By Kemo Cham and Cheryl A. Thomas
The umbrella body representing ethnic Fullahs in Sierra Leone has called on the government of President Julius Maada Bio to take immediate action over the unfair treatment of members of the community.
It follows widespread reports of mass arrests of people of Fullani ethnicity across the country. The arrests which were first reported on Sunday indicated that scores of people were rounded up by security forces amid fears of their imminent deportation to Guinea.
The development comes in the wake of the reported deportation of Sierra Leonean nationals from Guinea.
However, the Fullah Progressive Union (FPU) said the people arrested by Sierra Leonean security officials were Sierra Leone nationals, describing the move as “shameful” and said it threatened peaceful co-existence of the country’s diverse ethnic groups.
“We find it deeply troubling that innocent Fullahs were reportedly being labelled as undocumented foreigners, arrested and detained,” a statement signed by the Union’s National Secretary General, Alhaji Osman Bah, reads in part.
“This shameful act of ethnic profiling and systemic harassment is a serious affront to Sierra Leone’s constitution and the values of inclusion, unity and justice,” it adds.
The incident in Guinea last week sparked a diplomatic row, leading to the brief closure of the borders between the two neighbouring countries.
Guinean security and judicial authorities say a clampdown on criminality and drug peddling in some slums of the capital Conakry led to the arrest of scores of foreign nationals who were living in the country illegally. The raid occurred in slum communities popular with Sierra Leoneans, which the Guineans claim are infested with drugs.
Footages shared on social media platforms show people speaking in Krio running helter-skelter as their makeshifts properties were been destroyed.
Scores of people were later rounded up, bundled in trucks and transported to the border, where they were handed over to Sierra Leonean authorities. Local media reports in Guinea put the number of those arrested at about 200.
Reports indicated that Sierra Leonean immigration authorities initially declined the entry of the individuals, which led to the stand-off and temporary closure of the borders on both sides.
A statement later issued by the Sierra Leone Police said Guinean authorities failed to follow the correct protocol of deportation, hence the stand-off.
The deported Sierra Leoneans were eventually allowed in.
Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh visited them and expressed dismay at their treatment, according to reports.
And over the weekend, news of the arrest of people deemed as Guineans, in what appeared like a retaliatory move, emerged.
A senior official from the Sierra Leone Police who is familiar with the incident but would not speak on record said the arrests were made due to a matter of national security, which he wouldn’t explain. He however noted that all those arrested were later released.
The official referred ManoReporters to the Operations Director at the Sierra Leone, who also refrred us to the Police Media. The media officer said they had no information on the incident to share with journalists.
The FPU is unhappy that only Fullahs were singled out by the Sierra Leonean security forces. And worse, it lamented, those arrested were Sierra Leonean Fullahs.
The Union also said that following the incident on Sunday which occurred in Freetown, similar “attacks” were reported in other parts of the country, including Waterloo and Kono.
An official from the Union told ManoReporters that they felt unfairly treated. Sheriff Barrie, FPU’s Deputy National Secretary General, said while they acknowledged the incident in Guinea, they couldn’t understand why only people of one ethnicity were targeted by the Sierra Leone authorities.
“We take exception to that…Fullahs are not the owners of the Republic of Guinea. There are other immigrants as well,” he said.
“For the authorities to select and only clamp down on Fullahs, it is unacceptable…We cannot tolerate that, because Guinea is not owned by Fullahs. Whatever happens in Guinea, Fullahs should not suffer in Sierra Leone,” he stressed.
Mr Barrie said those who ordered the raid might have a “hidden agenda” which the Union seeks to expose.
ManoReporters learnt that the leadership of the FPU met with influential members of the Fullah community on Monday, including the Minister of Information Cherno Bah, to discuss the matter.
The FPU in its statement listed several demands for the government urging action. Notable is its call for a thorough investigation to identify those who took the decision and holding them accountable.
