2023-11-26 13:02:30
Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio said Sunday evening that calm had been restored following a day of clashes in Freetown, which he presented as an attempt to destabilize the state and for which most of those responsible had been arrested, according to him. . Earlier in the day, Sierra Leone declared a curfew throughout its territory following the abortive attack on an armory and armed clashes in the capital.
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Armed clashes shook Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, on Sunday, November 26, following an abortive attempt to force a military armory, according to the government, which established a national curfew.
Videos posted on social media suggest that many detainees escaped from the central prison, in circumstances that have not yet been established. A man who was part of a group filmed in the street by an AFP correspondent indicated that he and the others were indeed escaped detainees.
The situation was confused in the middle of the day, with the authorities remaining silent following having assured that they were controlling the situation at the start of the morning. The nature of the events remains unknown.
The authorities simply mentioned the attack on the armory. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) spoke in a press release of an attempt to get their hands on weapons, but also of “disturbing peace and constitutional order”, language commonly used for political power grabs.
At the start of the followingnoon, the government said it was “in control” of the situation and assured that the security forces had pushed back to the outskirts of Freetown those responsible for the armed clashes shaking the capital.
“The government remains in control and is in control of the situation,” the Information Ministry said in a statement posted on social media. He acknowledged that the “attackers” had attacked Freetown prisons and that many inmates had escaped, without further details on these “attackers”.
West Africa has been the scene since August 2020 of a series of military coups and attempted coups, notably in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea, neighboring the Sierra Leone. Aerial videos shot by AFP show streets empty of any presence and traffic.
Arrest of “most of the leaders”
“We assure the general public that the government and our security forces are in control of the situation,” the information ministry said in a statement.
A national curfew with immediate effect has been imposed across the country to allow security forces to continue searching for suspects.
On Sunday evening, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio assured that security forces had arrested “most” of the leaders of what he presented as an attempt to destabilize the state, and that calm had been restored. in the capital Freetown.
“Most of the leaders have been arrested,” he said during a short speech on state television, without further details on their account. “Calm has been restored” following what he described as an “attempt to undermine the peace and stability we have worked so hard to achieve.”
He did not provide any details on the alleged perpetrators of the attack or their motivations but “strongly” advised residents “to stay at home”. Sierra Leone, an English-speaking country, has been going through a political crisis following contested presidential and general elections in June 2023.
“In the early hours of Sunday (…), unidentified individuals attempted to break into the military armory at Wilberforce barracks. They were all repelled,” the ministry said. Wilberforce is one of the main barracks in the country. The district is also home to embassies.
“Protect democracy”
President Julius Maada Bio assured early on that the attack had been thwarted. “Calm has been restored,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We remain committed to protecting democracy in Sierra Leone and I urge all Sierra Leoneans to unite around this collective responsibility.”
Fellow Sierra Leoneans,
I bring you greetings from the Presidential Lodge in Freetown.
In the early hours of this morning, there was a breach of security at the Military Barracks at Wilberforce in Freetown, as some unidentified individuals attacked the military armoury.…
— President Julius Maada Bio (@PresidentBio) November 26, 2023
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attempted overnight forcible seizure of the Wilberforce Barracks and Armory,” the U.S. Embassy said in a social media post. “The United States continues to support all those working toward a peaceful, democratic, healthy, and prosperous Sierra Leone.”
ECOWAS expressed its support for the government in place and called for the arrest of those responsible for the events. “ECOWAS reiterates its principle of zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government,” she said.
Julius Maada, elected for the first time in 2018, was re-elected in June in the first round, with 56.17% of the votes according to the results published by the electoral commission.
Foreign observers, however, denounced inconsistencies and a lack of transparency in the count, as well as acts of violence and intimidation.
The main opposition party, the All People’s Congress Party (APC), considered the presidential elections, but also legislative and local elections, rigged, and decided to boycott Parliament and local councils.
The government and the APC finally reached an agreement in October. The APC agreed to end its boycott in exchange for an end to detentions and court cases it said were politically motivated.
With AFP
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