By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
30 September, 2020 (232News)
FREETOWN – Sierra Leone Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nabeela Tunis, has said that they are at a stage where they will not compromise Sierra Leone national processes of verification despite the fact that her government is under lot of pressure to receive the alleged Sierra Leoneans from the United States of American.
Tunis was addressing the press at her Foreign Affairs Ministry this past Tuesday.
She however said her government will continue to engage its American counterpart in effort to resolve the issue of US Visa sanction on Sierra Leone.
She explained that on the 11th of September her ministry was informed about extending the visa band and immediately they responded to that as a ministry.
Tunis spoke about the cordial relationship between Sierra Leone and the United States over the past couple of years.
She noted that the current situation warrants some action from them and they have been in engagement with the US Embassy in Freetown to see how the issue could be ratified.
She went on to say the reason that were put forward from the United States about the extension of the sanction is based on non-compliance from the government of Sierra Leone in receiving it nationals, this the Foreign Affairs minister said “I will like to state that we have been satisfactory comply with the Americans request. We have told them that we are ready to accept our national and we have been doing that for a very long time.”
She cited a situation last year where they have two nationals who are not Sierra Leoneans that came to the country as deportee.
She said for that not to repeat itself they have set up a committee comprises of the Immigration, Office of National Security (ONS), Labor, IOM, and Social Welfare for them to verify their national.
“Action like this required lot of things, at our level, that is why we have all these institutions to verify our national.”
She also explained that there was a time all airports were closed and that they have to contact U.S. for them to understand that they verify their nationals but when the airports were opened in August they received 8 people in the series of deportees.
“Couple of other things we need to activate to show that these are our national. For the fact, we did not understand the very reason for this, we will continue to engage the authority from the US because as a country we also have a responsibility to go through the verification process as our national process deems it feet.”
She assured Sierra Leoneans that they are doing everything in their power as a government to ratify the problem which has been with them since 2017.
“It may interest you to know that we have been under sanction from 2016 and it was extended in 2017, temporary lifted in 2018 and it was again extended. And we are still trying to understand the sanction”
She emphasized that all the measures that need to be activated for them to verify their national is been follow to the letter and they will continue to engage the U.S authority.
According to the Minister 1,600 alleged national of Sierra Leone are awaiting deportation from the U.S. while some are still on trial.
The number created alarm from the government and Sierra Leoneans.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Director General Mrs. Florence Bangali also made a statement.
