Coup In Sierra Leone? Here’s Everything We Know

Following the attack on a military barracks in Freetown on Sunday morning, the Sierra Leonean government has declared a nationwide curfew.

What We Know

On Sunday 26 November 2023, the Sierra Leonean government armory in Wilberforce was attacked by some unidentified individuals, several detainees from the Pademba Prison in Freetown were also reportedly released. Witnesses reported gunfire and explosions in the capital. A video circulating on social media appeared to show smoke rising from the streets.

According to AFP, witnesses claimed to have heard gunfire near a military facility in Freetown and close to a naval base in the Murray Town neighborhood. However, the government released a statement saying they had repelled the attack and were in control of the situation.

Information Minister Chernor Bah reassured the public in a statement on Sunday that “the government and its state security forces are in control.” Bah advised citizens to “stay indoors” as security forces “continued the process of apprehending the suspects.”

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio confirmed the attack in a statement on his official X handle on Sunday, blaming “renegades” for the attack. He added that peace has been “restored” and security agents are working to “root out the remnant of the fleeing renegades”.

“The peace of our beloved Nation is priceless and we shall continue to protect the peace and security of Sierra Leone against the forces that wish to truncate our much-cherished stability,” he said

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), denounced the attempt to “disturb constitutional order” in Sierra Leone, in a statement released on Sunday.

The Latest In Sierra Leone and West Africa

Since President Bio’s reelection in June, political violence and turmoil have occurred in Sierra Leone. The election marked the fifth since the bloody 11-year civil war that ended more than 20 years ago in Sierra Leone, claiming thousands of lives and wrecking the nation’s economy.

The crippling economic conditions have been the crux of the criticism targeted at Bio since his reelection five months ago. With a population of over 7 million, around  60% of Sierra Leoneans live in poverty, and youth unemployment remains among the highest in West Africa.

Sierra Leone currently faces turmoil amid a string of military takeovers that have severely impacted the region’s democracy.. Since 2020,   West and Central Africa has experienced eight military takeovers, including ones in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea.