Maada Bio on Memories Of ‘Profound Hardship’ -Reminisces ‘Boots on Ground’ with ECOMOG at Onset of Civil War

MONROIA – Speeches at the Independence Day celebrations Saturday, July 26, 2025 were not just about bold suggestions and fascinating ideas about how to fix the country going forward. There were also light moments – fond moments and nostalgia – about heroic success stories shared to make the audience and distant viewers reflect, laugh and come to terms with all that was done to get the nation where it is today. Such was what was told by the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, when he reflected on his days with the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia as early as 1990 to separate warring factions and establish semblance of peace in a badly troubled country. The Analyst reports.

As Liberians on Saturday, July 26, reflected on the long journey of national existence – 178 years of statehood – at programs marking yet another National Day, various speakers were on hand to make them navigate the memory lane to see, and appreciate, whence the nation and its people come. One of the critical epochs of history was the brutal civil war, which left behind 250 thousand souls, including foreign helpers, displaced millions and ruined every aspect of life.

When the war was yet in its puberty, barely a year old, African brothers and sisters, principally from the West of the continent, under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), directly implemented by the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMAG), arrived to make peace, to avoid a bigger catastrophic war.

Before they departed the country nearly a decade later, ECOMOG had lost many of the intervening brothers and sisters, some disfigured and currently living with the scars of a war not their own.

One of the few healthy survivors who to date are telling their stories, still forging close brotherly relations with Liberia, is the current head of state the Republic of Liberia, Julius Maada Bio.

“I stand before you not only as a Head of State [of the Republic of Sierra Leone], but as a friend and brother, as your great nation marks 178 years of independence,” President Maada Bio began his remarks at ceremonies marking the celebration of the country’s independence anniversary. 

He continued: “178 years of resilience. Of striving. Of rebirth. This is more than a historical milestone. It is a testament to the strength of a people who have endured much, yet never lost faith in their ability to rise again.”

The Sierra Leonean head of state said, for him, it was not merely a diplomatic courtesy that he was accorded warm reception but it was also a personal homecoming.

Then he began telling the story that admitted bugled tears in the eyes of many:  “I once stood on this sacred soil in uniform not in ceremony, but in service; not as a visitor, but as a peacemaker. I walked the streets of White Plains, Gardnersville and Monrovia Freeport within Montserrado County, as part of the first ECOMOG contingent, during a time of profound hardship.

“I looked into the eyes of a people burdened by war — yet still searching for hope. I remember those days with solemn clarity. Even when the air was heavy and the nights uncertain, I could sense the endurance of this nation. Even in despair, Liberia carried within her a quiet dignity and a deep yearning to be whole again. Each time I return to Liberia, I see a people who refuse to be broken. A nation that has turned its scars into symbols of strength.”

President Maada Bio said his journey into Monrovia by road on the morning of July 26, 2025, as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, was more than a matter of protocol; it was an emotional reminder of an earlier journey, one he made as a young military officer in the Sierra Leone Armed Forces.

“Then, I entered this city not in a motorcade, but in a convoy; not bearing a flag of state, but carrying the solemn duty of peace,” he continued. “The roads were different, the times uncertain, but the mission — to help restore hope and dignity — was one I embraced with conviction.”

To return now, in peace, as a guest of a sovereign and democratic Liberia, is a deeply personal and humbling experience, he said, adding that it affirmed how far “we have come — as individuals, as nations, and as a region united by history, sacrifice, and shared aspirations.

“To be formally recognised by the Government and people of Liberia — not        only for our contribution through ECOWAS, but for the enduring spirit of solidarity that guided us through Liberia’s most difficult years — is a deeply meaningful gesture.”

He said rather boldly that it is a tribute to all the Sierra Leonean men and women, in uniform and out of uniform, who answered the call of duty in the name of peace and democratic stability.

“We receive this honor with humility, with pride, and with a renewed commitment to the ideals of regional unity, democratic stability, and the shared peace that binds us,” the Sierra Leone leader further stated, adding that it is also “those of us who have worn military uniforms to safeguard the sovereignty of our nation, and for those who have sent their sons and daughters to do the same, peace is never an abstract idea.”

He said: “Peace is a duty we live by. A dream we protect. A promise we defend with everything we have. Peace is not simply the absence of conflict. It is the presence of dignity. It is what allows our children to learn, our traders to trade, our democracies to flourish, and our cultures to thrive.”

Maada Bio further opined: “Peace and stability are the breath of our nations. Without it, nothing can grow. That is why I say: the price of peace is eternal vigilance. Not fear. Not suspicion. But a sacred commitment — never to repeat the mistakes of the past, never to allow hatred to bloom where understanding should grow, and never to take for granted the fragile gift of stability.”

