IN BRIEF : Peaceful hand over in Sierra Leone
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Freetown - An elected government took power yesterday in Sierra Leone, which overcame civil war and a military coup to complete the transition to civilian rule. In one of the region's rare peaceful handovers of power, the President-elect Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, a lawyer and long-time politician and United Nations development worker, took over from the military leader General Julius Maada Bio amid thunderous applause and a 21-gun salute.
General Bio, in power since leading a coup on 16 January, reminded Mr Kabbah of his tasks in a speech on the eve of the inauguration. "As I speak today, there are still 2.1 million Sierra Leoneans, or 47 per cent of the country's population, who have been forced by violence to abandon their homes," he told diplomats and international aid groups. "The outlook is grim." AP
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments