{"id":5416,"date":"2024-07-02T16:15:20","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1307007.us31.myftpupload.com\/?p=5416"},"modified":"2024-09-04T12:57:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T12:57:57","slug":"kush-politics-aside-sierra-leoneans-unite-in-tackling-the-drug-epidemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/kush-politics-aside-sierra-leoneans-unite-in-tackling-the-drug-epidemic\/","title":{"rendered":"KUSH: Politics aside, Sierra Leoneans unite in tackling the drug epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following a disputed presidential election and an attempted coup d\u2019\u00e9tat in Sierra Leone, the country remains sharply divided with a persistent social undercurrent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, on social media, Sierra Leoneans are united in their demand for the government to stamp out widespread abuse of \u201cKush\u201d, an illicit drug that is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ravaging many communities<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">resulting in several deaths <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and mass burials of unidentified victims.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An analysis of online conversations has shown growing disillusionment among Sierra Leoneans about the government\u2019s ability to tackle \u201cKush\u201d abuse and addiction vigorously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In April 2024, the President of Sierra Leone (Dr Julius Maada Bio) declared a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/live\/?ref=watch_permalink&amp;v=1412193706102612\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">national public health emergency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on substance abuse aimed at rooting out the drug epidemic plaguing the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FactSpace West Africa (W\/A) collected and analysed data on the subject from X.com (formerly Twitter) and Facebook using social media analytics tools, Brandwatch and Crowdtangle, covering the period from June 1, 2023, to June 24, 2024.\u00a0Here are some of the highlights:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the <\/span><b>X.com<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dataset, Kush returned <\/span><b>4,752 total mentions from 1,269 unique authors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during the period under review compared to <\/span><b>2,497 posts on Facebook<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The Facebook dataset comprised <\/span><b>456,495 interactions (comments, shares, reactions) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can partly be explained by the fact that most social media users in Sierra Leone are on Facebook <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gs.statcounter.com\/social-media-stats\/all\/gambia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(86%)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The highest social media engagement on the subject was recorded <\/span><b>on March 18, 2024 \u2013 48,000 interactions recorded on Facebook and 186 mentions on X<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Checks by FactSpace W\/A showed that attacks on Kush hangouts by local vigilante groups across the country partly increased online commentary on the subject (see example posts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=234648602895149\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1299294517346147\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Three mass <a href=\"https:\/\/sierraloaded.sl\/news\/kush-burial-team-allegations-victims-buried-alive\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">burials<\/a> of about 50 unidentified Kush victims in five months provoked widespread outrage online (see example posts <a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1764098884113628\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=954489592682193\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sierra Leone&#8217;s security services (prisons, police and military) are not free from the Kush epidemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some netizens have demanded that the government <\/span><b>stop the illegal importation of the synthetic drug<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 \u201cKush\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Kush in Sierra Leone<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About six out of every 10 cases of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ayvnews.com\/1865-admitted-at-kissy-psychiatric-hospital-for-kush-chief-medical-officer\/#:~:text=Sierra%20Leone&#039;s%20Chief%20Medical%20Officer,a%20potent%20form%20of%20cannabis.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">drug abuse in Sierra Leone<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s only psychiatric hospital in 2023 was linked to the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">highly addictive<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> synthetic drug \u2013 \u201cKush\u201d- reaching a crisis level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not just in Sierra Leone, the illicit <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">drug is causing significant havoc across parts of West Africa, including in countries like Liberia<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gambia<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kush is a mixture of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol, and crushed human bones. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFormalin is used to embalm dead bodies. Because the chemical seeps into the bone and can stay there for many years, they (Kush users) resorted to digging up bones, which they grind and add to the concoction to smoke\u201d. This was explained by Mustapha Kella, a Psychosocial Counsellor with Social Linkages for Youth Development and Child Link (SLYDCL), an organisation that supports people addicted to drugs.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Widespread addiction to the drug continues to destroy many communities in Sierra Leone, leading to the deaths of hundreds of young men and women, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-africa-68742694\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to reports.<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Union of Sierra Leone Students (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sierraloaded.sl\/news\/college-students-use-kush-drugs-fbc-su-president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NUSS<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) has also expressed grave concerns about the levels of drug abuse among university students across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On social media, several <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">videos and images<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have been shared of Kush addicts including <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=777655947444133\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">children<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1415852972629979\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">men<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and women in a semiconscious state, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sometimes motionless or staggering, and with some having bodily injuries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rising poverty and high unemployment are partly being blamed for the crisis, as users seek relief from their frustration by taking drugs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others have suggested the culture of drug abuse in Sierra Leone is linked to the country\u2019s 11-year brutal civil war (1991-2002). The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepolitic.org\/article\/killing-children-reflections-on-sierra-leones-civil-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">abuse<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of hard drugs by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/news\/magazine\/child-soldiers-betancourt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">armed child soldiers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and rebel groups was attributed to the level of brutality in the form of indiscriminate killings and amputations of innocent civilians.