By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
Marking another significant diplomatic move, a Four-Man Delegation from the Sierra Leone Immigration Department, headed by the Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Konneh has on Monday 18th December 2023, arrived in Brussels to actualize the signing of the MOU between the two countries immigrations.
It could be recalled that in November this year, a Delegation from the Belgium Immigration Office held discussions in Freetown with the Sierra Leone’s Chief Immigration Officer during which issues of mutual benefit and the need for partnership between the two departments were discussed.
The discussions held in Freetown between the two immigrations were focused on a number of bilateral issues, including cooperation between the two institutions, information exchange, capacity building, technical assistance, visa processes, border management control, collaborative initiative, technology integration, humanitarian efforts and migration policies.
During the Delegation’s four-day stay in Brussels Belgium, the Sierra Leone Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Konneh and team would be signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the Brussels Immigration Department Office, and also making visit to different detention centres in Belgium.
Accordingly, the Chief Immigration Officer would be expected to make a presentation on Sierra Leone’s Immigration Strategy under the leadership of the New Direction Government of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio.
The diplomatic visit would also strive to promote cooperation between the two Countries and to improve communication between them in order to better execute the laws and regulations of persons, striving to reconfirm their common desire to effectively combat all forms of illegal immigration.
The expectations from the MOU were that the agreement would acknowledge the necessity to observe human rights and freedom and shall not prejudice the rights and obligations of the Parties under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948 and under international treaties.
