Sierra Leone could impose state of emergency for relief and political reasons

Sierra Leone could impose a state of emergency weeks after deadly floods and mudslides killed hundreds in the West African country.

A Reuters reporter in the country, Umar Fofana, cited parliamentary sources as saying the disaster of August 14 will be the main reason to be advanced. The government has said it needs time to resettle persons displaced by the disaster.

Elections are slated for March 2018 but can be postponed if there is a state of emergency. According to Fofana, the majority leader, Leonard Fofana, did not deny the report but only declined further comment.

Allied to that, the Parliament has summoned the elections body to appear before them to answer questions believed to be around the feasibility or otherwise of holding polls in March.

An opposition party’s headquarters was on Tuesday morning hit by a petrol bomb. The damage was, however, controlled in what the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) leader, Mohamed Mansaray said was a politically motivated attack.

Mansaray broke away from the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) and founded the ADP in 2015 – now a third political force. Sierra Leone’s main opposition party is the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).