Sierra Leone President addresses controversial Guinea visit

Sierra Leone President, Julius Maada Bio has dismissed criticism of his state visit to Guinea earlier this week, claiming that the tour was necessary for his country’s national security.

President Bio spent part of Monday in Conkary, Guinea’s city, conducting talks with the military junta’s leadership.

According to a presidential statement, he went on the trip at the request of junta head Col Mamady Doumbouya. The meeting was also intended to examine Sierra Leone’s security concerns, according to the statement.

However, supporters of the opposition in Sierra Leone heavily criticised the visit, saying that

Bio’s action amounted to undermining the decision of the regional bloc ECOWAS, which had slammed sanctions on Guinea for the September 5 coup which brought Doumbouya to power.

However, President Bio in an interview with CNN on Thursday dismissed the suggestion and said that he made the visit with the consent of “few members” of the bloc.

President Bio also questioned ECOWAS’ stance on Guinea, noting that while he stood by the bloc’s position in condemning the coup, which he echoed in an official statement, he thought it was a wrong move to isolate the military leadership.

The Sierra Leon presidency said that part of the agenda to be discussed between President Bio and Col Doumbouya was the protracted dispute over ownership of the small border town of Yenga.