Sowie Council Accuses Campaigners of False FGM Reports
In a bold and contentious move, the National Sowie Council of Sierra Leone has launched a scathing response challenging the veracity of an article published by The Guardian on 3rd February 2024, titled "3 Girls Die After FGM Rituals in Sierra Leone."
The council, entrusted with preserving traditional practices, including the Bondo and Sande societies, expressed deep concern over what they describe as a disturbing pattern of misinformation, kidnapping hoaxes and fabrications orchestrated by select anti-FGM campaigners.
Their press release, a rare deviation from their standard policy of not engaging in responses to alleged police investigations related to Bondo deaths, signifies the urgency the council feels in addressing what they deem an "unfortunate pattern." The objective is to inform the public, policymakers, the Bio administration and the international community.
The council levied serious accusations against The Guardian UK, claiming collusion with prominent anti-FGM campaigners in Sierra Leone, including Rugiatu Nenneh Turay of the Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM) and Chernor Bah, the current Minister of Information.
They assert that since 2016, The Guardian has purportedly collaborated to fabricate stories of FGM kidnappings and Bondo deaths, with the recent allegations seen as part of a broader campaign to reignite anti-FGM efforts in Sierra Leone.
Specific mention is made of Hon. Chernor Bah's involvement in filing what the councils label a "frivolous FGM human rights abuse case" against the Government of Sierra Leone at ECOWAS in April 2023, underlining historical tensions between the council and anti-FGM campaigners.
The council argues that these allegations are aimed at garnering global outrage and securing external funding for Sierra Leone to implement a national anti-FGM policy and criminal legislation. Despite the challenges, the council expresses unity in opposing any national policy or legislation that bypasses Sierra Leone's democratic process or infringes on the human rights of Bondo women.
The press release concludes with a call for a thorough police investigation into the alleged deaths in the Northwest. They emphasize their opposition to forceful initiations and reveal plans to publish a national policy proposal for the preservation and modernization of traditional Bondo and Sande societies including formal clinical and literacy training for practitioners.
In a broader context, the press release questions the singling out, vilifying, and infantilizing of African women, calling for a global reevaluation of cultural practices and highlighting the need for comprehensive approaches to all forms of genital alterations.
Amidst this controversy, Rugiatu Neneh Koroma, a prominent advocate against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), stepped into the fray, responding to the press statement that mentioned her. She questioned the characterization of a certain Fuambai Sia Nyoko Ahmadu as a spokesperson for the Sowei, expressing concerns about the potential use of these women for political gains.
Clarifying her relationship with Chernor Bah, Koroma firmly stated that they only met in 2019, making any collaboration before that impossible. She claimed to have played a motivational role for Bah on the FGM issue, stressing that their association did not exist before 2019. Koroma highlighted her knowledge of various organizations with funds dedicated to girls and adolescent girls, clarifying her role in sparking Bah’s interest in the cause.
Koroma vehemently denied any collaboration with Chernor Bah in 2016, dismissing such claims as inaccurate. This response aimed to set the record straight regarding the timeline of her association with Chernor Bah and challenged any assertions of collaboration in 2016 as lacking in truth.
The unfolding saga promises to keep the spotlight on the intricate dynamics surrounding FGM activism in Sierra Leone.