Archbishop of Freetown Calls for Dialogue as City Council Forms Burial Team for Victims of “Kush” Drug Crisis

Freetown, 14 October, 2025 / 11:20 AM

The Archbishop of Sierra Leone’s Catholic Archdiocese of Freetown has appealed for dialogue with young people in the West African nation, expressing concern that many are dying from the use of “kush”, a substance that authorities in the country have described as a national epidemic.

The effects of “kush” have been so devastating that, according to Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles, young people are being found dead on the streets after using the drug. He says the Freetown City Council has even set up a special “burial team” to collect and bury the bodies of victims found across the Sierra Leonean capital.

In his homily on Sunday, October 12, during the celebration of the feast of  St. Edward the Confessor, patron saint of the Archdiocese of Freetown, Archbishop Tamba Charles appealed to young people to reach out to their peers who are using “kush” and try to reason with them.

“I appeal that we all talk to the youths close to us that we know are taking those hard drugs, to consider the suffering to which they are subjecting themselves, their families and loved ones, their communities, and our country,” Archbishop Tamba Charles said at the celebration that was held at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Newton community.

He added, “I make a special appeal to the youths who know the language of those taking drugs to talk to their fellow youths about the dangerous effects of those drugs on their health and self-esteem.”

The Catholic Church leader expressed concern that young Sierra Leoneans, disappointed by the lack of employment, are now opting to drown their frustrations in “kush” and “tramadol” and are dying “like stray dogs”.

The Archbishop of Freetown reflected on the life and witness of St. Edward the Confessor, noting that although he was a layperson, the saint embodied the spirit of a true missionary disciple of Christ, proclaiming the Gospel more through his actions than his words.

He prayed that the witness of St. Edward the Confessor would inspire Sierra Leoneans to be “witnesses of hope to all”, adding, “In this regard, I think especially of the youths and young adults who, frustrated by prolonged unemployment and the uncertainties about their future, desire to escape into a world of fantasy and illusion that hard drugs, like tramadol and kush, promise them, only to die like stray dogs on our streets and in our neighbourhoods.”

To describe the gravity of drug use among Sierra Leonean youths, Archbishop Tamba Charles said, “Our Freetown City Council has set up a burial team to bury some of those boys and girls who die on the street. We thank the Mayor and the administration for that.”

He however clarified that the move by the Freetown City Council wasn’t enough, and said, “We cannot be indifferent to such a tragedy especially when the victims are young men and young women who would contribute meaningfully to the development of our nation.”

Amid applause, he called on authorities in Sierra Leone to do everything possible to stop the importation of dangerous drugs into the country.

“I appeal to them (authorities) not to focus only on those young men and women who take the drugs or sell petty parcels of them on the streets even dire as it may be because they are mere victims of circumstance, but rather, focus on those who are making huge profits at the expense of those frustrated youths and young adults,” the Sierra Leonean Archbishop said.