Aminata Marrah fled a Bondo initiation ceremony in northern Sierra Leone after a confrontation during the ceremony reportedly ended with a fire that destroyed the initiation site, according to a friend who asked not to be named.
The incident happened on 10 July 2025 in Kamaro village, Koinadugu District, after Marrah allegedly resisted being initiated into the Bondo society.
Her friend said Marrah had been expected to take over a position in the society previously held by her late grandmother, also named Aminata.
An older woman who had worked with Marrah’s grandmother and was teaching her about the tradition was reportedly involved in preparing her for the initiation.
But Marrah allegedly did not want to undergo the ceremony.
According to her friend, she was nevertheless taken into the Bondo bush, where she refused to drink a traditional mixture offered during the initiation.
The friend said Marrah believed the mixture was intended to make initiates less likely to disclose what happened inside the Bondo bush.
She also allegedly resisted genital cutting.
A scuffle reportedly followed between Marrah and the soweis conducting the ceremony.
During the confrontation, a local lamp was reportedly knocked over and fell onto palm leaves used to construct the Bondo bush.
The structure caught fire and the flames spread through the site, reportedly destroying the entire bush.
Some people present were also said to have suffered burns.
Marrah then ran from the scene, according to her friend, while members of the Bondo society reportedly chased after her.
The incident was subsequently reported to the police.
The circumstances surrounding the confrontation, the fire and the reported injuries placed Aminata in a difficultly tensed position.
The police have refused to comment while Aminata is still being raided by the Society members.
Marrah’s reported resistance to the initiation came against the background of a difficult childhood.
She was still a child when she lost both her parents and was subsequently left in the care of her stepfather, Momori Mansaray, who raised her and her two siblings, according to her friend.
The friend alleges that Marrah was sexually abused by her stepfather whenever her siblings left home to attend school in a neighbouring village.
She was allegedly threatened against disclosing the abuse and eventually became pregnant.
Her pregnancy exposed what had allegedly happened, but her friend said she subsequently faced stigma, provocation and harassment within the community.
When Mansaray travelled away from home, Marrah allegedly took money belonging to him and fled.
Her friend said continuing threats were among the reasons she feared returning.
The reported Bondo incident later presented another confrontation between Marrah and the community around her.
Bondo is an important traditional institution in Sierra Leone, particularly among women in many communities. Initiation is associated with cultural education and social traditions, while FGM remains one of the most contested aspects of the practice.
Opponents of FGM argue that girls and women should not be subjected to genital cutting without their consent and have raised concerns about the physical and psychological consequences.
Marrah’s case raises questions about what protection is available to people who refuse initiation or resist FGM, particularly when family expectations and traditional authority are involved.
It also highlights the vulnerability of children who lose their parents and subsequently depend on relatives or guardians for care.
For Marrah, according to her friend, leaving home and later fleeing the Bondo bush were attempts to escape situations in which she felt she had little control over what was happening to her.
Her story raises wider questions about whether vulnerable girls and women who face alleged abuse, coercion or unwanted initiation have access to safe accommodation, legal protection and other forms of support.
