“Women without a voice, who have nothing to do with drug violence, will suffer.” Daniël Kettor, director of Rainbo Initiative in Sierra Leone, is clear about Minister Van Weel’s announcement that the government wants to try to stop development money from the European Union to that country.

Every year, Rainbo Initiative supports around 3,000 victims of sexual violence in the capital Freetown, mainly women and children. Stopping development aid would affect them directly. European funds are crucial for the work of this non-profit organization.

Kettor is disappointed with the statements of the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security. “We now employ 120 people. About a hundred of them are women, some of whom have been victims of sexual violence themselves. They are empowered by the work they do.”

By stopping EU funds, the Netherlands wants to put pressure on Sierra Leone to extradite convicted drug criminal Jos L.. According to various sources, he resides in the West African country and is said to receive protection from President Bio.

Sierra Leone is internationally mainly associated with the civil war (1991-2002), a major Ebola outbreak (2014-2016) and the growing role of West Africa in international drug trafficking. Tourism therefore remains limited, while Sierra Leone has extensive tropical beaches and a population known for its hospitality.

According to Gilles Yabi, founder of a West Africa think tank in Dakar, it is precisely this population that bears the consequences of a stop to development aid, and not the drug criminals or the political elite. “Stopping development aid affects education programs and food aid in Sierra Leone. This punishes innocent people.”

“It is disturbing that the Dutch government wants to use European funds because they cannot arrest a fugitive criminal,” he says. “There’s got to be another way to do that, right?”

The pressure on Sierra Leone and L. is now increasing. According to De Telegraaf, plans to arrest him were recently canceled at the last minute. After Van Weel’s statements and the recent arrest of L.’s older brother, the justice department seems to be doing everything in its power to get ‘Bolle Jos’ out of Sierra Leone.

A European measure would be another blow to the country after the fall of USAID. Yet Kettor from Rainbo Initiative understands that European governments want to take action against drug criminals. “We also condemn their presence. These are people who live an incredibly luxurious life here like no one in this country can.”

He emphasizes that drug problems do not only affect Europe. “Here too it leads to violence and instability. It destroys the potential of young people.”

The question is to what extent Van Weel’s plan is actually feasible. The European Union previously suspended development aid in Guinea in 2021 and in Niger in 2023. In both cases this happened as a result of a coup.

Whether “offering a safe haven to one of the largest drug criminals”, as Van Weel described it, is sufficient reason to also apply this measure in Sierra Leone remains to be seen. According to Yabi, the question is whether the Netherlands receives sufficient support for this within the European Union. “It mainly seems to be a means to put pressure on the current government.”

According to Kettor, the solution lies in cooperation and not in sanctions. “West Africa faces challenges, but there are also opportunities. If Europe wants to prevent this region from remaining a transit port for drug smuggling, it must work with local organizations and governments, not torment the population.”