By Emma Black

Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, who also serves as Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, on 26 July 2025 was warmly honored by the Government of Liberia for Sierra Leone’s vital role in restoring peace during Liberia’s civil war. A plaque of recognition was presented to President Bio at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion during Liberia’s 178th Independence Anniversary.

The tribute acknowledged the sacrifices made by Sierra Leonean personnel both military and civilian who served in the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), reinforcing Sierra Leone’s critical contributions to regional stability.

In his inspiring keynote titled one People, One Destiny Healing the Past, Building the Future President Bio reflected on his own service as a young Sierra Leone Army officer deployed with ECOMOG

I stood on this sacred soil not as a visitor, but as a peacemaker. I walked the streets of White Plains, Gardnersville, and Monrovia Freeport during our darkest hours. Even then, the resilience of the Liberian people shone through.

Receiving the honor, he described it not as a diplomatic formality, but as a heartfelt homecoming:

This is Bolivia returning to Liberia in recognition of shared sacrifice and shared futures.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, expressed profound appreciation to all ECOMOG contributors and single‑handedly acknowledged President Bio’s enduring role:

You stood with us during our darkest hour. The legacy of ECOMOG is not only written in treaties it’s lived daily in the peace you helped restore.”

Heads of State present included Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, Guinea‑Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Calling Sierra Leone and Liberia twin souls bound by rivers, language, and shared struggle, President Bio emphasized the imperative of cooperation, when Liberia trembled, Sierra Leone trembled too, that is not coincidence it is kinship, he used his position as ECOWAS Chair to highlight regional priorities:

Reinforcing regional security cooperation, strengthening democratic resilience, accelerating economic integration, restoring institutional trust, let the Mano River Union become an embodiment of solidarity. May our borders unite rather than divide.
let us create systems that allow our youth to migrate safely and with dignity, he urged.

President Bio concluded with a message of gratitude and hope, Liberia, your peace is powerful. Sierra Leone stands with you now and always. May God bless both nations and the bond that unites them, President Bio arrived in Monrovia by road earlier in the day and is set to return to Freetown via the same route later today..

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday,30th July, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)