In a joint letter addressed to Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Chief Executive Officer Alice Albright, U.S. Senators James Risch (R-Idaho) and Christopher Coons (D-Del.) from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voiced their concerns regarding Sierra Leone’s ongoing eligibility for a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact.
The letter dated November 27, 2023 highlighted the senators’ unease following Sierra Leone’s controversial elections in June 2023.
The senators expressed their concern over Sierra Leone’s continued eligibility for a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact following the nation’s deeply flawed elections in June 2023. “unfortunately, the conduct of deeply flawed elections in June has called into question SierraLeone’s continued commitment to upholding MCC’s eligibility criteria. According to domestic observation groups the official results announced for the Presidential elections do not align with the true ballot cast at polling stations. There is little doubts that these irregularities, once appropriately captured by the country’s scorecard, will push Sierra Leone’s into the pool of countries that fail to pass MCC’s democratic rights hard hurdle for eligibility. The board must therefore consider whether it is appropriate now to select and sign a $450 million compact with a country destined to fail its scorecard once the data on paper catches up with reality on the ground”, and urged the MCC board of directors to weigh the potential diplomatic and developmental benefits against the reputational risks associated with proceeding with the compact at this juncture.
Acknowledging the challenges faced by democracies globally, particularly in Africa, the senators underlined the importance of upholding the MCC’s foundational principles in the face of an increasingly constrained pool of potential MCC partners due to recent coups and democratic setbacks. They asserted, “Now, perhaps more than ever, it is essential that the MCC stay true to its foundational principles. Though we acknowledged the mediated dialogue between the Government and the opposition All People’s Congress is a positive forward. Still, these lines of effort are not a remedy for the serious wrongs committed during the 2023 electoral process. The recent military mutiny in SierraLeone highlights the country’s fragile institutions and underscores the urgency for implementing promised democratic reforms”,.
The letter also recognized the potential leverage that a compact of this scale could provide to encourage political and electoral reforms in Sierra Leone. However, the senators urged the MCC’s Board of Directors to carefully consider Sierra Leone’s backsliding and lack of sufficient steps to reverse course before re-selecting and signing a compact with the country.
Sierra Leone had previously been selected for MCC compacts in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with ongoing developments focusing on a $450 million development compact aimed at addressing power generation and electrification challenges in the nation. The senators raised concerns about the potential consequences of Sierra Leone’s democratic backsliding on the MCC’s reputation and the impact it could have on the country’s eligibility status.
