Protests against high prices in Sierra Leone turned into a riot in Freetown on Wednesday August 10, with two members of the security forces beaten to death by a mob calling for the government to leave, according to the police spokesman.
A curfew in the West African country was announced by Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, who confirmed the death of “Innocent Sierra Leoneans, including members of the security forces”.
In the district of Kissy, in the east of the capital, dozens of young demonstrators threw stones and sticks at the security forces, who responded by firing tear gas. Some of them were chanting “Organic must go”in reference to President Julius Maada Bio, in power since 2018.
The police allegedly fired live ammunition
Several demonstrators also claimed that the security forces fired live ammunition. Dozens of them, injured, were at Cannaught Hospital, according to a doctor at the establishment who wishes to remain anonymous. Police also announced that they had arrested dozens of protesters.
The initiative for the demonstration came from a group of women traders who called a “peaceful assembly” pour “to draw attention to the economic difficulties and the many problems affecting women in Sierra Leone”according to a letter to the Inspector General of Police.
“Some selfish Sierra Leoneans have escalated the call for violence and the forcible overthrow of the legitimate government”the vice president said on state television. “These unscrupulous individuals embarked on a violent and unauthorized protest, which resulted in the deaths of innocent Sierra Leoneans, including some members of the security forces”he added.
One of the least developed countries in the world
The internet was temporarily blocked on Wednesday afternoon, said NetBlocks, a London-based site that monitors internet blockages around the world. President Bio is currently in the UK on a private visit.
Demonstrations also took place in the towns of Makeni and Magburuka in the center of the country. Despite a soil rich in diamonds, Sierra Leone is one of the least developed countries in the world.
The former British colony and its 7.5 million people were still recovering from a brutal 1991-2002 civil war and the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa when they were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.