It pleased His Excellency President Brig. (Rtd) Dr. Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday 19th November 2024 to announce Brigadier General Amara Idara Bangura as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).

 

Brig. Gen. Amara Idara Bangura replaced Lieutenant General Peter K. Lavagun, who President Bio appointed as the new Sierra Leone High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya in East Africa. Prior to his new appointment, Brig. Amara I. Bangura was the Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (ACDS) Military Operations.

 

An old student of Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood (SLMB) Secondary School in Makeni, Brig. Amara Bangura was trained in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) in 1992, together with other Sierra Leone Officer Cadets - Brig. S. T. Kanu, Brig. S. Bockarie, Col. R. S. Conteh, Wing Commander (Rtd) Arnold Conteh, late Capt. Sayoh Jalloh, late Capt. Michael Vandi, amongst others. They were sent to the NDA by Col. (Rtd) Bashiru Sahid Conteh, when he was the Lungi International Airport Commandant and the NPRC representative. 

 

The late Major General S. I. Musa, who was the Director Genera of the Nigeria Army Legal Services, was part of the 1992 training with the Sierra Leone Officer Cadets. He passed away on 23rd September 2024.

On Wednesday 8th July 2020, decorated Amara Idara Bangura, Albert Sylvester Bockrie, and Abdulai Berber Jalloh as newly promoted Brigadiers

During the weekly press briefing on 3rd June 2024, Brig. Amara Bangura outlined the mission and plans for the upcoming ECOWAS Stabilisation Force.

 

Amongst other issues, Brig. Amara Bangura announced a significant deployment in Sierra Leone's security infrastructure.

 

He revealed that US$10 million has been invested in constructing a logistics military base at Lungi to prepare for the arrival of the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force, known as ECOMOG. Outing the rationale behind deploying ECOMOG in Sierra Leone, Brig. Amara Bangura said the primary goal was to ensure robust military security to uphold constitutional democracy and prevent unconstitutional regimes. He further disclosed that with the consent of President Bio, ECOWAS has decided to establish a new logistics military base at Lungi along with similar bases in Ghana, Togo, and Ivory Coast respectively.

 

Brig. was amongst the Sierra Leone security stakeholders who gathered in Jendema and Zimmi on 7th October, 2023, in a proactive move aimed at ensuring peace and stability along the border areas.

 

The primary motive was to stabilise and ensure vigilance along the border as Liberians prepared for their multitier elections.

 

At the meeting, Brig. Bangura stressed the significance of community security and information sharing.

 

Meanwhile, many citizens have hailed the significant changes in the RSLAF, especially the appointment of the new CDS, who they described as being capable of living to the expectations of Sierra Leoneans.