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many of these young people continue to abuse drugs after the war, partly due to inadequacies of the rehabilitation and reintegration programmes targeted at the ex-combatants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The storied history of drug abuse in Sierra Leone has now reached crisis levels, with many Sierra Leoneans online demanding the government fixes the problem.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Social media analysis<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using Brandwatch and CrowdTangle, Factspace W\/A has analysed the online conversations about Kush on social media in Sierra Leone, distilling the narratives and actors driving the commentary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On <\/span><b>X.com<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Kush had <\/span><b>4,752 total mentions from 1,269 unique authors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from June 1, 2023, to June 24, 2024, as compared to <\/span><b>456,495 interactions (comments, shares and reactions) from 2,497 posts on Facebook<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (collected from Crowdtangle) over the same <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">period.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5417 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mention-e1719927713420.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"555\" height=\"207\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mention-e1719927713420.png 691w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mention-e1719927713420-300x112.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 1: Analysis of total mentions and unique authors on the Kush discourse (Brandwatch)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5418 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Crowdtangle.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"559\" height=\"174\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Crowdtangle.png 1511w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Crowdtangle-300x94.png 300w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Crowdtangle-1024x319.png 1024w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Crowdtangle-768x239.png 768w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Crowdtangle-750x234.png 750w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Crowdtangle-1140x355.png 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 2: Time-series analysis of total Facebook interactions on the Kush discourse (Crowdtangle)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>On March 18, 2024, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the interactions on the subject on social media reached its peak with &#8211; <\/span><b>48,000 interactions recorded on Facebook and 186 mentions on X.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5431 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-217-1-e1719935078635.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"567\" height=\"241\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-217-1-e1719935078635.png 933w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-217-1-e1719935078635-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-217-1-e1719935078635-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-217-1-e1719935078635-750x318.png 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 567px) 100vw, 567px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 3: Time-series analysis of the highest single-day interaction on Kush on X<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5420 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/March-e1719931829139.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"559\" height=\"163\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/March-e1719931829139.png 1396w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/March-e1719931829139-300x87.png 300w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/March-e1719931829139-1024x299.png 1024w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/March-e1719931829139-768x224.png 768w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/March-e1719931829139-750x219.png 750w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/March-e1719931829139-1140x332.png 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 4: Graph showing interactions and number of posts on Facebook between June 2023 and June 2024<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The visual above, aside from the volume of interactions and posts, also gives a time-series analysis of online conversations over the duration under review. There was a significant surge in online engagement on Kush on March 18, 2024, as compared to other days over the one year assessed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the social media analysis, several online and offline campaigns might have contributed to putting pressure on the government to declare a State of Emergency on substance abuse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5434 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"485\" height=\"285\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934.png 1569w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934-300x176.png 300w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934-1024x602.png 1024w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934-768x451.png 768w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934-1536x903.png 1536w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934-750x441.png 750w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/word-cloud_1719934882880-1-e1719936140934-1140x670.png 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 5: A word cloud of key topics on X associated with the Kush debate<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In March 2024, videos of a mass burial of 32 Kush victims were widely circulated on social media and according to the volunteer burial group that conducted the exercise the bodies were picked up from across the capital city, Freetown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5421 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DRIZ-e1719933047512.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"385\" height=\"354\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DRIZ-e1719933047512.png 453w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DRIZ-e1719933047512-300x276.