegations circulating in local tabloids and on social media, claiming that ex-peacekeeping officers have been subjected to degrading conditions, inhumane treatment, and illegal solitary confinement at the Police Headquarters on George Street, Freetown.
The allegations also accuse the Executive Management Board (EMB) of the SLP of embezzling the officers’ allowances and employment benefits.
In a statement released by the Media and Public Relations Department (MPRD) of the SLP, these claims were described as “deliberately false and misleading.”
The SLP clarified that the government of Sierra Leone, as part of its commitment to international peace and security, has contributed police peacekeepers to missions in South Sudan, Abyei, and Somalia.
The SLP has been responsible for deploying Individual Police Officers (IPOs) to these missions, as well as five Formed Police Units (FPUs) to Somalia. The current unit in Somalia, known as FPU-5, follows FPU-4, which returned to Sierra Leone in October 2023 after completing its tour of duty.
Upon their return, the SLP’s deployment policy provides peacekeepers with a two-week break to spend time with their families before resuming regular duties.
“The ex-peacekeepers of FPU-4 were no exception,” the statement read. “They were deployed to perform normal policing duties at various locations across the country, including Police Headquarters.”
The SLP emphasized that the officers’ deployment at Police Headquarters does not constitute detention or solitary confinement, as alleged.
“They have access to their families whenever they wish and are fully supported by Management in terms of their welfare and upkeep,” the statement continued.
Regarding the claims of embezzlement of allowances, the SLP categorically denied these accusations, stating, “The Executive Management Board has no access to the officers’ allowances. The African Union (AU) pays these allowances directly into the officers’ individual foreign accounts in Sierra Leone.”
The SLP confirmed that each peacekeeper has been paid for 16 months directly into their accounts, with only two months of allowances still outstanding.
“Management has engaged the AU Mission Assessment Team currently in the country to expedite the payment of the two-month backlog,” the statement noted.
The SLP expects that the remaining allowances will be paid by the AU soon. The police management reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the welfare of their officers and maintaining transparency in all financial matters concerning their personnel.
