Part Six – Restoring Peace, Justice and Security, Dr Ibrahim Bangura’s Leadership in Times of Broken Trust
By Jarrah Kawusu-Konte
In the last seven years, Sierra Leone has witnessed much more than economic decline and institutional fatigue. Sierra Leoneans have endured a steady, deliberate erosion of peace, justice and personal security. The streets once filled with peaceful citizens are now patrolled by anger, despair and tension. Trust between the governed and the government has frayed, while several reports have underscored that public confidence in the judiciary, police and oversight institutions has plummeted. In the eyes of many, justice has become a privilege, peace an illusion, and security a coin toss depending on where you live and what you believe. This is not how a nation heals. This is how a nation breaks.
According to the Afrobarometer 2023 Survey, over 60% of Sierra Leoneans reported fear of political intimidation and harassment. Amnesty International has raised concerns about the suppression of dissent, arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force by security agencies. The 2024 Freedom House Report downgraded Sierra Leone’s status to “Partly Free,” citing interference in judicial processes and shrinking civic space. Essentially, national peace is bleeding beneath the surface, wounded by unresolved grievances, political vindictiveness, and the casual betrayal of due process.
But amid this climate of fear and fragility stands a figure of rare calm and credibility, Dr Ibrahim Bangura. A trained peace and security expert, a seasoned conflict resolution practitioner, and a scholar of justice systems across Africa, he is uniquely qualified to reverse this decline and restore the soul of the state.
Dr Bangura has advised the African Union, ECOWAS, and the European Union, the UN among others on peacebuilding, governance and early warning systems. He has authored over a dozen scholarly works on transitional justice, democratic accountability and institutional reform. But more than his academic credentials, it is his consistency in upholding fairness, inclusion and neutrality that defines his leadership.
Those who remember the APC’s turbulent moments know that Dr Bangura was the steady hand when others flinched. He mediated the party’s most delicate impasses, not by appeasing power, but by affirming principle. He has been trusted by party elders, respected by youth, and embraced by the grassroots for one reason, he brings peace where others bring politics.
His policy vision is uncompromising. He proposes community peace councils to institutionalise local conflict resolution and give communities agency in maintaining harmony. He champions judicial independence and advocates for a merit-based appointment process for judges and prosecutors. He believes in civilian-led security oversight bodies to prevent the abuse of force, and truth and reconciliation mechanisms to heal wounds that laws alone cannot close.
Dr Bangura also understands that peace is not just the absence of war, it is the presence of justice, equity and opportunity. His plan integrates social inclusion, youth engagement, and responsive governance into the broader peace and security framework.
In his words: “You cannot govern people you do not listen to, and you cannot secure a nation you do not serve.” His peace agenda is not performative, it is transformative, rooted in integrity and tested in fire.
As the APC prepares for its National Delegates Conference, the choice before us is not merely about who leads, but how we heal. We must elect someone who can reconcile old rifts, protect the dignity of all members, and restore public trust in the APC as a national institution, not a factional playground.
Dr Ibrahim Bangura has shown, time and again, that he is that leader.
In him, the APC will find stability. In him, Sierra Leone will find a champion of true peace, not just peace at the ballot box, but peace in communities, in courts, and in the conscience of a nation long denied justice.
Let us heal the broken trust. Let us unite a wounded people. Let us build institutions that serve, not suppress.
Let us elect Dr Ibrahim Bangura as the next APC leader—for peace, for justice, for Sierra Leone.
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Jarrah Kawusu-Konte is a communication Specialist, former Political Editor of the We Yone Newspaper (2003 – 2006) and former Communications Manager and Director of Communications at State House (2011 – 2018). Former APC MP candidate for Koinadugu District in 2002. A son of the soil, a believer in redemption, and a servant of hope.
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