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 6: Screenshot of Facebook post lamenting Kush crisis while critiquing government<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twelve unclaimed bodies were also buried in November 2023 at the King Tom Cemetery in Freetown, with their cause of death linked to the abuse of Kush.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mass burials provoked widespread outrage and condemnation of the government for not showing enough interest to contain the situation (see example posts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gbandeh_amadu\/status\/1769792188269871258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1769792188269871258%7Ctwgr%5E348938fc7f61655cdbe1182152f65ce46579ddb3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.brandwatch.com%2Fproject%2F1998364786%2Fdashboards%2F1694901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tonkolili\/status\/1769600894289481833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1769600894289481833%7Ctwgr%5E348938fc7f61655cdbe1182152f65ce46579ddb3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.brandwatch.com%2Fproject%2F1998364786%2Fdashboards%2F1694901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/100050433761914\/posts\/966409055050211?_rdc=1&amp;_rdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/100052632907695\/posts\/932529651844790?_rdc=1&amp;_rdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5422 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Umaru.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"389\" height=\"334\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Umaru.png 534w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Umaru-300x258.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5423\" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Gen.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"392\" height=\"368\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5424 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/React.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"398\" height=\"180\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/React.png 482w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/React-300x136.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5425 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/React-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"393\" height=\"182\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/React-2.png 393w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/React-2-300x139.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 7: Facebook and X users lamenting Kush crisis<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n some communities, young people organised themselves into vigilante groups and attacked suspected drug dealers, while arresting addicts and giving them a clean shave (see example posts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=383794557841255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=749271793962870\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1454616782155457\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=390449173771193\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=427713646393260\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1393792691277073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the increased online engagement between March 17 and March 23, 2024, there seemed to have been a shift in the government\u2019s approach to dealing with the crisis. This came in the shape of increased police raids of suspected Kush hangouts, the hosting of a town hall meeting on Kush, and eventually the declaration of a state of emergency on substance abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On X.com, users were particularly critical of the government\u2019s inability to stop the importers of the drug.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5426 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Gret-e1719933703284.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"553\" height=\"303\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Gret-e1719933703284.png 745w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Gret-e1719933703284-300x164.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 553px) 100vw, 553px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5427 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mama-e1719933849545.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"565\" height=\"254\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mama-e1719933849545.png 748w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mama-e1719933849545-300x135.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 565px) 100vw, 565px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5428 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/savage-e1719933945304.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"592\" height=\"316\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/savage-e1719933945304.png 718w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/savage-e1719933945304-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 8: X users calling out the government for not stopping the importation of Kush<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Facebook, posts were mostly seeking to expose the harmful effects of Kush coupled with several advocacy efforts including short videos and songs seeking to discourage the youth from abusing drugs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A number of videos online showing officials of the military and police allegedly high on Kush is feeding into speculations online that members of the security agencies are complicit in the sale of the drug.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5429 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Police-e1719934171847.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"457\" height=\"530\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Police-e1719934171847.png 469w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Police-e1719934171847-259x300.png 259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 457px) 100vw, 457px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 9: A widely-shared video of police officers allegedly under the influence of Kush<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5432 \" src=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mili.