Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio insists opposition plots to overthrow his government

The demonstration then turned into a riot. At least four members of the security forces were killed and several police stations were vandalized, according to the police. Civilians were also killed, according to the same source, during this unrest which was also marked by a suspension of the internet. A curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. is maintained until further notice.

But President Bio said, “On this day, the peace, security and stability of this nation was shattered by people whose insurrection was premeditated, well planned, financed and executed with shocking brutality,” President Bio said.

Bio blamed the “premeditated” unrest on his rival political party, the All Peoples Congress.

“Before the [mercredi] August 10, they severely identified themselves on social media,” the Sierra Leonean leader said, citing members of opposition formations like “the warriors of the All People’s Congress (APC),” the former ruling party and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). “Politicians have created tensions and threats to make the country ungovernable,” he added.

“This was not a protest against the high cost of living occasioned by the ongoing global economic crisis. The chant of the insurrectionists was for a violent overthrow of the democratically elected government,” he said.

Mr. Bio, elected in April 2018, promised an investigation and announced official funerals for the security personnel killed in these riots in at least three cities in Sierra Leone, including the capital Freetown.

However, in swift reaction to President Bio’s speech, the APC in a press release expressed its concern at the wave of violence in Freetown and other towns in the provinces which have caused the loss of life of compatriots.”

“As a party, we reaffirm and strengthen our commitment to lasting peace and national cohesion,” the statement added, calling for respect for the law.

“We urge all stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and avoid inflammatory rhetoric (or) unfounded pronouncements,” the opposition party said.

“As a party, we continue reaffirming and reinforcing our commitment to sustainable peace and national cohesion.”

The APC recalled that the law guarantees the freedom to organize a peaceful demonstration, and called on all parties to “de-escalate tensions and avoid inflammatory speeches and unfounded statements”.

The initiative for the protest came from a group of women traders, ‘The Grassroots Women of Salone’, who called a ‘peaceful rally’ to ‘draw attention to economic hardship’.

Last Wednesday, police dispersed large crowds in the capital, Freetown, using tear gas and firing guns. The incident led to the deaths of 21 civilians and six police officers.

The protesters, who burned tires and threw rocks, said they were demonstrating against high cost of living and called for the president to resign.

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 economic consequences of the war in Ukraine.

Sierra Leone is a relatively stable country, but like much of the world it is experiencing rising food and energy prices due to pandemic-related disruption in global supply chains and the knock-on effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In July, the country slashed three zeros off its currency hoping to restore confidence in the economy. Inflation nevertheless rose to nearly 28% in June.

“Look at the way the price of fuel goes up, the price of rice is always going up,” Solomon Forna, a 42-year-old driver in east Freetown, told the Reuters news agency. “We can’t live the way we did only a few years ago.”