Freetown, 10th April 2026 – Religious leaders and government officials have issued a joint communiqué reaffirming Sierra Leone’s tradition of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, following a national dialogue convened by the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Information and Civic Education.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Inter-Religious Council, the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone, the United Council of Imams, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, law enforcement agencies, and community leaders.
Participants underscored that Sierra Leone’s enduring interfaith unity where Muslims, Christians, and other faiths often live side by side, even within the same families, remains one of the nation’s greatest strengths.
In the communiqué, leaders pledged to:
Promote peace and national unity by spreading messages of tolerance and strengthening social cohesion.
Reject hate speech and incitement, ensuring sermons, public statements, and digital content foster respect and lawful conduct.
Preserve neutrality of religious institutions, avoiding partisan politics while encouraging responsible civic participation.
Ensure leadership accountability, guiding followers and working with authorities to prevent and de-escalate tensions.
Deepen interfaith collaboration, sustaining dialogue and standing united against threats to peaceful coexistence.
The commitments will be advanced through shared responsibility: religious institutions will promote internal accountability, government will facilitate dialogue and civic education, and communities will reinforce peacebuilding through inclusive participation.
The communiqué calls on all religious leaders to endorse the declaration as a demonstration of their commitment to Sierra Leone’s values. “Religion must remain a force for peace, unity, and the common good,” the statement concludes.
By standing together, Sierra Leone’s faith communities and government reaffirm their resolve to safeguard national unity and guide citizens in the spirit of tolerance, dignity, and civic responsibility.
