We mourn with Sierra Leone

The people of neighboring Sierra Leone are still counting the toll both in human lives and infrastructure as a result of last Monday’s 14 August flood and mudslide, which left about 400 dead and thousands others homeless.

Our hearts go out to the Government and loving people of that sisterly country for the natural disaster that has left an indelible pain in the history of that nation.  We can only console families still grieving from this loss and pray that God Almighty would receive the departed souls, most of whom were women and children, in Heaven.

Almost all of the victims were still at asleep when the disaster struck, burying sometimes an entire family in red tick clad that had been soaked by torrential downpour a day or so earlier. They never had a chance to see daylight. How could God allow such calamity to happen to an already impoverished population! We can only wonder, but He knows it all.

However, we challenge the great people of that country to take courage and begin to mend the broken pieces in order to move ahead with life for the Holy Bible says, “In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God…”

We believe the courageous people of Sierra Leone will rise up like they did from their civil war and the Ebola epidemic to continue building a strong and better nation that West Africa and the rest of the Continent would be proud. We believe God Almighty has greater opportunities still ahead for that nation than this disaster, so we challenge them not to succumb.

Similarly, we join our own President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in consoling the Sierra Leonean leader, Ernest Bai Koroma, for the loss sustained as a result of the calamity. It is our prayers, as Liberians that God would provide him the courage and leadership guidance he needs to steer the affairs of state during these difficult moments.

We remind President Koroma that these are times that test leaderships that are deeply rooted in Godly wisdom and trust for His omnipotent wisdom to lead the people that He has placed in his care as President.

Liberia and Sierra Leone share many historical memories. Both countries played host to free slaves that came from the United States in the 1800s. They suffered years of brutal civil war which was compounded by the devastating Ebola Virus Disease between 2014 and 2015. They share tribal and cultural linkages.

As members of Mano River Union and ECOWAS, we will remain united in facing the challenges that would want to stop our forward march to peace, unity, prosperity and greatness.