The West African nation of Sierra Leone was underneath a nationwide curfew Sunday after armed assaults on its foremost army barracks within the capital Freetown.
President Julius Maada Bio declared the curfew Sunday after the assaults raised fears of a breakdown of order amid a surge of coups within the area.
The unidentified gunmen attacked the army armory inside the Wilberforce barracks within the capital, Freetown, early morning, Bio mentioned in a press release posted on X, previously often called Twitter, including that they had been pushed again by safety forces and “calm has been restored.”
“As the mixed group of our Security Forces proceed to root out the remnant of the fleeing renegades, a nationwide curfew has been declared and residents are inspired to remain indoors,” he wrote.
The nation’s Ministry of Information and Education additionally mentioned in a press release the federal government and safety forces are “in control” of the state of affairs.
No particulars have been instantly given in regards to the gunmen or the rationale for the assault.
Videos on-line, that went viral, reportedly confirmed troopers patrolling Freetown’s empty streets and captured the loud blasts of gunshots.
West Africa’s regional financial bloc of ECOWAS – of which Sioerra Leon is a member – described the incident as a plot “to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order” within the nation.
“ECOWAS reiterates its zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government,” the bloc mentioned in a press release.
Sierra Leon’s president was reelected for a second time period in June in a disputed vote through which the primary opposition occasion the electoral fee of conspiring together with his occasion to rig the outcomes.
It was the nation’s fifth presidential election because the finish of a brutal 11-year civil struggle – greater than 20 years in the past – which left tens of hundreds useless and destroyed the nation’s financial system.
Bio continues to face criticism due to debilitating financial circumstances. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leone’s inhabitants of greater than 7 million are dealing with poverty, with youth unemployment being one of many highest in West Africa.
Source: www.dailysabah.com