Published on 06/12/2023
The Sierra Leonean government has announced that a total of 57 people, mostly members of the military, have been arrested over a November 26 coup attempt.
Armed attackers had stormed a military armoury, two barracks, two prisons and two police stations, clashing with security forces during the early hours of November 26.
The fighting left 21 people dead, including 14 soldiers, according to information minister Chernor Bah.
Among those arrested were 37 military personnel, ten civilians, four dismissed military personnel, five serving police personnel and one retired police officer, deputy information minister Yusuf Keketoma Sandi told state radio on Monday.
‘Respect for the law’
He did not name any suspected ring leaders of the November 26 attempt to overthrow the government.
Armed police on Monday raided the home of the capital’s deputy mayor Kweku Lisk, a police source said.
Forty-three of the arrests were made over the weekend, the deputy minister said.
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio said Saturday that the response to the coup bid would be dictated by “Respect for the Law”.
Recent coups in West Africa
West Africa has seen a series of coups since 2020 in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea.
Guinea-Bissau denounced an “attempted coup” last Thursday-Friday.
