If you are looking to keep up to date with current events in West Africa, it is impossible to miss the recent attack on military barracks in Sierra Leone. President Julius Maada Bio declared a nationwide curfew following the attack, which sparked fears of disorder amid a surge in coups in the region.
Unidentified gunmen stormed the military armory at Wilberforce barracks in the capital, Freetown, early in the morning. President Bio said in a statement posted on social media that the attackers were repelled by security forces and that calm was restored. However, as a precautionary measure, a nationwide curfew has been imposed and citizens are encouraged to stay at home.
Videos of soldiers patrolling the empty streets of Freetown and gunshots ringing out are circulating online and have gone viral. Exact details about who carried out the attack and the reasons for it are not yet known.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which includes Sierra Leone, described the incident as an attempt “to obtain weapons and disrupt peace and constitutional order” in the country. . ECOWAS has reaffirmed its intolerance towards unconstitutional changes of government.
It is worth noting that President Bio was re-elected for a second term last June, in a disputed vote where the main opposition party accused the electoral commission of conspiring with the ruling party to rig the results. It was the country’s fifth presidential election since the end of a brutal civil war that lasted more than 11 years, leaving tens of thousands dead and devastating the country’s economy.
Bio’s government continues to face criticism due to poor economic conditions. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leone’s population, or more than seven million people, live in poverty, with one of the highest youth unemployment rates in West Africa.
This attack on military barracks in Sierra Leone once again highlights the fragility of the situation in this region, where political instabilities and social tensions persist. It is essential that the authorities take the necessary measures to restore order and guarantee the safety of the population. The situation in Sierra Leone deserves our full attention and we must stand in solidarity with the people of Sierra Leone during these difficult times.