Sierra Leone

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The US government has announced that it will not issue visas to Sierra Leone officials who undermined elections held in the West African nation in June.

"Under this policy, the United States will pursue visa restrictions for those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Sierra Leone, including through the manipulation or rigging of the electoral process," US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement.

Individuals who had intimidated voters, election observers or civil society organisations or violated or abused human rights in Sierra Leone would also be denied US visas, he said.

This would also affect some of the relatives, he added.

Those on the blacklist were not identified in his statement.

Incumbent President Julius Maada Bio won the election with 56% of the vote. His main rival, Samura Kamara, who gained 41%, called the outcome "daylight robbery" and alleged that his electoral agents were not allowed to verify the ballot counting.

International election observers did highlight problems with transparency in the tallying process.

The campaign had been marred by several violent incidents involving both of the country’s main political parties.

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Sierra Leone's government has said that it is ready to "establish an Embassy of Sierra Leone in Jerusalem".

This follows other countries like the US, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo who have already opened embassies there.

Israel considers Jerusalem to be its capital - including East Jerusalem which it annexed in 1980.

But the move is not recognised by most of the international community.

Most countries have kept their embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv, as they think the status of Jerusalem should be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians - who claim it as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

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Liberian authorities have arrested and handed over a former Sierra Leonean police chief accused by his country of planning a coup against President Julius Maada Bio's government.

Liberian Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie said in a statement on Tuesday that Mohammed Y Toure was arrested “at the request of the Sierra Leonean authorities on the allegation of helping plan subversive activities intended to unseat [Mr Bio’s] government”.

He said Liberia had decided to hand the ex-police chief over to Sierra Leone as requested following preliminary investigations.

He added that Sierra Leone had given assurances that his rights would be respected, including the right to a fair and speedy trial.

However, Liberia's Independent National Commission on Human Rights cautioned against the extradition, citing the risk of surrendered persons facing "physical abuse, unfair trial or excessive punishment" by the requesting government.

In a statement, it also reminded Liberia's government of its obligations including refusing extradition requests if the offence "is regarded as a political offence or as an offence connected with a political offence".

The ex-police chief has been residing in Liberia since last year. He was among officers dismissed from the Sierra Leone police force in 2020, while others were forced into retirement, local media report.

His deportation comes more than a week after the police in Sierra Leone accused unnamed individuals “at home and abroad” of planning violent protests.

Last week, the police said they had arrested several people including unnamed senior military officers, for "working to undermine the peace and tranquillity of the state".

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Sierra Leonean police have arrested several people including unnamed senior military officers, for "working to undermine the peace and tranquillity of the state".

In a statement, police said those arrested were planning violent protests between 7 and 10 August.

Police accused unnamed individuals "at home and abroad" of plotting to undermine peace in the country.

They said they were "fully in control" and urged Sierra Leoneans to remain peaceful and go about their normal businesses.

Unease has gripped the West African country since the controversial re-election of President Julius Maada Bio on 24 June.

On 5 July, Mr Bio accused Western countries of creating confusion in the country after they expressed concern over the conduct of June's election.

The country has enjoyed relative peace since the end of an 11-year-long civil war in 2002.

Opposition MPs in Sierra Leone have boycotted their parliamentary swearing-in ceremony following elections last month.

The All People’s Congress (APC) won 54 out of 149 seats, according to results announced by the electoral commission which the opposition disputes.

The APC has demanded the resignation of the election commission chief and a rerun of the vote within six months.

US ambassador to Sierra Leone David Reimer had urged against the boycott, saying "a vibrant democracy needs a strong opposition - those who voted for the opposition need to have their voices heard".

But APC leader Samura Kamara, the losing presidential contender, tweeted: "Under normal circumstances, each day forward means progress. In our political journey however in Sierra Leone, a new day now means going backwards.”

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As counting continues in Sierra Leone's hotly contested general election, the former mayor of Freetown has echoed opposition allegations that the tallying process is not transparent.

So far, around 60% of votes have been counted.

“He says he’s announced 60% but before he announces the remaining 40% there’s a need for everyone to be given access to the information," Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of the opposition APC party told the BBC's Newsday programme.

"First to verify it because that’s what the law says. That’s what we’re asking for, anything short of that is definitely going to be questionable," Ms Aki-Sawyerr added.

So far, the incumbent President Julius Maada Bio appears to have a strong lead over his rival Samura Kamara.

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The opposition candidate has called the provisional results in Sierra Leone "daylight robbery", alleging that his electoral agents were not allowed to verify the ballot counting.

With the majority of ballots counted, the incumbent, Julius Maada Bio, appears to have a strong lead over his main rival, Samura Kamara.

Tthe BBC's correspondent in the capital Freetown says Mr Bio's success can more likely be attributed to a series of strategic electoral alliances he made in the course of the campaign, including in opposition strongholds.

European Union observers have criticised the electoral commission for a lack of transparency, and noted incidents of violence in some regions during the vote.

