Amidst reports of use of chemical weapons and atrocities committed by the
warring factions, one Sierra Leonean, Sheikh Mohamed Canan Bah (photo) has been captured
and tortured to death by the Free Syria Army that has staged a rebellion against
the government of President Assad.
Even though no reason has been proffered by the rebel faction for the capture
and execution of the Sierra Leonean, reports generally indicate that such
dispositions have been usually manifested against foreigners in the country, a
situation akin to what happened to blacks in Libya during the rebellion against
Muhamar Al Gaddafi.
A representative of the Sierra Leone Students Union in Syria, now residing in
the capital Freetown, Sheikh Uthman Thurlib Bah says Sheikh Mohamed Canan Bah
was electrocuted to death with an electric iron. He says the corpse could not be
reclaimed but relatives of the late Mr. Bah have been informed in Freetown. He
claims that he has been monitoring the situation in Syria through his other
colleagues who have been trapped in the war- torn country.
According to him,
thirty Sierra Leoneans are still in Syria while sixty-three have returned home.
He says those still trapped in the country include ; Kabineh Sheriff , Musa
Mariega, Hassan Kemoh, Osman, Ibrahim Bindi, Alie Sam Kpakra, Soufian Lahai,
Sallieu Bawoh and Osman Kanneh. “Most of them are living there with their
families”, he says. Asked by this correspondent why they have not sought ways to
return home, he says they are expected to be evacuated by the Sierra Leone
Embassy in Saudi Arabia which
has not done so. He adds: “Also, many are skeptical in returning home because
their homes in the provinces might not even exist again after the rebel war in
Sierra Leone and they are also pessimistic that struggling relatives in Sierra
Leone would be able to take care of them and their families”.
Sheilkh Thurlib Bah says as representatives of the Union in Syria he and
Brother Gibril Kargbo have written letters to President Ernest Koroma,one was
sent through Sullay Daramy at State House while a copy was sent though Chernoh
Maju Bah commonly called Cherry Cocoa who is the Deputy Speaker of Parliament,
but no reply has been received.
“We want to apprise the president on current
events, the plight of our colleagues in Syria and what assistance that would be
appropriately given to them” says Bah, who stresses that they are anxiously
awaiting a reply to their letter.
Reports state that the relatives of those trapped in Syria a deeply worried and
expect action to be taken soon.
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