By Gibril Koroma, Editor and Publisher, Toronto, Canada
The impasse between the Sierra Leone Mining company which is interested in the iron ore at the Marampa mines in Lunsar, north of Sierra Leone, and the Sierra Leone government has dragged on for too long.
I think it’s high time a mediator respected by both parties intervenes. SLMC has invested a lot money in equipment and other expenses in Marampa and will find it very difficult to just walk away. They are now using the tactic of international litigation to put pressure on the Sierra Leone government to reconsider the cancellation of their horrible mining agreement signed during the "reign" of the former APC administration, an administration known for very bad mining deals and agreements. The Sierra Leone government wants to review the agreement and wants a better deal while SLMC wants to stick to the agreement until its expiration. That’s the cause of the friction right now.
Each day this matter is unsolved Sierra Leone and SLMC lose a huge amount of money. The two parties urgently need a skillful and experienced mediator NOW.
President Bio is increasingly recognised for his diplomatic skills and we hope he and Vice President Juldeh Jalloh (a man with diplomatic skills himself) would find a way to get the country out of this impasse by searching for and recruiting the kind of mediator we need.
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