Ahmed Sesay, a young progressive youth at New Site, a suburb in Sierra Leone’s second capital, Bo, narrowly escaped death after political thugs of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) set ablaze his home burning valuable items and returning his family to point zero. Ahmed as one key target was able to escape due to a coincidence of him at the field playing football with his friends when the barbaric act was carried out. Eyewitnesses who overheard the hooligans’ murmurings disclosed how disappointed they were for not meeting their intended target, Ahmed Sesay.
“He is lucky that we didn’t meet or see him. He could have made a good input to this blazing fire”, they said. His family members including his father who is also another target escaped through the windows after the house had been engulfed with a thick black smoke
Burnt house and onlookers at the scene
From narrations by neighbours who did their best to put off the fire, though a fruitless endeavor, a group of desperate youths were seen parading that area in the afternoon with their agenda unknown; and as an isolated community, the few locals who were out then, got gripped with fear and had to relocate to their rooms as according to them, such a disgruntled looking set of people have not been seen in that area.
Ahmed Sesay’s family had come under serious political pressure and intimidation after then ruling All People’s Congress (APC) Party lost to the SLPP in the 2018 Presidential Elections. His father was a strongman for the APC acting in the capacity Youth Chairman in the district. Bo District is a cosmopolitan city according people of different tribes and religions, but this city is highly regarded as one strongholds of the Sierra Leone People’s Party. Despite its vast majority of people, the town is highly dominated by the Mende Ethnic group.
These people like every other society, are expected to be brothers, but the difference in political views changed them to nemesis.
Politics in districts and regional levels in Sierra Leone are sometimes taken as a matter of life and death. Political Party sympathizers including brothers and sisters from the same roof become sworn enemies.
Mr. Ibrahim Sesay, father of Ahmed Sesay was a key campaigner for the APC in Bo, a position that would garner fierce enmity from near neighbours who support the other side. His life and that of his family was constantly threatened during campaigns, and the aftermath is a sad memory for the Sesay family.
The burning of Mr. Sesay’s home with nothing to grab-hold of; and also in opposition left him completely heart broken, and continuous stigmatization and political stunt forced him to his due to a heart attack in 2019. The main family tree has fallen, and thus; that’s not the end for Ahmed and his family as the family is to receive more political intimidation and torture.
Ahmed Sesay mother’s shop in the middle of town, the family only source of survival and possible resuscitation was completely burnt down by unknown people just few months after Mr. Ibrahim Sesay’s demise.
It was later revealed that Ahmed and his mother and other siblings relocated to the country’s capital Freetown to see solace after years of traumatic conditions in their home town, maltreated just in the name of politics and being in opposition.
