Arr, Sierra Leone's captain be claimin' to have captured most o' them scurvy dogs behind the weekend onslaught, but scarce be the details revealed!
2023-11-27
Arrr! The scallywags be raidin' Sierra Leone, settin' the prisoners free from their dank cells! Aye, the land be shakin' with worry o' a sinister coup unfoldin'!
In Freetown, Sierra Leone, the president announced that most of the leaders behind the recent attacks on military barracks and prisons have been arrested. However, the capital remains tense, and a dusk-to-dawn lockdown is in place. Security forces are still searching for suspects and inmates who were freed during the attacks. President Julius Maada Bio assured the public that calm has been restored, but security operations and investigations are ongoing.A delegation from the ECOWAS, a regional economic bloc of which Sierra Leone is a member, visited the president to show solidarity. The attacks began with heavy gunfire near the presidential villa, as gunmen attempted to break into the armory of the largest military barracks in the country. They also targeted detention centers, including the central prison, where they freed or abducted individuals.
The identities and intentions of the attackers are not yet known. Some of them claim that their objective was to "clean up the system" rather than target civilians. The attacks have deepened political tensions in West and Central Africa, where coups have been prevalent. Neighboring Guinea, which has a politically unstable situation, may have facilitated the ease of obtaining weapons. Sierra Leone itself is still recovering from a civil war that ended more than 20 years ago and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
The ECOWAS described the attacks as a plot to acquire weapons and disturb the peace. President Bio, who was reelected in a disputed vote, condemned the attacks and emphasized the need to remain vigilant. The curfew will remain in effect until further notice, causing many residents to stay indoors out of fear of violence.