Security Message from US Embassy, Freetown

I regularly receive security updates from a variety of sources... It's good to be aware. Here's a recent warning from the US Embassy in Freetown. (The US Embassy is one of the most secure places in West Africa, I should add)

 - Thursday 24 January 2013.

The United States Embassy (in Freetown, Sierra Leone) has received several reports of thefts from moving vehicles driven by foreigners in the past few months. In each case, cars were stopped in traffic or moving slowly and thieves reached in open windows or unlocked doors and stole purses, telephones, and a variety of other valuables from the unsuspecting motorist. The thefts usually occur on poorly maintained roads which require driving at slow speed and elaborate maneuvering around potholes and drainage canals. Criminals often throw rocks and cause diversions to distract drivers while simultaneously entering the passenger side of the vehicle to steal property. Specifically, thieves are targeting Signal Hill Road (near the UNIPSIL Headquarters) in Western Freetown because it is a high-traffic area with poor road conditions, lack of street lights, and heavy foliage.
Theft of property from vehicles may be reduced by following some precautions. Please review this checklist with your family and use it as a baseline to evaluate your daily habits and improve your overall security awareness while driving in Freetown.
Automoblie Security
· Always keep the doors locked and windows up.
· Keep your bags and valuables from plain sight.
· Try to avoid choke points in your daily travel and be wary of diversions.
· In traffic, always attempt to leave space to maneuver. Leave yourself an exit and be prepared to take evasive action at any time.
· Utilize curbs, sidewalks, and medians as a way of escape.
· Vary your routes and times to/from work – be unpredictable!
· Check the interior and exterior of your vehicle for irregularities prior to getting in.
· If another driver tries to force you to pull over or cuts you off, keep driving and try to get away. Take note of the license plate number and a description of the car and driver (only if it does not place you in danger).
· If you are involved in an accident and something does not seem normal, depart the area immediately. Remember, some accidents could be a ruse designed to rob or carjack you.
· Never pick-up hitchhikers.
· If you are being followed or harassed by another driver, drive to the United States Embassy or try to find the nearest police station, hotel, restaurant, or other public facility from which you can call the police or U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office. Never lead a person back to your home or stop and confront them.
· Be aware of your surroundings. Look ahead at what is taking place three blocks in front of you.
· Be alert to motorcycles stopping next to your car, particularly if there are two riders.
· Review your personal security plans; remain aware of your surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news stations for updates. Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security.
Remember, nothing you own or possess is worth risking your life, or the lives of loved ones and friends. If ever confronted by criminals demanding your car, money, jewels, or other valuables, give it to them.

An astonishing display of policing…

An astonishing display of policing… on the streets of Freetown.

Freetown has always been a hustling, bustling centre of business, trading, money changing, congested traffic, vendors, public taxis, okadas (public motorbike-taxis), photographers, newspaper vendors, second-hand clothes (junx), etc. etc. It’s common to see street traders alongside wholesale and retail shops. It’s common to see photographers offering passport pictures (required for almost everything here) camped out in front of banks. It’s common to see Cmas cards, toys, radios, sunglasses, soaps, deodorant sprays, foods, locks, etc. etc. along the streets of downtown Freetown. And, at times you can find the strangest or most useful things… right on the streets and sidewalks of Freetown. Yes, it’s all a bit hectic and wonderful… till now.

During the elections, police and military personnel were everywhere… on the streets, the sidewalks and back alleys of Freetown. And, the police are back in force… standing along the streets and sidewalks of downtown Freetown and extending into the western and eastern areas. Their mission this time is different… they are there to remove and prevent street trading… and eliminate motorbike riders offering taxi services.

Apparently, Sierra Leoneans are “lawless and reckless”… and the government has committed, again, to eliminating street trading and motorcycle taxis in an attempt to curb lawlessness and recklessness. I don’t really see the connection… but…

The problem, which is so typical, is that these plans are not well thought out and offer no real solutions… and, in fact, they hurt the very people who help drive this country’s informal economy. Formal employment counts for less than 15% of all employment in this country… and the vast majority of the economy derives from these informal businesses or self-employed income. 

There have been previous attempts to limit street trading… between elections… that have failed because the market women comprise a significant number of registered and influential voters. And, the government’s efforts have not been sustained, I think for fear of reprisals at the polls. Well… the government has been elected, with the support of market traders and okada/motorbike riders… and now it’s time for sad retribution.

Street traders are mainly women… slightly older women… who bear the brunt of the responsibility of raising their families, paying school fees, tending to sick children, feeding relatives and compound dwellers, paying rent, tending to grannies and granpas, etc. They sell everything from junx to soaps, body creams, food items, clothing, second-hand toys/clothes/towels, sunglasses, kitchen gadgets, utensils, etc. In my opinion, they are the heart and soul of Freetown… and now they’re being punished and put out of business… because they trade/do business in the streets of Freetown.

