By: Christian Conteh

Claim: US Ambassador David Dale Reimer has been transferred by the Biden administration because he breached his diplomatic right by involving in politics.

Verdict: FALSE

Full Text:

A Facebook post attributed to a certain Malik Malik Bah has claimed that the US Ambassador David Reimer has been transferred because he was involved in our local politics in Sierra Leone.

The post reads:

“Sierra Leone Gets New US Ambassador By the name of Hunt, Bryan David. The current ambassador David Dale Reimer has been transferred by the Biden administration because he breached his diplomatic right by involving in politics.”

Methodology:

To verify this claim, SuperNewsRoom reached out to Alhassan Jalloh, Press and Media Coordinator at the American Embassy in Freetown. He confirmed that the information was false and further sent us a message put out by Sarah Van Horne, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer.

The message reads:

DEBUNKING MISINFORMATION: Dear media colleagues, we’ve seen some misinformation online that we wanted to fact-check. The White House nominated Bryan Hunt to be the next ambassador to Sierra Leone on March 6 (well before the elections in Sierra Leone). Bryan Hunt’s nomination is pending final confirmation by the US Congress, and that process can take some time, so we do not, at this time, know when Ambassador Reimer will depart, and when the nominee for the next Ambassador will arrive. Regardless of when it happens, this transition is part of the normal cycle of Ambassador arrivals and departures, which typically occurs every couple of years. It is not related to any events in Sierra Leone and was announced publicly back in March.

Conclusion:

US Ambassador David Reimer was not transferred because he was involved in local politics in Sierra Leone. This transition is part of the normal cycle of Ambassador arrivals and departures, which typically occurs every couple of years.

NOTE: This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

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