The electoral commission in Sierra Leone has said it expects final results from Sunday's presidential election to be published later.

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Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has urged all citizens in the country to keep the peace and continue to respect all public order laws.

In an address to the nation on Monday, President Bio said every person has a stake in maintaining peace during and after the announcement of election results.

"Citizens must not incite violence or associate with violent action. Avoid all provocative and retaliatory actions for everyone's sake."

President Bio, who is seeking re-election, is in an early lead with more than a million votes in the provincial results released by the electoral commission. The final results will be announced within 48 hours from Monday afternoon.

On Monday, many schools, offices and shops were closed in Freetown due to fear of post-election violence.

The president urged the police and security forces to exercise restraint when enforcing the law.

"Every citizen's constitutional rights are equally important and must be respected at all times and in all circumstances," he said.

In order to win in the first round a presidential hopeful must secure 55% of the valid votes cast - otherwise there will be a run-off between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the final results.

This was the case in 2018 with a run-off between Mr Bio and opponent Samura Kamara.

The first set of results in Sierra Leone's presidential election - with the votes from 60% of the polling stations tallied - show that the incumbent Julius Maada Bio is in the lead.

The electoral commission says that he has 56% of the vote so far with his closest rival Samura Kamara, of the All People's Congress (APC), getting 42%.

In order to win in the first round, a candidate needs more than 55% of the vote. The final results are now expected in the next 48 hours, the electoral commission said.

The APC had previously made complaints about the conduct of the election and the electoral commission.

Saturday's vote took place in a tense atmosphere at the culmination of a campaign marred by several violent incidents.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The tallying of results is continuing in Sierra Leone two days after the general election.

It's not clear who is leading in the presidential race between President Julius Maada Bio and his main contender Samura Kamara, but both sides have already said that they won the poll.

Election observers have urged them to remain calm and wait for the official results. But there are worries that no results have been announced.

The European Union mission urged the electoral commission to provide "full transparency during the tabulation of results" to ease tensions.

The Carter Center also expressed concern over "reports indicating a lack of transparency during parts of the tabulation process", the AFP news agency quotes it as saying.

The winner of the election must secure 55% of the valid votes cast, otherwise there will be a run-off between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the results.

A lot is at stake as the West African country faces many issues including a worsening cost-of-living crisis, poverty and massive unemployment.

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Soldiers have surrounded the headquarters of the main opposition party in Sierra Leone, as votes are counted in the country's presidential election.

The leader of the All People's Congress, Samura Kamara, said live ammunition was fired into the building as he held a news conference.

He said it amounted to an assassination attempt.

Clouds of tear gas shrouded the building.

It's unclear why truckloads of troops were deployed.

The police have not yet commented on the incident.

The opposition is hoping to unseat President Julius Maada Bio, who's standing for a second term in office.

There was sporadic violence against election officials during the vote on Saturday after a tense campaign.

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Election observers in Sierra Leone have voiced concern over incidents of violence and intimidation ahead of Saturday's presidential poll.

Observers from the African Union and the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, issed a joint statement urging political parties and their supporters to abide by the rule of law.

They also called on the security forces to remain apolitical.

On Wednesday, supporters of the opposition All People's Congress (APC) clashed with the security forces near the party's headquarters in the capital, Freetown.

One person was killed.

The APC has called for demonstrations over what it calls discrepancies in the electoral process.

President Julius Maada Bio is seeking re-election in the vote, which will be the fifth presidential poll since the end of the civil war in 2002.

Sierra Leone has seen waves of violence in recent months. Last year there were deadly anti-government protests over rising cost of living and economic hardship.

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People are rushing to markets in Sierra Leone’s capital to stock up on food ahead of elections on Saturday, residents in Freetown have told the BBC.

It follows a stand-off on Wednesday between the security forces and supporters of the main opposition party that reportedly left at least one person dead.

Businesses shut down briefly amid the chaos and there is now a palpable fear that there could be further violence after Saturday's poll.

Sidi Yahya Tunis, spokesperson for the opposition All People's Congress (APC), told the Reuters news agency that one of the party’s supporters had been killed by the police.

An unverified video of the chaos showed an unconscious man who appeared to have been shot in the neck.

Police director of operations Mohamed Braima Jah said no shots had been fired by officers, accusing the protesters of firing the shots: "Two from a pistol and three from an AK-47."

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Local media say about 66 people have been arrested.

The trouble started after the APC called for a demonstration over allegations that the election commission’s electoral roll was incorrect. Around 3.4 million people are registered to vote.

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The election is the fifth since Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war officially ended in 2002. It was a particularly brutal conflict, with 50,000 deaths and thousands of people estimated to have had their arms and limbs amputated.

President Julius Maada Bio is seeking re-election for a second and final term in office.

His main challenger is the APC's Samura Kamara, who came a close second in the last election in 2018.

One of the biggest campaign issues has been about soaring prices - inflation reached about 43% in April.