Sierra Leone’s new president doesn’t mince words. He called China infrastructure projects ‘a sham’

Julius Maada Bio, a former coup-maker who once apologised for exactions carried out by his comrades, secured his first civilian term in office Wednesday in Sierra Leone’s presidential vote.

The straight-talking retired brigadier, who briefly led a junta in 1996, beat incumbent Samura Kamara to end a decade in power for the All Peoples’ Congress (APC) in last month’s run-off, according to official results.

He now faces the difficult task of rebuilding the impoverished West African nation’s economy that was dragged down by the world’s deadliest Ebola epidemic and a global slump in commodity prices.

Dressed in traditional white robes, Maada Bio was sworn in just before midnight at a hotel in the capital Freetown, raising in the air the Bible upon which he swore the oath of office to the cheers of supporters.

“This is the dawn of a new era. The people of this great nation have voted to take a new direction,” he said in a speech following the short ceremony in which he made an appeal for national unity.

“We have only one country, Sierra Leone, and we are all one people.”