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"985\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mili.png 591w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mili-139x300.png 139w, https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Mili-473x1024.png 473w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 10: A video showing a military officer in Sierra Leone hooked on Kush<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Sunday, April 21, a video was shared on social media showing authorities in the main prison facility in Freetown intercepting a prison officer trying to smuggle Kush to be sold to the inmates <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(see example posts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1389616911921901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=401532092482479\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, &amp; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=746451367633858\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is being used to reinforce public perception online about the role of members of the security agencies in the proliferation of drugs in prisons and across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Government\u2019s plan<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The President of Sierra Leone, Dr Julius Maada Bio has described the drug crisis as an existential threat to the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe are witnessing the destructive consequences of Kush on our country\u2019s very foundation, our young people, despite the government\u2019s effort to stop the proliferation of drugs,\u201d he said as part of the declaration of a national public health emergency on substance abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?ref=search&amp;v=1090989531956775&amp;external_log_id=bbb7b82d-3d3f-4b3d-960e-984fecb5dcf9&amp;q=president%20bio%20declares%20state%20of%20emergency%20on%20drugs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the government\u2019s approach going forward will be based on five strategies: Prevention, Care and Treatment, Social Services support, Law Enforcement, and Community Engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, two days before the President\u2019s declaration, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240701145540\/https:\/\/ayvnews.com\/arrested-containers-at-water-quay-packets-of-kush-gallons-of-precursor-chemicals-discovered\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">container full of chemicals used to manufacture Kush<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was intercepted and eight people have so far been detained in connection with this consignment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This adds to growing calls for a thorough investigation into how the drug finds its way into Sierra Leone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hours before the presidential pronouncement of a state of emergency on drugs, the police mounted a raid on the home of a relative of the President, Admire Bio, who is among those who have been repeatedly named as suspected importers of Kush. However, the police later indicated that nothing of interest was found after the raid. That left many tongues wagging about the seriousness of the police in conducting the raid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sierra Leonean Parliament in mid-March summoned officials of various Ministries, departments and agencies relevant to efforts against the drug crisis, to discuss the issue. The parliamentary hearing involved the Inspector-General of Police, William Fayia Sellu.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There have been concerns about police and other security officers abusing drugs which is feeding suspicion about the involvement of the police in the drug trade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, between March and April, about a dozen security officers, both police and soldiers, have been<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240701144243\/https:\/\/ayvnews.com\/2-soldiers-6-police-officers-sacked-for-smoking-kush\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dismissed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for consuming Kush, according to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240701144303\/https:\/\/awokonewspaper.sl\/world-bank-director-urges-enhanced-investment-in-quality-service-delivery-for-sierra-leone-2\/autoload\/?exclude=[]&amp;lang=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe live in constant fear in this community. The Kush users are lurking around, waiting for the slightest opportunity to cart away any valuable item that can fetch them any amount of money to buy Kush,\u201d Fatmata Tejan, chair lady of\u00a0 Limba Corner, a suburb of Rokel Village in the outskirts of Freetown, told Factspace West Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Rokel community, under pressure from Kush users, mobilised themselves and invited the Community Affairs Department of the Sierra Leone Police to visit known drug dealing hotspots as a way of warding them off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Youth leader of the community, Sulaiman Mansaray, said among several occurrences, the desecration of their cemetery forced them to act.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe boys had dug several graves in the cover of night and extracted the bones of our loved ones. That forced us to stand up and do something about the situation,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe drug rehabilitation centre is one indication that the government has been doing something,\u201d said Rtd Brigadier-General David Taluva, Minister of Internal Affairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brig. General Taluva said on Saturday, April 16, 2024, during a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240701144722\/https:\/\/manoreporters.com\/news\/health\/drug-war-first-lady-says-people-in-government-undermining-her-husband\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ceremony<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> marking the discharge of the rehabilitated former drug addicts that through operations by the Sierra Leone Police, they have rounded up at least 500 former drug users who immediately need space in the rehabilitation centre.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kush, has undoubtedly proven to be a unifier of Sierra Leoneans irrespective of their religion, gender, social class and political affiliation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The call for the government to act has been loud and forceful, particularly on social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the government\u2019s recent attempts to contain the Kush epidemic,\u00a0 online critics maintain more needs to be done to treat and rehabilitate the high number of addicts and for the government to prove their genuine commitment to dismantling the underground economy behind the drug trade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>By: FactSpace West Africa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following a disputed presidential election and an attempted coup d\u2019\u00e9tat in Sierra Leone, the country remains sharply divided&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":5435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"coauthors":[472],"class_list":["post-5416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-disinfolab"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":55,"label":"DisinfoLab"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kush-Sierra-Leone.-b.-jpg-2-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rabiu Alhassan","author_link":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/author\/rabiu-alhassan\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":55,"name":"DisinfoLab","slug":"disinfolab","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":55,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":55,"category_count":9,"category_description":"","cat_name":"DisinfoLab","category_nicename":"disinfolab","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5416"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5465,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5416\/revisions\/5465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5416"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enspirefx.com\/royale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}