Sierra Leone has ordered a temporary suspension of all secret society activities across the country during its 2026 Population and Housing Census and the immediate period afterwards, until 31 December 2026. The Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs issued the directive to protect census personnel, prevent disruption to the count and reduce the risk of security incidents in communities.

The order prohibits initiation ceremonies, traditional gatherings, processions and other secret society-related activities for the duration of the suspension. The ministry has called on paramount chiefs, traditional authorities and secret society leaders to ensure compliance, and has urged communities to cooperate with census officials.

Why the census needs a clear run

Sierra Leone's national census is a large logistical exercise. Census night has been set for 1 December 2026, with enumeration beginning on 2 December across about 23,000 enumeration areas. Around 30,000 census personnel are expected to be deployed nationwide, and people will be counted where they spend census night, under the de facto method adopted by Statistics Sierra Leone.

Secret societies have long played a part in community life in parts of Sierra Leone, and their ceremonies can involve restrictions on movement and public activity in the areas where they take place. The ministry's decision is aimed at making sure enumerators can reach every household safely and that no community is cut off from the count while ceremonies are under way.

What the suspension covers

The directive covers all secret society activities, including initiations and traditional gatherings, and applies nationwide rather than in selected districts. It runs through the census and the immediate post-census period, ending on 31 December 2026.

Officials have framed the measure as a practical step to safeguard the count rather than a judgement on the societies themselves. The ministry has asked traditional leaders, who hold authority in their chiefdoms, to take responsibility for seeing that the suspension is observed.

High stakes for the count

Accurate population figures matter well beyond the census itself. The government has said the data will guide national development planning and the fair distribution of public resources and projects, and ministers have rejected suggestions that the census is politically motivated.

Statistics Sierra Leone has said it will use digital tablets for enumeration and geofencing technology to keep enumerators within their assigned areas, as part of efforts to make the results transparent and credible. Special arrangements are also planned to count people who may otherwise be missed, including homeless people, market vendors who sleep at their stalls, hospital inpatients and night-shift workers.

With census night less than three weeks away, the suspension gives enumerators and communities a clear window in which the count can proceed without interruption.

Sources: Liberty Online TV; AfricaFrontPage