By Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché, Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone’s delegation to the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, 14th January 2025 paid a courtesy call on Honourable Dr Alhaji Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella at the Ishbillia Residential Compound of Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Mohammed S. Barrie.
The visit was facilitated by Ambassador Barrie to enable the delegates to brief Dr Yumkella, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security of Sierra Leone. Dr Yumkella’s work intersects with climate change, migration, and conflict.
Currently, Dr Yumkella is attending the fourth Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh as facilitator of the main ministerial roundtable conference.
In his statement, Captain (Navy) Hassan Jansson Conteh, on behalf of Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the IMCTC, Colonel (retired) Simeon Nasiru Sheriff, welcomed Dr Yumkella to the Kingdom.
“Honourable Yumkella, I am pleased to stand in for Colonel Sheriff, who would have loved to welcome and brief you on the IMCTC, but he is unavoidably absent due to pressing matters back home.”
Captain Conteh explained that the IMCTC was founded in 2015 by His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to rebrand Islam’s image, particularly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent global wars on terror. He said the “coalition is administered by Secretary General Major General Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi, a serving member of the Saudi military.”
He disclosed that Sierra Leone is a founding member of the IMCTC, which comprises 42 countries, with more nations expected to join.
“The IMCTC focuses on four thematic domains: ideology, communication, counter-terrorist financing, and military,” Captain Conteh said. He noted that the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), Office of National Security (ONS), Disaster Management Agency (DMA), and Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) have benefited from the IMCTC’s diverse training opportunities. He further said that an in-country training on explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) is also expected to take place this year.
Captain Conteh expressed gratitude to His Excellency Brigadier General Dr Julius Maada Bio, the government, and the people of Sierra Leone for giving them the opportunity to represent the country as delegates to the IMCTC.
Dr Yumkella commended Captain Conteh and Lieutenant Colonel Muctarr Samugutie Tejan for the courtesy visit and briefing. He highlighted the connections between the IMCTC’s functions and his work on climate change, including migration, climate, and land disputes.
“There will be a significant rise in climate migrants. Conflicts in South Sudan, for instance, are partly related to climate change, as herdsmen seek better grazing land. Similar conflicts occur in Northern Nigeria between cattle herders and farmers,” Dr Yumkella said, adding that climate change, migration, and displacement can lead to radicalization.
For more information, please contact:
information.attache@sa.slembassy.gov.sl