I like buying things from street traders. It’s convenient… they’re there when I need soap, cassava leaf or notebooks. I’d rather spend my few Leones with them than the bigger shops, which are usually foreign-owned and operated. When I buy something from a woman on the street, I know she’s going to have food on her table that evening… and can possibly send her children to school by paying the school fees or the lesson charges proffered by the so-called professional teachers. BTW, teachers are often not paid or paid very, very little by the government. I’d rather buy my dozen shrimp from Musu on Kroo Town Road than in the grocery store… buying local supports the local economy. I’d rather buy my Dettol soap from Fatmata on Siaka Stevens St. than in the shops. I’d rather buy my fish from F.A. in the Aberdeen Market. I’d rather buy vegetables and fruit from Isha, a little girl who sells for her mother. In fact, I have friendly, neighbourly relationships with the women who sell on the street… and I like that.

The government’s rationale, apparently, is these same street traders block traffic, which they do. The rationale continues to accuse these street traders of littering and “messing” the streets, which they do. The street traders are a hazard to pedestrians, which they are sometimes. But I insist… they work hard, are responsible and are the heart and soul of the city. And, I want to support their efforts.

They also pay taxes everyday to Freetown City Council workers (or friends of friends) who go around collecting 500 or 1,000 Leones for selling on the streets. They contribute to the hustle and bustle of Freetown. They earn very little but manage to put food on their tables, send their children to school, support extended family members, etc.

So now… many of those same street traders have gone mobile. I saw Musu strolling along the street with a basket of shrimps on her head. I’ve bought soap from a young woman carrying a bowl. The man selling extension cords, cables and electrical supplies now carries his load. The street traders are now “head traders” doing business from the supplies they carry on top of their heads.

Okada men… the guys who ride the motorbikes that people use to zip around the city… are, in my opinion, essential to the transport system in Freetown… and certainly in the provinces of Sierra Leone. These guys have been banned from plying their trade in Freetown. Most of these bike riders are young men… some are ex-combatants… but most are unemployed and under-educated… but they are “trying” (as they say around here) to manage their lives… earning a small bit to feed their families and send their children to school. They are regularly victims of police extortion and their “masters” who own the motorbikes they rent on a daily basis. In fact, many of the motorbikes plying the streets are owned by police personnel or government officials… sometimes called, “big men”.

There are the “bad ones” who break the laws, ride without licences, zip up one-way streets, carry two passengers instead of one, don’t wear helmets, etc. In my opinion, those “bad ones” are few… No sense throwing out the whole basket of mangos when only one or two are spoiled. For the countless young men in Freetown, riding a motorbike allows them to earn a small bit… when there are no other “legal” alternatives available. Oh sure… they could rob and steal… or sell drugs but they’re sitting atop motorbikes for hours and hours whisking passengers through the congested streets of Freetown. It’s a very hard, tiring job… believe me, I know.

Today, as I rode my private, licenced and legal motorbike through town, I noticed increased tension and longer line-ups for transportation. When the bikes go… the demand for public taxis, buses and poda-podas (mini-vans outfitted with benches that can accommodate up to 20 passengers) increase dramatically. And those alternatives are just not readily available.

So here’s the thing… these two groups, who apparently supported the present government at the polls, are now being punished and put out of business. In my opinion, slightly older women and unemployed young men are vulnerable. Yet, someone has decided to put an end to their meagre attempts to make do… in a difficult situation under tough conditions. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any alternative to street trading… the government hasn’t provided more commercial space. The government hasn’t provided more buses or transportation alternatives.

Maybe one of the solutions is to pair these okada motorbikes and riders with the former street traders selling from baskets on their heads. We could call them “okada traders” and they could ply the back roads and alleys of Freetown without undo police harassment.

From a Sierra Leonean...

This is written by a Sierra Leonean... and it's not "nice" but almost 100% true. Wanna know more about what Sierra Leoneans are like? Read on...

