Human Rights Campaigner Flees For Her Life …Due To Persistent Threats & Intimidations

By Sahr Ibrahim Komba
The political landscape of Sierra Leone has been marked by increasing violence and intimidation against civil society leaders. The Chairlady of Voice for the Voiceless Mabel Akuwa Roberts who has serves an advocate for marginalized communities, has endured repeated attacks, detention, and threats over her life in recent years.
After establishing Voice for the Voiceless in 2017, Madam Roberts rose to prominence as an activist after the 2018 elections due to her deep involvement in speaking against the wrongs of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) for which was aligned as being a support of the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party.
In early 2022, Madam Roberts started receiving threats and physical attacks from SLPP supporters. During one of those attacks, her phone was snatched and her clothes torn as she was physically assaulted.
And in late 2022, she was invited for questioning by the Sierra Leone Police and upon her arrival, she was illegally detained for two days without any charges for such detention.
In a bid to ensure her safety, she relocated outside of Freetown where she continued her work but that did keep her safe as her husband was arrested and the Chairman of Voice for the Voiceless was attacked and killed in August.
She faced three separate attacks in 2022 and in August of the same year during a riot, members of the Voice for the Voiceless were targeted.
Her worst attack happened on 4th July 2023 when she was brutally raped by alleged SLPP thugs which forced her to leave Sierra Leone for Ghana where she stayed for a certain period of time.
This medium was reliably informed that upon her return in the country, she discovered that alleged operatives of the ruling government were still searching for her and continued to face threats and intimidations which forced her into hiding and finally left Sierra Leone.
Voice for the Voiceless has called on human rights organizations and international bodies to intervene and demand accountability for the violence against its members. They argue that the repeated assaults, arbitrary detention, and sexual violence amount to systematic political persecution.
The Chairlady says she remains committed to advocating for the voiceless despite the severe threats she has faced. “I will not stop speaking out for those who cannot,” she said. “But I need the world to see and take note of what is happening to us,” she demanded.