{"id":83797,"date":"2023-11-26T20:23:28","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T20:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.estaql.com\/sierra-leone-imposes-nationwide-curfew-after-military-barracks-attacked-military-news\/"},"modified":"2023-11-26T20:23:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T20:23:28","slug":"sierra-leone-imposes-nationwide-curfew-after-military-barracks-attacked-military-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estaql.com\/seo\/sierra-leone-imposes-nationwide-curfew-after-military-barracks-attacked-military-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Sierra Leone imposes nationwide curfew after military barracks attacked | Military News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sierra Leone imposes nationwide curfew after military barracks attacked | Military News<\/h2>\n

Sierra Leone imposes nationwide curfew after military barracks attacked | Military News<\/p>\n

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Sierra Leone\u2019s President Julius Maada Bio claims \u2018calm restored\u2019 after government said the attack was repelled.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sierra Leone has declared a nationwide curfew after gunmen attacked a military barracks in the capital, Freetown, according to a government statement, after months of post-election unrest in the West African nation.<\/p>\n

Sierra Leone\u2019s government on Sunday said they had repelled the attack at the military\u2019s main Wilberforce barracks and were in control of the situation.<\/p>\n

Information Minister Chernor Bah assured the public in a statement on Sunday that \u201cthe government and its state security forces are in control\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bah urged citizens to \u201cstay indoors\u201d as security forces \u201ccontinued the process of apprehending the suspects\u201d.<\/p>\n

Witnesses told the AFP news agency they heard heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital early on Sunday morning, while a video shared <\/a>on social media appeared to show plumes of smoke rising from the streets.<\/p>\n

Other witnesses said they heard exchanges of fire near a barracks in Murray Town district, home to the navy, as well as outside another military site in Freetown, AFP reported.<\/p>\n

Government \u2018in control\u2019<\/h2>\n

Sierra Leone\u2019s President Julius Maada Bio confirmed the security breach in a statement on his official X social media account on Sunday, blaming a group of \u201crenegades\u201d for the attack.<\/p>\n

Bio said calm had been \u201crestored\u201d and security forces were continuing to \u201croot out the remnant of the fleeing renegades\u201d. He urged all citizens to unite to protect democracy in the West African country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe PEACE of our beloved NATION is PRICELESS and we shall continue to protect the peace and security of Sierra Leone against the forces that wish to truncate our much-cherished stability,\u201d said the post.<\/p>\n

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Fellow Sierra Leoneans,<\/p>\n

I bring you greetings from the Presidential Lodge in Freetown. <\/p>\n

In the early hours of this morning, there was a breach of security at the Military Barracks at Wilberforce in Freetown, as some unidentified individuals attacked the military armoury.\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 President Julius Maada Bio (@PresidentBio) November 26, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In a statement issued on Sunday, West Africa\u2019s regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), condemned the attempt to \u201cdisturb constitutional order\u201d in Sierra Leone.<\/p>\n

Growing unrest<\/h2>\n

Sierra Leone has seen political violence and unrest since the re-election of President Bio in June.<\/p>\n

That election was the fifth since the end of Sierra Leone\u2019s brutal 11-year civil war \u2013 more than two decades ago \u2013 which left tens of thousands dead and destroyed the country\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

International observers condemned a \u201clack of transparency\u201d in the ballot count and Sierra Leone\u2019s opposition party initially disputed the results and boycotted the government.<\/p>\n

Since his electoral victory five months ago, Bio continues to face criticism because of debilitating economic conditions. Nearly 60 percent of Sierra Leone\u2019s population of more than 7 million are impoverished, and youth unemployment is among the highest in West Africa.<\/p>\n

The unrest in Sierra Leone comes after a series of military coups that have dealt blows to democracy in the region. There have been eight military coups in West and Central Africa since 2020, including in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n