By Alpha Abu
People who had their limbs brutally amputated during the civil conflict have threatened to stage a weeklong peaceful demonstration next month in protest over what they say is the neglect by the authorities over their welfare.
At a press conference called by senior members of the Amputee and War Wounded Association at their Murray Town, Freetown Office on Wednesday 23 February 2022, a Press Release was distributed to journalists in which they said the end of the conflict brought great hope for their amputee members. Instead, they say they have been given little or no attention which has resulted in them begging in the streets.
They said their members are not only vulnerable but undernourished based on the nationwide assessment they undertook.
The protest, the amputees say, will begin on the 23rd March onto the 29th March 2022 because of what they claim was the failure by the government to engage them in peaceful dialogue or respond to the letters they have written.
The President of the Association, Hassan Tarawallie who lost both of his hands, told journalists that late President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah’s government prepared a cabinet document that outlined a string of benefits for them and that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended sustainable support in the form of pension for all their affected members. These he said was not honoured.
He said they were only given a one-off cash payment of Le6 million as war reparation, a payment that was said to have taken place only twelve years after the war ended. Tarawallie said amputees and war-wounded persons continue to live in deplorable conditions, with no access to proper medical care and with basic needs like clutches lacking. He particularly criticized the various disability bodies including the Disability Commission, for excluding them from any representation, and said only the blind and polio persons are given consideration.
He claimed since the present government assumed office in 2018, their representation at the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) since the end of the war, was stopped. Tarawallie noted they were being ignored and snubbed from the highest level of government. He spoke about the various agriculture projects their members have embarked on in some parts of the country but have not been given the needed support by the Ministry of Agriculture. He also claimed their attempts to engage other departments such as the Ministry of Social Welfare have not produced the desired results, as they’ve been denied an audience.
He particularly praised late President Ahmad Tejan Kabba whom he said lobbied on their behalf that saw the Norwegian Refugee Council construct some eight hundred and eighty-eight housing units for the association’s members in different parts of the country. But he said accommodation is still a problem as the houses are not enough to accommodate their registered 2,888 members across the country. He said those who perpetrated the atrocities are moving about their daily lives, whilst they as innocent victims face numerous challenges and rejection.
Another double amputee, Pastor Tamba Finnor in his statement, reasserted their determination to bring over their family members from all over the country and vowed to converge around the Cotton Tree and peacefully demonstrate for one week because of what he said was the failure by the government for a peaceful engagement with the association that could have had outstanding issues amicably resolved.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (25/02/22)
