Hope-Sierra Leone

COMMISSION FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF PEACE (CCP)

THE TASSO ISLAND CONFLICT

TASSO ISLAND

BACKGROUND

Tasso is an island in the Western Area of Sierra Leone some 20 nautical miles from Freetown. It is situated opposite Pepel in the Port Loko District and near Bunce Island which used to be a slave port during the days of the slave trade. Tasso Island is composed of three (3) towns: Tasso, Sangbelima and Oku Town. The slaves waiting to be transported from Bunce Island to the New World were fed mainly on foodstuff such as cassava grown on Tasso Island. With time most of the Creole inhabitants of Tasso have migrated to mainland Freetown leaving the Island to fishermen migrating from the provinces especially Port Loko to settle in this predominantly fishing center. As a result there are no more churches on the island.

The 5,000 strong population is mainly muslim and a good number of the families are related either by blood or intermarriage. The conflicts that have been tearing this community apart since the junta period i.e. 1997 have thus affected the daily lives of almost all the families on this island. In fact there was something like a travel ban imposed by one faction on the others which resulted in a good number of the fishermen being unable to travel from their island to Freetown. This is the kind of conflict that constitute the undergrowth to the bigger national conflict which must be cleared if peace should be consolidated in Sierra Leone. There are many of such conflicts at community and village levels all over the country and the CCP intends to address this problem.

MEETINGS FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION HELD AT TASSO ISLAND 29th- 31st OCTOBER 2000

PREAMBLE

We arrived at 16:25 GMT at Sangblima on the Tasso Island on 27th and were immediately taken the Chief of the Town who enquired on our mission. Apparently, news had gone round that arrests had been made and investigations continuing. There was, therefore, fear and apprehension in the minds of the islanders and this was clearly manifested by the chief s misgivings. Commissioner Charles Kamara quelled down his fear by stating that we were a peace mission and not an investigation team. We were later escorted to Oku Town where we spent the night.

By the morning of the 28th, as a result of our interaction with the Islanders, we were able to conclude that:

a. All parties to the conflict wanted a peaceful resolution;
b. Fear and suspicion were key factors in the conflict;
c. The young men (youths) were actively involved in the conflict and;
d. The element of `Kongosa' was of key importance.
e. The whole affair was a family affair politically motivated.

The element of fear and suspicion prevented the holding of the first meeting on the 28th. It was but necessary to still give time to the people to accept the dawning realization that peace was on their doorsteps. Some, earlier on, challenged us to the task calling it an impossible mission. In the evening the pessimists began to cross the carpet. The issue of the venue for the first meeting which became the first hurdle in our exercise was correctly handled by Commissioner Charles Kamara who explained that he was an official guest of the island and whoever is overall head would be his host. The venue was thus fixed for Tasso Town - Tasso Island on the 29th October, 2000.

Chief Alimamy Kanu, the section chief and head of the island proudly took us to Tasso Town where we spent the night. I say proudly because his position had been under serious threat.

 - An Agenda for Reconciliation