Riyadh, Thursday, December 25, 2025-
Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Mohammed Barrie and his delegation on Wednesday paid a working visit to the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) headquarters in Riyadh.
Ambassador Barrie held discussions with IMaCTC Secretary-General, Major General Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi, on enhancing cooperation and collaboration between Sierra Leone and IMCTC. The Ambassador conveyed greetings from President Brigadier (Rtd.) Dr. Julius Maada Bio, Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Sierra Leone, reaffirming the country’s commitment to the coalition.
Ambassador Barrie praised IMCTC’s role in fostering strategic partnerships among member states and highlighted President Bio’s dedication to the coalition in the appointment of Brigadier General Samuel Bob Farma as Head of Delegation (HOD) for Sierra Leone. The Ambassador reiterated that Brigadier Farma’s appointment was a fitting choice, describing him as “one of the finest young military officers who will represent Sierra Leone with excellence in the IMCTC”.
In his statement, Major General Al-Moghedi outlined IMCTC’s objectives, noting that the coalition comprises 43 member states, including Sierra Leone. He said IMCTC aimed at unifying Muslim countries’ efforts against terrorism through coordinated strategies. He highlighted 46 training programs across counter-terrorism domains, funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, focusing on Intellectual, Media, Counter-terrorism financing (CTF), and Military areas.
Key outcomes of Ambassador Barrie’s engagement with the IMCTC Secretary-General include:
Ambassador Barrie and Sierra Leone’s HOD, Brigadier Farma, will lead a 20-man delegation of the IMCTC to Sierra Leone for a strategic engagement with the Ministry of Defence in the second week of January 2026.
The IMCTC accepted Ambassador Barrie’s proposal to train Imams and preachers in Sierra Leone on capacity-building topics, including deconstruction of extremist groups’ discourse and public speaking, to foster peace.
Capacity-building training in finance, intelligence, and anti-money laundering (AML/CTF) for Sierra Leone’s government sector to combat terrorist financing.
The Embassy will coordinate with Brigadier Farma, HOD of Sierra Leone to the IMCTC, to implement the training programs in Sierra Leone.
The Secretary-General commended Sierra Leone’s representation at the coalition and praised the newly appointed HOD as “a capable and professional envoy”.
A documentary showcasing IMCTC’s activities since 2015 was presented, followed by a tour of the IMCTC Situation Room, where Ambassador Barrie and his delegation were shown the operational hub for monitoring, analysis, and follow-up operations related to terrorist groups and incidents worldwide.
The Sierra Leone delegation included the Acting Head of Chancery, Counsellor Mr. Victor Mohamed Kamara, and the Information Attaché of the Embassy, Alhaji Abubakarr Bah.
For enquiries:
Email: information.attache@sa.slembassy.gov.sl
