By John Ikani
The US government has announced that it won’t grant visas to Sierra Leone officials who interfered with the elections held in the West African nation in June.
“The United States will seek visa restrictions for those suspected of being responsible for, or involved in, undermining democracy in Sierra Leone, including by tampering or manipulating the electoral process,” stated US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Individuals who intimidated voters, election observers, civil society organizations, or violated human rights in Sierra Leone will also be barred from obtaining US visas, he confirmed. The relatives of such individuals may also face the same restrictions.
The statement did not disclose the identities of those on the visa restriction list.
Incumbent President Julius Maada Bio secured victory in the election with 56% of the vote. His primary rival, Samura Kamara, who secured 41%, criticized the outcome as “daylight robbery” and claimed that his election agents were denied the opportunity to validate the vote count.
International election observers did raise concerns about transparency in the vote tallying process.
The election campaign was marred by multiple violent incidents involving the two major political parties in the country.
