The Sierra Leonean government has enforced a nationwide curfew amid suspicions of a coup d’état following gunfire in Freetown, the country’s capital, Headlinenews.news report.
Chernor A. Bah, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, conveyed this development in a statement released on Sunday, November 26, 2023.
According to the statement, the government assured that security forces had control of the situation. It outlined that in the early hours of Sunday, November 26, 2023, unidentified individuals attempted to breach the military armory at Wilberforce barracks but were successfully repelled.
“To enable the security forces to continue the process of apprehending the suspects, a nationwide curfew is declared with immediate effect across the country,” the statement emphasized. It strongly advised citizens to stay indoors and urged them to follow the official Ministry of Information and Civic Education channels and handles for accurate information and updates on the situation.
This decision came in response to widespread fears of an armed group plotting to overthrow the Sierra Leonean government. Notably, in July 2023, the government announced the arrest of individuals after a previous attempted coup.
The statement also highlighted the recurring issue of military takeovers in African countries, with Niger and Burkina Faso being the latest West African nations to experience coups in the past year. Some observers have noted the potential of coups to undermine democratic processes in Africa, while others point to coup plotters often citing maladministration and political corruption as justifications for their actions.
