The election results

So, at some point in the last two weeks that we've been gone, the votes were finally counted in Sierra Leone. The opposition candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma, won pretty handily. Despite a complete shift in power in both the executive and legislative branches of this nascent democracy fresh out of civil war, though, there was very little violence. Not only that, but this country is being held up as a model of democracy in Africa. Is it wrong to be proud of that?

And yes...we're out of the steppes. We've got a whole, long, voluble post written, but we're having a bear of a time getting our pictures uploaded. So, I'll hold off on posting it for another couple of days in possibly vain hopes.

But we're back to civilization in one piece and thoroughly, madly in love with a new country. Iceland, you may have met your match...

More later. Thanks for all your e-mails while we were away!

Troubles in Sierra Leone

As proof that we really are going to Sierra Leone and not just traipsing around the world to while away a year...

The much-anticipated run-off election for the Presidency of Sierra Leone is coming up at the end of this week. Unlike with the first round, which was a stunning success, campaigning this time around has been fraught with difficulty. Twenty people, for example, were hurt in a recent clash.

The two presidential candidates (Ernest Koroma, who took 44% of the vote the first time around, and current vice president Solomon Berewa, who took 38%) are urging their supporters not to resort to violence and have themselves promised the current president not to "use militia"...one wonders what that means. Or whether those promises are true. Meanwhile, President Kabbah has threatened declaring a "state of emergency."

Hard to know what to think of all this...

More political news

The election results are almost completely counted. As—somewhat—expected, no single party received the 55% majority needed to avoid a run-off. The current ruling party's candidate garnered 38%; he was beaten by an opposition candidate with 44%. The run-off is due on September 6. More details...

Meanwhile, Charles Taylor, Liberia's former president, has been awaiting war-crimes trial for his role in Sierra Leone's 1991-2001 civil war. The trial was set to begin soon; it has been postponed until January, 2008. This will coincide with our time in the country; it will be, if nothing else, exciting.

Elections and slumming it for real

The elections that were set for Saturday happened—and quite peacefully, too. Sixty percent of the entire country's population showed up to vote. And the votes are being counted in public, in front of everyone (no hanging chads here...). Results won't be available for another twelve days, and it's likely that no single presidential candidate will get the 55% needed to avoid a run-off, but it's a start, right?

Meanwhile, behold the less-beautiful parts of Freetown. This is a set of pictures off the BBC not to be missed. (Click on the picture to go to the BBC's slideshow)

Tragedies, Elections, War Crimes and Football

Sierra Leone has been in the news recently. And not much of it has been good.

Back in June, a helicopter exploded as it landed in Freetown, carrying members of the Togolese soccer team. The helicopter was ferrying passengers from Lungi airport to Freetown itself, a seven-minute ride. Only the copilot survived. Airport ferries have since been done over water. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6715937.stm. This is the ferry.

And then, speaking of ferrying over water, another 65 people were killed when a boat, leaving Freetown for the north, capsized in the midst of a violent storm, just two days ago. August is the height of Sierra Leone's rainy season; these storms are evidently not so uncommon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6929661.stm

Oh boy...

The first of Sierra Leone's war-crimes sentences have been handed out, two three leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council. Alex Tamba Brima, Santigie Borbor Kanu, and Brima Kamara have been jailed for between 45 and 50 years for murder, rape, mutilation, and the recruitment of child soldiers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6906702.stm

What's more, the country is preparing for their first elections since the end of the civil war in 2002. The elections were supposed to be held on 28 July; they've been delayed until this coming Saturday.

Not a particularly stable time for this country, no?

Oh, yeah, and the Sierra Leonean football (er,...soccer) team was beaten by the English today. How kind.