WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) – The U.S. signed four new global health memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Ethiopia, which total nearly $2.3 billion in funding, the State Department said on Tuesday.
“Each MOU includes clear benchmarks, strict timelines, and consequences for nonperformance – ensuring U.S. assistance delivers results against priority disease threats and reduces long-term dependence on U.S. assistance,” the State Department said in a statement.
“Across the four MOUs, which total nearly $2.3 billion, the United States has committed almost $1.4 billion, with recipient countries co-investing more than $900 million of their own resources.”
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
NEW YORK (AP) — When he first came to the United States after escaping civil war in Sierra Leone and spending almost a decade in a refugee camp, Dauda Sesay had no idea he could become a citizen. But he was told that if he followed the rules and stayed out of trouble, after some years he could apply. As a U.S. citizen, he would have protection.
It’s what made him decide to apply: the premise — and the promise — that when he became a naturalized American citizen, it would create a bond between him and his new home. He would have rights as well as responsibilities, like voting, that, as he was making a commitment to the country, the country was making one to him.
“When I raised my hand and took the oath of allegiance, I did believe that moment the promise that I belonged,” said Sesay, 48, who first arrived in Louisiana more than 15 years ago and now works as an advocate for refugees and their integration into American society.
But in recent months, as President Donald Trump reshapes immigration and the country’s relationship with immigrants, that belief has been shaken for Sesay and other naturalized citizens. There’s now fear that the push to drastically increase deportations and shift who can claim America as home, through things like trying to end birthright citizenship, is having a ripple effect.
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What they thought was the bedrock protection of naturalization now feels more like quicksand.
Illinois State Police stand guard as people including members of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) gather outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)
Illinois State Police stand guard as people including members of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) gather outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)
What happens if they leave?
Some are worried that if they leave the country, they will have difficulties when trying to return, fearful because of accounts of naturalized citizens being questioned or detained by U.S. border agents. They wonder: Do they need to lock down their phones to protect their privacy? Others are hesitant about moving around within the country, after stories like that of a U.S. citizen accused of being here illegally and detained even after his mother produced his birth certificate.
There has been no evidence of an uptick in denaturalizations so far in this Trump administration. Yet that hasn’t assuaged some. Sesay said he doesn’t travel domestically anymore without his passport, despite having a REAL ID with its federally mandated, stringent identity requirements.
Immigration enforcement roundups, often conducted by masked, unidentifiable federal agents in places including Chicago and New York City, have at times included American citizens in their dragnets. One U.S. citizen who says he was detained by immigration agents twice has filed a federal lawsuit.
Adding to the worries, the Justice Department issued a memo this summer saying it would ramp up efforts to denaturalize immigrants who’ve committed crimes or are deemed to present a national security risk. At one point during the summer, Trump threatened the citizenship of Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor-elect of New York City, who naturalized as a young adult.
The atmosphere makes some worried to speak about it publicly, for fear of drawing negative attention to themselves. Requests for comment through several community organizations and other connections found no takers willing to go on the record other than Sesay.
In New Mexico, state Sen. Cindy Nava says she’s familiar with the fear, having grown up undocumented before getting DACA — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era program that protected people brought to the U.S. as children from being deported — and gaining citizenship through her marriage. But she hadn’t expected to see so much fear among naturalized citizens.
“I had never seen those folks be afraid … now the folks that I know that were not afraid before, now they are uncertain of what their status holds in terms of a safety net for them,” Nava said.
What citizenship has meant, and who was included, has expanded and contracted over the course of American history, said Stephen Kantrowitz, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said while the word “citizen” is in the original Constitution, it is not defined.
“When the Constitution is written, nobody knows what citizenship means,” he said. “It’s a term of art, it comes out of the French revolutionary tradition. It sort of suggests an equality of the members of a political community, and it has some implications for the right to be a member of that political community. But it is … so undefined.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents escort a detained immigrant into an elevator after he exited an immigration courtroom, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova, File)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents escort a detained immigrant into an elevator after he exited an immigration courtroom, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova, File)
American immigration and its obstacles
The first naturalization law passed in 1790 by the new country’s Congress said citizenship was for any “free white person” of good character. Those of African descent or nativity were added as a specific category to federal immigration law after the ravages of the Civil War in the 19th century, which was also when the 14th Amendment was added to the Constitution to establish birthright citizenship.