Sierra Leoneans on my mind
Author
By Khadija Mansaray
We have a very beautiful country, fertile soil, abundant rain, rich minerals, natural harbour and more. Our population is about five million yet with all this we are one of the poorest countries in the world.
Why is Sierra Leone poor amid all the riches it has been blessed with? The answer: The people. We are unpatriotic, dishonest and hate each other. The fundamental values, or lack of them, ensure that the country remains poor. Some may say this is a harsh conclusion but the evidence speaks for itself.
Good governance is anathema to us. We continuously elect bad governments and ensure they stay in power for too long. We cry for law and order but detest discipline and make enemies of those who enforce it. We frustrate good people. We fight them, accuse them, humiliate them and if possible physically harm them. The Sierra Leonean sense of right and wrong is completely twisted. We steal from our bosses and think it is ok because they have more than we do, they are wicked and evil if they decide to discipline us.
A woman finds her husband cheating and she is unreasonable not to have expected it. The Sierra Leonean way of life is to rip the other off. Honesty and integrity are seen as weaknesses and not virtues. From the top to the bottom to cheat and lie is normal. In the markets we fiddle the meat scales, we dent the measuring cups, we add other substances to Gari and palm oil. We lie and cheat at every opportunity and all of this is acceptable business practice.
In management they talk about win-win situations but the Sierra Leonean only knows win-loss. We are always out to get one up on the other. Using and hurting people to get ahead is ok and sometimes even applauded. We completely abuse goodwill and shamelessly say ‘nar wey you fool’
Exploiting people in vulnerable situations is also ok. We have no respect for poor people and treat our domestic servants in the most appalling manner. We feel we have the right to verbally abuse poor people just because we have given them some food and shelter. We do a small good deed and follow it with numerous acts of cruelty and wickedness and expect to be loved for it. What we do to poorer relatives living with us and the so called ‘men pekin’ – ward – is disgraceful. We turn them into slaves for our children. We deny them the opportunities that would make them progress. We verbally, physically and even sexually abuse them and we scream ingratitude when they walk away.
We waste our energies on the silliest prejudices ever. Every group of Sierra Leonean thinks they are better than the other and that only they should progress. We make it a mission to hinder the progress of others. In institutions – academic or otherwise – we seek to further the interest of our own only. We believe that good things should only come to certain people and woe betides someone we look down on rise to a certain status or position. We scoff and laugh and fervently pray that they fall from grace so we can justify our prejudices. We have not yet learned that a humble beginning is no crime and that the people we should admire are the ones who achieve in spite of poverty. We are hung up on status and do the most disgraceful things to achieve it.
We are callous and heartless. We never really cared about the war and the sufferings of people until it came to our doorstep. Yes we were quite happy to keep partying in Freetown until our homes were burnt down too. Until we realised that our sons could be abducted too, our daughters could be raped and our husbands killed and that being elite was not going to save us. We all pretend that all the evil things in the war were done by rebels. But we know the homes of the privileged were swept clean by their neighbours, friends and family who moved in when the rebels left. How many of us lucky to have our homes untouched then proceeded to buy goods we knew were obviously stolen. The ‘item’ became commonplace in Freetown. The streets were flooded with stolen goods and it was ok. We were buying looted goods like they were going out of fashion.
In the aftermath of the war security became an issue and checkpoints sprang up all over the place. Now we had power over everyone. Now was time to humiliate our wealthy and snobbish neighbours. Get them down their cars and make them walk, search them in the most humiliating manner and let them know they were at our mercy. How many people did we point as rebels or collaborators because of personal vendettas, grudges or just plain envy? Those of us fortunate to escape to Guinea or Gambia, on our return we embarked on the most vicious witch-hunt ever. Everyone one left behind was a collaborator and must pay for it. To hang the collaborator became our mission. We give the impression that all rapes were committed by rebels but how many of our “respectable” men abused the women who came to seek shelter in their homes. How many displaced men abused their fellow displaced who were more vulnerable?
The Sierra Leonean is hungry for power. And it is a power to suppress and oppress the other especially the vulnerable. We are happiest when we oppress others. The teacher with the cane taking out his frustrations on a pupil, the manager with the promotion that beautiful girl wants, the lecturer with the marks yet another beautiful girl wants, the officer who allocates market space, the government minister with the lucrative contracts, even the school prefect. The list is endless and it’s all about power and exploitation.
We’ve perfected gossip and turned it into a national pastime. A person decides they’ve had enough of being overweight and opts for a healthy life style and lose weight. They become fit and slim and we say they have HIV/AIDS. I have never seen a people who rejoice at others’ misfortunes like we do. A woman is widowed and we smirk. A man abandons his wife and kids and we jump for joy. A family loses their home and we’re happy and laugh because now they shall suffer like us. We openly make fun of disabled people. We rejoice when people suffer loss or misfortune and cannot bear to see others happy and successful. We can’t help ourselves; instead we have to bring them down.
Our tendency to bury our head in the sand would be hilarious if it weren’t so serious. All of our leaders are good it’s the people around them who mess things up. Our husbands are not uncontrollable perverts it’s the women out there desperate to get them. Our uncle can afford that swanky car despite his meagre salary because his boss made a generous payout last Christmas. Our beautiful 21-year-old daughter is not dating that short and balding 56-year-old for his money. It’s the devil in the bush who takes the Downs Syndrome child away. The state of denial makes it easier for us to turn a blind eye to everything.
Then we come to the diaspora. You think we would learn something instead we take our wickedness to another level. The blatant exploitation and lack of regard for others becomes even worse. You would have thought the loss of status and the cleaning and care jobs would have taught us to appreciate people. But no! You would think the discipline we are forced to practice in our jobs and day-to-day activities would become ingrained. Again no! The speed with which we revert to type when among our own is phenomenal. We turn up late at parties, hardly give presents, talk down to people helping behind the bar, leave the toilets in a mess, steal what we can and go home. We really are a bunch of savages. We are among the world’s greatest litterbugs.

We teach our daughters chastity at 13 and encourage them to be home-breakers when they turn 20. And now we have Facebook, a brand new platform to show how ugly we can get. While other communities use it more positively we do our usual thing. We bully and abuse.
But we have two good things. We are warm and hospitable to foreigners. We welcome them and make them feel at home. The Sierra Leonean will open his heart and home to anyone. We also have a very high religious tolerance. The Sierra Leonean will kill you for your property, your wife or your money but never ever for your religion. Although that itself begs the question, do we really care about God?
Every Sierra Leonean reading this knows we need to embrace the good and let go of the bad.