By Mohamed Konneh
The cameras caught it all. But the picture only tells half the story. After two years apart, two men who once sat on opposite sides of Sierra Leone’s political divide stood in one room at State House, in Freetown. President Julius Maada Bio, in royal Gray Suit and a fanando cap, opened his arms.
Former President, Ernest Bai Koroma, in Royal Blue just returned home from Nigeria, walked in with the weight of been away and the hope of home. And then… they embraced. Not as rivals. Not as “APC” and “SLPP”.
But as two Sierra Leoneans. Two leaders. Two fathers of the same nation.
“Mr President, it is good to be back here at home,” Koroma said, his voice steady. “I have to be here to thank you personally for the great decision you took on my return.”
In that handshake, in that hug, a message went out to every chiefdom, every town, every youth on the street:
Peace is possible. Unity is stronger than politics. Koroma didn’t come back to fight. He came back to serve.
“My commitment to Sierra Leone transcends political differences,” he pledged. “My experience is available whenever the nation needs it.”
Beside them stood VP Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh — a witness to history. A reminder that leadership is not about who wins, but about who puts the country first.
Monday, 7th September 2026 will be remembered not for speeches, but for this moment.
A moment where the past met the present. Where healing met hope. Where Sierra Leone chose cohesion over division. Because at the end of the day, the land we call home is bigger than any title.
Welcome home, Former President Ernest Bai Koroma.
Thank you, President Julius Maada Bio.