In the last years of the 19th century and into the 20th century, laws were put on the books limiting immigration and, by extension, naturalization. The Immigration Act of 1924 effectively barred people from Asia because they were ineligible for naturalization, being neither white nor Black. That didn’t change until 1952, when an immigration law removed racial restrictions on who could be naturalized. The 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act replaced the previous immigration system with one that portioned out visas equally among nations.
American history also includes times when those who had citizenship had it taken away, like after the 1923 Supreme Court ruling in U.S. vs. Bhagat Singh Thind. That ruling said that Indians couldn’t be naturalized because they did not qualify as white and led to several dozen denaturalizations. At other times, it was ignored, as in World War II, when Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps.
“Political power will sometimes simply decide that a group of people, or a person or a family isn’t entitled to citizenship,” Kantrowitz said.
In this moment, Sesay says, it feels like betrayal.
“The United States of America — that’s what I took that oath of allegiance, that’s what I make commitment to,” Sesay said. “Now, inside my home country, and I’m seeing a shift. … Honestly, that is not the America I believe in when I put my hand over my heart.”
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This story has been corrected to reflect that Dauda Sesay is 48 years old, not 44.
The government says it is in full control following an armed attack in the capital and a nationwide curfew.
Sierra Leone has arrested most of the leaders of an armed attack in the capital that has prompted the government to declare a nationwide curfew, the country’s president has said.
“Most of the leaders have been arrested. Security operations and investigations are ongoing,” President Julius Maada Bio said on national television on Sunday following armed clashes in Freetown after what the government said was an attack on a military armoury.
The government said it repelled the attack and was in control of the situation. The incident occurred amid months of post-election unrest in the West African nation.
The “government is in firm control of the security situation in Freetown, the attackers are retreating”, information minister Chernor Bah told the AFP news agency.
Sierra Leone’s civil aviation authority also urged the airlines to reschedule flights.
An AFP journalist said calm was slowly returning to the capital by Sunday evening but checkpoints heavily guarded by security forces remained in place.
“We are trying to collate the number of arrests and casualties,” Bah said, adding that “those responsible for today’s attack will be hunted down to face the full force of the law”.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show men in uniform under arrest in the back or beside a military pick-up truck.
Earlier in the day, witnesses told AFP they heard gunshots and explosions in the city’s Wilberforce district, where the armoury and some embassies are located.
Other witnesses reported exchanges of fire near a barracks in the Murray Town district, home to the navy, and outside another military site in Freetown.
The information ministry reported attacks on prisons earlier in the day that obliged the security forces to retreat. “The prisons were thus overrun” with some detainees released and others “abducted”, it said.
Video posted on social networks suggested numerous prisoners had escaped from the central jail.
In a statement issued on Sunday, West Africa’s regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), condemned the attempt to “disturb constitutional order” in Sierra Leone.
Growing unrest since President’s re-election
Sierra Leone has seen political violence and unrest since the re-election of President Bio in June.
That election was the fifth since the end of Sierra Leone’s brutal 11-year civil war – more than two decades ago – which left tens of thousands dead and destroyed the country’s economy.
International observers condemned the “lack of transparency” in the ballot count and Sierra Leone’s opposition party initially disputed the results and boycotted the government.
Since his electoral victory five months ago, Bio continues to face criticism because of debilitating economic conditions. Nearly 60 percent of Sierra Leone’s population of more than 7 million are impoverished and youth unemployment is among the highest in West Africa.
The unrest in Sierra Leone comes after a series of military coups that have dealt blows to democracy in the region. There have been eight military coups in West and Central Africa since 2020, including in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea.
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone’s president declared a nationwide curfew Sunday after gunmen attacked the military’s main and largest barracks in the West African nation’s capital and then overran detention centers, including a major prison.
The attack raised fears of a breakdown of order amid a surge of coups in the region.
The detention centers, including the Pademba Road Prisons — holding more than 2,000 inmates — were attacked just as security forces fought to restore calm during sustained shootouts at the Wilberforce military barracks, according to Information Minister Chernor Bah.
