The founder and leader of the People’s Democratic League (PDL), Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh, has marked Eid-ul-Adha 2026 by calling on Sierra Leoneans to embrace unity and demand urgent political reforms from a government he describes as operating under persistent tension and socio-economic strain.
In a statement released on Wednesday, May 27, Sankoh used the occasion of the Islamic festival to address what he characterised as a fractured national landscape, urging both the government in Freetown and the Sierra Leone Parliament to pursue meaningful institutional reform and rebranding of state structures.
The PDL leader tied the spirit of Eid-ul-Adha directly to Sierra Leone’s political condition, arguing that the festival’s central message of sacrifice and selflessness should compel leaders and citizens alike to place national progress above personal or partisan interests. He warned that entrenched political forces were actively working to obstruct attempts at building what he described as a renewed Sierra Leone.
Sankoh also addressed ongoing efforts to block the PDL’s registration, framing the resistance as an attack on democratic freedoms. “We will not surrender our human rights and democratic freedoms to them,” he stated in the message.
The statement acknowledged Sierra Leone’s diversity while insisting that a shared national destiny required citizens to cooperate across religious and ethnic lines. Sankoh called on the Muslim community specifically for what he described as their contribution to peaceful civic life, and urged all compatriots to use the occasion to resolve tensions with neighbours and communities.
He also drew a historical line from the country’s 11-year civil war through a period of one-party rule, arguing that recovery from those legacies depended on genuine reform rather than cosmetic political change.
The PDL, which continues to seek formal registration, positions itself as a reform-oriented opposition force in Sierra Leone’s competitive and often contentious political environment.
