Alimamy Pallo Bangura
Encyclopedia
Alimamy Pallo Bangura is a politician in Sierra Leone
. Over the past 12 years, Bangura has played a major role in Sierra Leonean politics and was a member of the Revolutionary United Front Party, where he replaced rebel leader Foday Sankoh
following Sankoh's May 2000 arrest and 2002 electoral disqualification. His posts have included: Ambassador
to the United Nations
from Sierra Leone (1994-1996); Foreign Minister
(1997-1998); Minister of Energy
and Power
(1999-2001); and Secretary General of the Revolutionary United Front Party (2002-2007). He also ran for president
in 2002 alongside former cabinet minister Peter Vandy
, but the pair only received 1.7% of the presidential vote, while the RUF received only 2.2% of the parliamentary
vote.
, University of London
.
. However, Bangura sought to change the face of the party. He describes himself as a supporter of democracy
and a Christian
. He has said "I'm not one who looks down on anybody. I do not reject anybody. I do not condemn anybody. The kind of Christian that I am is to accept everybody as God's child, and God having a purpose for each one. That is how I see it."
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. Over the past 12 years, Bangura has played a major role in Sierra Leonean politics and was a member of the Revolutionary United Front Party, where he replaced rebel leader Foday Sankoh
Foday Sankoh
Foday Saybana Sankoh was the leader and founder of the Sierra Leone rebel group Revolutionary United Front in the 11-year-long Sierra Leone Civil War, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002...
following Sankoh's May 2000 arrest and 2002 electoral disqualification. His posts have included: Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from Sierra Leone (1994-1996); Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
(1997-1998); Minister of Energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and Power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
(1999-2001); and Secretary General of the Revolutionary United Front Party (2002-2007). He also ran for president
Elections in Sierra Leone
Elections in Sierra Leone gives information on election and election results in Sierra Leone.Sierra Leone elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people...
in 2002 alongside former cabinet minister Peter Vandy
Peter Vandy
Peter Vandy is a politician in Sierra Leone. He is a member of the Revolutionary United Front and ran alongside Pallo Bangura in the 2002 Presidential election. He is a former government Minister of Lands and Environment and was detained alongside other government ministers Pallo Bangura and Mike...
, but the pair only received 1.7% of the presidential vote, while the RUF received only 2.2% of the parliamentary
Parliament of Sierra Leone
The unicameral Parliament of Sierra Leone is the country's legislative body. It is sometimes known as the House of Representatives.The current Parliament, formed following elections held on 14 May 2002, has a total of 124 members. 112 members are directly elected in multi-member constituencies...
vote.
Education
Bangura holds a Master's degree from the School of Oriental and African StudiesSchool of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
Political beliefs
The RUF was made famous for its brutal war tactics that included kidnapping and tortureTorture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
. However, Bangura sought to change the face of the party. He describes himself as a supporter of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
. He has said "I'm not one who looks down on anybody. I do not reject anybody. I do not condemn anybody. The kind of Christian that I am is to accept everybody as God's child, and God having a purpose for each one. That is how I see it."