November 12, Freetown - Sixteen Afrodescendants of Mende origin, four Afrodescendants of Temne origin, one descendant of both Mende and Temne origin, and one Afrodescendant of Fula and Kono origin submitted a Petition to the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Head of State, His Excellency Julius Maada Bio to Launch a Decade of Return Initiative and Provide Citizenship to the Descendants of the People of Sierra Leonean Origin and Afrodescendants Who were taken from their Ancestral Homeland and Enslaved in the Americas. The petition was delivered through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The petition follows a letter concenring the Urgent Clarification on the Postponement of the Citizenship Program and Its Broader Implications submitted on behalf of the Tour Operators Association of Sierra Leone by its President by Alieya Kargbo. According to Kargbo,
“I am writing on behalf of the Tour Operators Association of Sierra Leone to express our growing concern regarding the continued postponement of the African American Homecoming and Citizenship Program. While we respect the Ministry’s authority and understand the challenges of organizing such an important initiative, the lack of clear communication or explanation has placed both tour operators and the communities we serve in a difficult position. . . . It is important to note that more than 40 individuals traveled to Sierra Leone last December under this program, many of whom made deep emotional and financial commitments to their ancestral homeland. Of that number, approximately 15 are scheduled to return in December, having already purchased airline tickets, reserved hotels, and prepared to receive their Sierra Leonean passports as promised. The absence of clear guidance or confirmation regarding the status of their citizenship has left both the visitors and our tour operators confused and embarrassed. This situation risks significant financial losses and potential reputational damage to the country. . . . Furthermore, prolonged silence provides room for speculation and misinformation. Media outlets are already monitoring this issue and may use it to discredit Sierra Leone’s image and question the sincerity of our leadership. Negative narratives could easily frame this as a failure to honor the very descendants of those who were taken from this soil, undermining both our national reputation and the President’s credibility on the world stage.”
The situation in Sierra Leone described by Kargbo is reminiscent to the situation that recently occured in Burkina Faso. On January 18, 2025 the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) founded by Her Excellency Dr. Arikana Chihombori Quao stated on their website and in email communications that “The government of Burkina Faso has asked ADDI to spearhead a citizenship initiative that invites African Diaspora to apply to be citizens of Burkina Faso” and that President Traore put an executive order in place in which “There will be two Tiers of applications. Tier I=All those who have traced their lineage to Burkina Faso through their DNA. Tier II=Any black Diaspora. The government of Burkina Faso has indicated that the ceremony conferring citizenship will happen in June 2025”. This was postponed, however. Another announcement on July 14 stated, "The government of Burkina Faso has confirmed that our ADDI mission trip to include the conferment of Burkina Faso citizenship will take place from October 26th to November 8th, 2025.” However, on September 1, Burkina Faso’s Transitional Legislative Assembly passed Law No.012-2025/Alt setting forth the legal baseline for nationality in Burkina Faso. The legislation did not recognize Afrodescendants of Burkinabe origin as a unique class of immigrants with a Right of Return under international law, and specifically, the Geneva Convention. Rather than granting citizenship as was promised, the Parliaments’ new law leaves it as an unaddressed and unanswered question of legal obligation. This caused an uproar among many of the 1,200 people that paid and registered for the ADDI trip under the expectation of getting the promised citizenship. Some felt betrayed and/or scammed by both ADDI and Burkina Faso. Burkan Faso pivoted and offered permanent residence instead. This, too was announced on the ADDI website.
Amazingly, no ceremony conferring permanent residence took place in Ougadougou and the 700 Afrodescendants did not receive any permenent resdence cards or documentation! Rather, they were required to complete paperwork and President Traore gave assurances that permanent residency would be granted. When asked how he felt about this, one delegate responded, “There would have been a riot if the audience with the President didn’t happen.”
The situation in Burkina Faso and now Sierra Leone highlights the need for emphasizing the legal obligations, in addition to the spiritual, moral and economic case, for reparations which includes the Afrodescendants’ Right of Return.
This is what has prompted those effected to seek help with making their Right to Return claim and has led to petitions being presented in Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and now Sierra Leone. The Gambia, too, is heading in this direction. All should follow Benin which became the first African country to specifically adopt a law offering people of African descent the opportunity to acquire nationality “by recognition”. Law 2024-31 on the recognition of Benin Nationality for people of African descent states that “any person aged eighteen (18) or over who, according to their genealogy, has a sub-Saharan African ancestor who was deported from the African continent as part of the slave trade and the triangular trade” is eligible. The cost is $100 and citizenship is granted after just three months from the date of notification of receipt of a completed file
The petition to Sierra Leone President Bio, however, was accompanied by a letter asking him to answer the following questions:
Does Sierra Leone recognize the petitioners as Afrodescendants of Sierra Leonean origin as determined by their African Ancestry results (kit #’s provided)?
Do you consider the Dum Diversas Apostolic Edict issued by Pope Nicholas V on June 18, 1452, to be a declaration of total war against Sierra Leonean people with no statute of limitations?
Do you consider the people of Sierra Leonean Origin captured from their homelands, trafficked and enslaved in the Americas to be “prisoners of war” as defined by the Geneva Convention?
Do you consider the direct descendants of the Sierra Leonean prisoners of war to retain that status until “their final release and repatriation” as stated in the Geneva Convention?
Do you agree with the decision in United States v The Libelants and Claimants of the Schooner Amistad (1841) that the people of Sierra Leonean Origin captured and enslaved in the Americas as prisoners of war “neither intended to abandon the land or their nativity nor had lost all hope of recovering it” and thus their former domicile “is not abandoned by residence in another” since “that residence was not voluntarily chosen”?
As a signatory to the Geneva Convention, does Sierra Leone have an obligation to repatriate and provide citizenship to all Afrodescendants of Sierra Leonean Origin who voluntarily desire it?
Is Sierra Leone prepared to engage the responsible Detaining Powers under the Geneva Convention for their obligation to repatriate the Afrodescendants of Sierra Leonean Origin?
When should the petitioners expect to be granted their Sierra Leone passports?
“This is an excellent opportunity for President Bio to show leadership during the African Union’s Year/Decade of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” said Siphiwe Baleka who serves as Coordinator of the New Afrikan Diplomatic and Civil Service Corps and drafted the petition.
“President Bio could give Africa’s first advisory opinion on the fundamental legal questions that are to be presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). This is especially fitting since the United States v The Libelants and Claimants of the Schooner Amistad (1841) court case concerning the justice due to Mende prisoners of war, along with the Geneva Convention, provides the legal basis for Afrodescendants’ right to return to their ancestral homelands.” - Siphiwe Baleka
