Fuel shortage hits army
Inside sources of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) have confirmed to our reporter yesterday that there is serious fuel shortage in the RSLAF that has now rendered their work useless.
The sources further disclosed that due to the fuel shortage the chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Major General Alfred Nelson-Williams is said not to be happy with the development taking place in the army. The reports further add that poaching vessels fishing within the inshore exclusive zone (IEZ) have now got a field day thereby fishing at will.
The RSLAF Navy which is under the command of captain D.S. Mansaray, and who has taken the responsibility to impound fishing trawlers cannot help out as his fuel stock has finished over a couple of weeks ago. News about the fuel shortage has now spread like wild fire and trawler agents in Freetown have communicated to their fishing trawlers to fish with impunity at the (IEZ) since the Navy is also suffering from fuel shortage.
When contacting soldiers deployed at Sulima, Tombo, Bonthe, they told our reporter that they have been informed by our local fishermen about these poaching vessels but much cannot be done to arrest them since they have no fuel to go and chase them. The villagers in Sulima confirmed to this medium that they saw fishing trawlers conducting twin fishing, fishing gravid lobsters, fishing with the wrong net size and also fishing without no Sierra Leonean crews onboard their trawlers.
It could be recalled that the Navy has been able to raise over 13 billion Leones for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) but they are defiant to assist the RSLAF Navy with fuel supply to conduct patrols at sea now. This seeming development is bad if not nipped in the bud.
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Daniel Konneh
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Army in other part of the world are self sufficient through industrial activitives, Let the Government give them tools to farm, we have vast land to cultivate, this people can feed the rest of Sirra Leonean population.Encourage them and equipe them to work rather than sleeping and playing games in the Barrack whole day.
20th May 2010