He indicated that Liberia and Sierra Leone are not just neighboring Republics on a map, but “are twin souls”.

The continued: “Our rivers flow into each other. Our languages echo one another. Our songs speak of shared joys and common grief. Whether Gola, Kissi, Mende, Sherbro, or Vai— our people are bound by ancestry, by marriage, by trade. A song in one country is often known by heart in the other. A proverb spoken in Pujehun District finds its echo in the mountains of Lofa County. When your land trembled under the weight of war, we felt the tremors too. And when we cried out in our own agony, you mourned with us. This is not coincidence. This is kinship”.

He said when calls President Boakai “my brother,” it is not a word of courtesy but a truth of blood and struggle; a recognition that the peace of Liberia strengthens the peace of Sierra Leone, and vice versa. Acknowledging that the freedom of Sierra Leone reinforces the freedom of Liberia, and vice versa.

“This is why the Government of Sierra Leone sent peacekeepers during your time of need. Not out of charity, but out of duty,” he said further, stressing that the African duty to care for one’s neighbour as oneself, and that the duty to restore dignity where it was stolen. To protect life. To silence the guns. To offer a hand where harm had been done.”

The Sierra Leonean leader said their participation in Liberia’s peace progress was an acknowledgment of a regional maxim, “When your neighbour’s house is on fire, don’t waste time fetching water — carry your own bucket.”

“We understood this. We did not hesitate. Our soldiers came not to conquer, but to serve. To protect Liberians, yes — but also to defend the belief that no African nation should walk alone through the valley of war,” he said.

Continuing, the ECOWAS chairperson stated: “Today, I speak with deep humility and pride in the sons and daughters of Sierra Leone who stood shoulder to shoulder with the brave Armed Forces of Liberia, with ECOWAS, and with International Partners, in the slow, painful, but necessary work of peace and stability. We honour their sacrifice. Some never came home. Others returned forever changed by what they experienced. Their families were changed. But every one of our brave men and women contributed to the quiet miracle we now witness – a peaceful, democratic Liberia alive with promise.”

Maada Bio also admonished Liberians that healing the past and building the future, which is the theme of this year’s Independence Day anniversary, “is not instant”. He said it is not achieved with slogans or treaties. It demands tenderness. It demands courage.

He said, “It asks us to view the past not with bitterness, but with resolve. Democracy, too, must be part of that healing. Not just democracy in form — with ballots and Constitutions — but in spirit: where every voice counts, where disagreement does not become enmity, and where power is held as a trust, not a prize. We must always remember: democracy cannot thrive without peace. And peace cannot last where democracy is hollow.”

“In every family — and that is what we are, a regional family — there will be disagreements,” he continued. “Sometimes they are loud. Sometimes they hurt. But the family must remain. We may argue, but we must not abandon one another. We may differ, but we must not destroy what we share. General elections are not wars. They are not contests of intimidation or noise. They are sacred moments to renew our social contract, to hear the people’s voice, and to recommit to national service.”

He said when politics becomes poisoned by bitterness, tribal suspicion, or the hunger for power at any cost, it threatens the peace. And if peace fails, everything that democracy hopes to build collapses.

The Sierra Leonean leader commended the successive Governments and the people of Liberia for their commitment to democracy, such as since the end of the civil war, Liberia has had successfully and peacefully transferred power from the incumbent political party to the opposition party, honouring the will of the people.

He wants everyone to remember that the strength of neighborliness “is our own strength. Justice in one land fortifies justice in another. When one of us prospers, we all stand taller.”

“As Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, I implore us all to recommit to REGIONAL COOPERATION, not only in times of crisis, but in the daily business of development,” he declared.

“Our youth are crossing borders in search of opportunity. Let us build systems that allow them to do so safely, legally, and with dignity. Let us align our goals — in trade, in education, in security. Let the Mano River Union not remain a bureaucratic structure but become a living promise of solidarity,” the ECOWAS leader said, adding: Let our borders bind, not divide. Let the farmer, the fisherman, the student, the trader, the mother, the soldier — feel at home on either side. Because when Liberia prospers, Sierra Leone is strengthened. And when Liberia struggles, Sierra Leone cannot stand untouched. I look forward to peace on both sides of the border.

“I look forward to healing on both sides of the border. I look forward to sustainable growth on both sides of the border. I look forward to prosperity on both sides of the border. And above all, I look forward to the day — not far off — when the scars of our shared wars are not erased, but transformed into wisdom. Transformed into vigilance and transformed into the unshakable belief that never again must we lose our children to hatred. Never again must we test the limits of our unity.”

To the youth of Liberia, he said, “I know that your freedom was purchased at great cost. Honour it in every choice you make.”