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| Solomon Ekuma Berewa | |
|---|---|
| Name | Solomon Ekuma Berewa |
| Birth date | 6 August 1938 |
| Birth place | Bonthe, Sierra Leone |
| Death date | 5 March 2020 |
| Death place | Freetown |
| Nationality | Sierra Leonean |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Politician |
| Party | National Democratic Alliance (early), Sierra Leone People's Party |
| Offices | Vice President of Sierra Leone (2002–2007), Attorney General of Sierra Leone (1996–2002) |
Solomon Ekuma Berewa was a Sierra Leonean lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General of Sierra Leone and later as Vice President of Sierra Leone. He was the standard-bearer for the Sierra Leone People's Party in the 2007 Sierra Leonean general election. Berewa's career intersected with major institutions and events in Sierra Leone and the wider West Africa region, including interactions with international organizations and judicial bodies.
Berewa was born in Bonthe District, Sierra Leone and was educated at local mission schools before attending Albert Academy (Freetown), Fourah Bay College, and the College of Law, Lagos where he read law, later qualifying in the United Kingdom and engaging with legal traditions stemming from English common law, University of London influences, and regional legal education networks. His formative years connected him to institutions such as St. Edward's Secondary School, Freetown, University of Sierra Leone, and professional bodies including the Law Society of Sierra Leone and the Council of Legal Education (Nigeria), situating him within networks that included contemporaries from Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, and Burkina Faso law faculties.
Berewa's legal career saw appointments as a state prosecutor, Crown Counsel, and eventually Attorney General of Sierra Leone, with professional interactions across the Judiciary of Sierra Leone, High Court of Sierra Leone, and appellate structures influenced by the Privy Council and post-colonial legal reform efforts. He participated in prosecutions and advisory roles that engaged institutions such as the International Court of Justice, regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union, and legal exchanges involving the International Criminal Court jurisprudence debates. Berewa’s tenure encompassed legal responses to the Sierra Leone Civil War, coordination with the United Nations missions, collaboration with the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and policy work alongside ministries including the Ministry of Justice (Sierra Leone) and the Ministry of Information and Communication.
Transitioning from judicial roles, Berewa entered partisan politics with the Sierra Leone People's Party, serving in cabinets under Presidents such as Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and engaging with party structures, campaign organizations, and international partners like the Commonwealth of Nations and the European Union electoral observers. His political activity engaged other parties and figures including the All People's Congress, Ernest Bai Koroma, Albert Margai's legacy, and the regional political context of Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal. Berewa also navigated intra-party dynamics involving leaders such as Mohamed Kallon (footballer philanthropist influencing politics), veteran politicians from Freetown and Bo District, and civil society organizations including the Campaign for Good Governance and the Network Movement for Justice and Development.
As Vice President of Sierra Leone under President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, Berewa co-led post-conflict reconstruction efforts that coordinated with international donors like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Development Programme, and bilateral partners including the United Kingdom and the United States. His vice-presidential portfolio involved oversight of reconciliation initiatives linked to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Sierra Leone), liaison with the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), and engagement with security-sector reform actors such as the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council aftermath, and demobilization programs supported by UNICEF and ILO. Berewa represented Sierra Leone at regional summits hosted by the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union, meeting heads of state from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and South Africa.
Berewa was nominated as the Sierra Leone People's Party candidate for the 2007 Sierra Leonean general election and faced opponents from the All People's Congress including Ernest Bai Koroma. The campaign involved national rallies in Freetown, Bo District, Kenema District, and engagement with electoral institutions such as the National Electoral Commission (Sierra Leone), observer missions from the Commonwealth and the European Union Election Observation Mission, and negotiations with civil society actors like the Campaign for Good Governance. The election outcome, determined after first-round voting and run-off mechanisms overseen by the Constitution of Sierra Leone, resulted in Berewa's defeat amid debates regarding incumbency, party realignment, and the role of international electoral assistance from entities like the United Nations Development Programme and the African Union.
After leaving office Berewa remained active in legal and political circles, participating in forums involving the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and regional reconciliation processes in West Africa. His legacy is invoked in discussions within the Sierra Leone People's Party, academic analyses at Fourah Bay College, and civil society reflections by organizations such as the National Forum for Human Rights. Berewa's death in Freetown prompted statements from national institutions including the Office of the President, the Parliament of Sierra Leone, and international condolences from partners like the British High Commission, the Embassy of the United States in Sierra Leone, and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone.
Category:Sierra Leonean politicians Category:1938 births Category:2020 deaths