In response to an assault on the military barracks at Wilberforce in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio declared a nationwide curfew with immediate effect earlier this week. The declaration came hours after several unidentified gunmen attempted to break into the military armory.
According to a statement by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Mustapha Jambai Massaquoi, the attackers were all successfully repelled. The government further assured the public that state security forces maintain control and have advised citizens to remain indoors given the newly enacted curfew. Most of the assailant’s leaders have been apprehended, restoring calm within the country, as President Bio announced on national television.
This attack follows months of social unrest due to the controversial results of the June 2023 presidential election, where President Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won with a 56.17 percent majority. His main competitor, Samura Kamara of the All People’s Congress (APC), rejected the results citing lack of transparency and called for a thorough investigation into the electoral process. Kamara also accused the military of firing live rounds and tear gas at their office just a day after the election. Despite these allegations, the results were deemed credible by the EU Election Observation Mission (EOM)’s final report in spite of the reported lack of transparency and incidents of violence.
In a similar tone, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) released a statement criticising the current strife in Freetown and called it an “unconditional change of Government”. The region has experienced a noteworthy surge in military coups over the past three years, with six African countries, including Gabon and Niger in 2023, falling under military control.
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