Written by Munda Rogers
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Honourable Ibrahim Sorie, Member of Parliament, has noted that 'if the Republic of Guinea should explode, Sierra Leone would be consumed in less than a week; and if the situation in Guinea is not treated seriously, Sierra Leone's survival and livelihood as a state would be affected. Honourable Sorie, from the Kambia District, which borders neighbouring Guinea, made this statement at a Civil Society Information sharing consultation on peaceful democratic transition in Guinea. He said the current emphasis placed on the Guinea crisis was still on a low scale in the country. He pointed that the situation in Guinea should be an agenda for discussion in Sierra Leone's Parliament because, as he put it, the two countries have socio-cultural ties. Mrs. Memunatu Pratt, Head of Peace and Conflict Studies, Fourah Bay College said Sierra Leone had a role to save Guinea from its current state of crisis. She said Sierra Leone should be prepared to help transform conflict in the sub- region. Giving a conceptual analysis of the situation in Guinea, Dr. Habib Sesay Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Fourah Bay College said a strong message should be sent to the Guinean military and their counterparts, stressing that the era of unwarranted military intervention in national politics in Africa was over. Sierra Leoneans living along the Guinea border have expressed concern at the state of affairs in Guinea, which they say could undermine the peace and stability of the country.