The president of Sierra Leone said Friday night that his political opponents had attempted to overthrow his administration in a “premeditated” revolt and that opposition parties were to responsible for this week’s tragic protests.
On Wednesday, skirmishes broke out between security personnel and young men calling for President Julius Maada Bio to step down during a demonstration organized by women to raise attention to inflation and the rising cost of living.
In response to violence that broke out in numerous areas of the nation, the government shut down the internet.
Police and medical sources report that six demonstrators and four police officers were killed, but there is no official count available.
While the capital city of Freetown’s stores and businesses have reopened, the government has imposed a curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and military are on patrol in the streets.
Bio, a former military who was elected to office in 2018, stated in a speech to the nation on Friday night that the opposition had been inflaming tensions “for some time.”
He claimed that the action wasn’t a protest against the high expense of living brought on by the ongoing global economic crisis. The insurrectionists’ rallying cry called for the violent overthrow of the duly elected government.
He singled out members of the People’s Progressive Party and the All Peoples Congress, the biggest political foes of his party and the nation’s former ruling party (PPP).
“People whose revolt was premeditated, well-planned, financed and executed with horrific violence broke the peace, security and stability of this nation,” he stated.
The APC issued a statement shortly after the president’s speech encouraging obedience to the law, albeit it made no direct reference to the accusations.
The statement read, “We urge all players to de-escalate tensions and avoid inflammatory rhetoric or unsubstantiated announcements.”
As a party, we keep reiterating and reaffirming our dedication to lasting peace and societal cohesiveness.
Bio pledged a probe into the violence and state funerals for the murdered security guards.
Since the end of a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002 and claimed nearly 120,000 lives, Sierra Leone has gained a reputation for being relatively stable.
Eight million people live in one of the world’s poorest countries, and the economy, which is primarily dependent on minerals, has struggled to recover.
According to the UN’s Human Development Index, Sierra Leone is ranked 182 out of 189 nations.
The 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic, the drop in global commodity prices, and the coronavirus pandemic all hindered trade, discouraged investment, and hurt exports, putting an end to efforts to rebuild.
Three zeros were removed from the country’s currency in July in an effort to boost the leone’s declining value due to inflation.