“The prisons were overrun (and) some prisoners were abducted by the assailants while many others were released,” Bah said. Security forces managed to “push back” the assailants to the outskirts of the city where fighting continues, he added.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio earlier declared a nationwide curfew in response to the attacks.
An Associated Press journalist in the capital said that gunshots were still heard in the city hours after the government assured residents of calm, although it wasn’t clear who was behind the exchange of fire, nor if any arrests were made.
“The security forces are making progress in the operation to defeat and apprehend those responsible for today’s attacks,” Bah said. “The government remains in control and on top of the situation.”
The president and the country’s Ministry of Information and Education also both said that the government and security forces are in control of the situation, trying to dismiss fears of a possible escalation of violence in the country whose population of 8 million people is among the poorest in the world, having some of the lowest scores on the U.N. Human Development Index.
No details were immediately given about the gunmen or the reason for the attack, which comes months after Bio was reelected for a second term in a disputed vote in which the main opposition party accused the electoral commission of rigging the results.
Videos posted online showed soldiers patrolling Freetown’s empty streets and captured the loud blasts of gunshots at dawn. The AP couldn’t immediately verify the authenticity of the videos.
West Africa’s regional economic bloc ECOWAS — of which Sierra Leone is a member — described the incident as a plot “to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order” in the country. The bloc has in recent months tried to reverse the surge in coups in West and Central Africa, which has recorded eight military takeovers since 2020, the latest in Niger and Gabon this year.
“ECOWAS reiterates its zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government,” the bloc said in a statement.
Bio was reelected in Sierra Leone’s fifth presidential election since the end of a brutal 11-year civil war — more than two decades ago — which left tens of thousands of people dead and destroyed the country’s economy.
He continues to face criticism because of debilitating economic conditions. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leone’s population is facing poverty, with the youth unemployment rate being one of the highest in West Africa.
Two months after Bio won the disputed vote, police said they arrested several people, including senior military officers planning to use protests “to undermine peace” in the country.
A protest against the government in August last year resulted in the deaths of more than 30 people, including six police officers.
Election commission says Julius Maada Bio secured 56.17 percent of votes, challenger Samura Kamara rejects results.
President Julius Maada Bio has won re-election in Sierra Leone’s tense presidential vote, the election commission confirmed, but his main challenger was quick to reject the results.
Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohamed Kenewui Konneh said on Tuesday that Bio, 59, was re-elected with 56.17 percent of Saturday’s vote. His top rival Samura Kamara, of the All People’s Congress (APC), came second with 41.16 percent.
“By the powers invested in me … I hereby certify that Bio Julius Maada … [is] duly elected president,” Konneh said.
Winning candidates are required to secure 55 percent of votes, and Bio narrowly avoided a second round.
Kamara, 72, said that he “categorically” rejected the results. “It is a sad day for our beloved country. It is a frontal attack on our fledgling democracy,” he posted on Twitter.
“These results are NOT credible and I categorically reject the outcome so announced by the electoral commission,” he wrote.
My compatriots. We have heard the unfortunate announcement of the elections results for the June 24 Presidential elections by the Chief Electoral Commissioner Mr Konneh. It is a sad day for our beloved country. It is a frontal attack on our fledgling democracy. These results are…
The election commission’s announcement came after supporters of both parties had claimed to have won in recent days, with Kamara saying that he was on an “irreversible path to an overwhelming victory”. He also alleged that security forces had opened fire on Sunday on a celebration at his party’s headquarters, though police denied having fired live bullets.
Bio had defeated Kamara, a former foreign minister, in the 2018 election.
Vote tallying had already been disputed by the APC, which condemned in a statement on Monday an alleged lack of inclusiveness, transparency and responsibility by the election commission.
The party pointed to the lack of information about which polling stations or districts the ballots were coming from.
It had said it “will not accept these fake and cooked up results”.
In a follow-up statement, it alleged “over-voting” in some areas and said the party “continues to reject” the “fabricated results” and “reaffirms our victory”.
European Union observers said, at a news conference on Monday, that a lack of transparency and communication by the electoral authority had led to mistrust in the electoral process.
The monitors said they witnessed violence at seven polling stations during voting hours and at three others during the closing and counting stages.
There were fears as the results were announced that more unrest could take place if none of the 13 candidates managed an outright victory.
The United States also voiced concern about a lack of transparency in the counting process.
Any citizen who lawfully voted may submit challenges to the Supreme Court within seven days of the election results being declared, Konneh said.
Bio addressed the nation after provisional results were released on Monday and called on citizens to remain peaceful.
The June 24 vote was the fifth since the end of Sierra Leone’s civil war in 2002 and was held amid high unemployment and inflation, as well as growing violent rhetoric.
Bio, a former coup leader in the 1990s, has championed education and women’s rights in his first civilian term that was, however, mired by growing frustration over economic hardship.
Rising prices spurred unusually violent protests last year, and the APC had been banking on the enduring cost-of-living crisis to win votes.
According to the World Bank, the economic downturn has stalled hopes of recovery in Sierra Leone, where widespread underemployment persists and more than half of the population lives in poverty.
Bio has faced increasing criticism because of debilitating economic conditions that Kamara pledged to improve.
Nearly 60 percent of Sierra Leone’s population of more than seven million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa.
Under Williams’ direction, the historic Boston health clinic has experienced massive growth; including the construction of a five-story, 78,900-square foot, state-of-the-art health facility in 2012 which now bears her name.
Press Release –
updated: May 3, 2019
ROXBURY, Mass., May 3, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– – Frederica Williams, CEO and President of the Whittier Street Health Center (WSHC) is marking 17 years at the helm of the revered community institution, which has seen massive growth in her tenure.
“It’s been a long journey, and I am thrilled every day to be here and serve the community,” said Williams. “The mission of Whittier is my life mission as well, so it’s personal.”
Williams was the driving force behind a 10-year effort to construct the health center’s first permanent medical home. After multiple setbacks and extensive property negotiations, the ambitious project was cobbled together through William’s business acumen and determination to raise funds.
Completed in 2012, the five-story, 78,900-square foot, state-of-the-art health facility was 14 months ahead of schedule and $640,000 under budget.
In 2018, Williams was recognized for her efforts to make the now nationally distinguished health center a reality, and honored by the WSHC Board of Directors who officially named the building after her.
Since joining WSHC in 2002, Williams has received dozens of awards recognizing her work as both a woman-of-color CEO and a driving force behind Whittier’s expansion and success. This includes WSHC being named by the Boston Globe as one of the top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts from 2014-2018.
On this anniversary Williams is also being acknowledged for her other accomplishments at WSHC, which include opening a satellite clinic on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, building a 6,600-square-foot fitness center at the Tremont location, the creation of a community garden, launching a mobile health van outreach initiative, a partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and a men’s health clinic.
Williams was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone and is a descendant of the Creole (Krio) people — a melding of freed slaves, who, with help from the British government, settled in Sierra Leone after the American Revolution.
“I dedicate this recognition to my parents and pray that their legacy of service, love and social justice continue to live on in the work we do at Whittier for generations to come. The Whittier building project was a family mission with prayers and words of wisdom and encouragement from my family, and the love and support of my sons who sacrificed time with me and pitched in to support the vision for the Whittier building.”
“I am grateful to have a loyal team of dedicated colleagues at Whittier. It is the Whittier team’s care and respect for patients that make Whittier a warm and welcoming place for everyone who comes through our doors. “
Williams lived in Sierra Leone and the UK before moving to Boston in 1984. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the London School of Accountancy, a Graduate Certificate in Administration and Management from the Harvard University Extension School and a MBA from Anna Maria College. She lives in Boston with three sons.
The mission of Whittier Street Health Center is to provide high quality, reliable and accessible primary health care and support services for diverse populations to promote wellness and eliminate health and social disparities. The health center also provides General Dentistry, HIV Services; Laboratory; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pediatrics/Adolescent Health; LGBTQ Clinic, Eye Care, Counseling and Substance Abuse. Whittier also runs over 40 social service initiatives addressing everything from substance abuse, violence, trauma, food insecurity, to total person holistic wellbeing. Whittier Street Health Center is a 501c3 charitable organization.
Media Contact: Jesse Migneault Phone: 617.989.3283 Email: jesse.migneault@wshc.org
