Behind the shadows: the Makeni riot and the call for justice

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy)✍️

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The clouds of sorrow are still hanging on the horizons of Makeni city following the riot, the killings and the aftermath.

The conflicting element (the relocation of the old German made standby generator) is far smaller and lesser in scale and magnitude than the action and the horrific consequences. Six young people in the prime of their lives are no more, lost to an action that could have been effortlessly avoided. 

Those Young folks could have been with us today to celebrate the International Day of Youth. 

Their absence by death is a shocking reality and a brutal indictment of the commonplace calculated leadership failure of the adult world. 

Those Young folks were callously stampeded to early graves by error of leadership application and conduct. This is an unbearable reality,  an unacceptable conduct and, above all, a moral collapse of trust in leadership.

Much has been said and done but we cannot reverse the horror. We will certainly prevent a repeat of the history of this seeming carnage by ensuring the application of Justice and opening the corridors of accountability for those that bear the greatest responsibility.

Behind the shadows, there were massive manipulations and coordinated actions that effectively disrobed the riot of a spontaneous character. No, the riot was not spontaneous but premeditated, well thought out, planned, coordinated and well executed. 

It was a conspiracy whose intended outcomes ran on the contrary and exposed a hitherto peaceful city to horror, death, starvation, economic loss and the destruction of public and private properties.

Why did we fight? A natural answer will be we fought for a generator that was to be relocated. However, the question whether the relocation of the generator was worth fighting for given the undesirable fatalities, a natural answer will be a big no!

Those causative factors or fundamental root causes that led to the riot and the attendant outcomes and consequences play host to the devil. This is where we must search for the beast.

There are many divergent views, opinions and interpretations of the riot and the outcomes but what remains constant and overiding is the call for justice.

Makeni people are not anti establishment, not anti government, not offenders of the law and, above all, anti development. 

Like any city in the world, people in Makeni hold divergent political views and hold political alliances based on individual political convictions and historic bearings. 

Any act or action that indicates that belonging to Makeni is a must for support to and membership of APC is regrettably unfortunate and grossly misrepresentative of the political reality of the situation.

The application of politics is becoming a distabilizing factor in Makeni. We need to tell the politicians to hands off our youth. We will not commit the generational sin of the politics of denial and disengagement from state governance.

The youth are very clear on their readiness to distance themselves from violence. They are aware that they have been wrongly utilized by politicians in years gone by. They are determined to break with this infamous historic past.

Makeni and her people are returning to the glory of a city reputed for peace and peaceful coexistence.