The government of Sierra Leone declared on Tuesday that two suspected accomplices and one of the primary organisers of what it called a failed coup attempt on November 26 had been apprehended.
The number of people arrested since these incidents has already reached 60, with the great majority being members of the armed forces.
“One of the organizers of the failed November 26 coup attempt, Amadu Koita, who was at the top of the wanted list, was arrested yesterday (Monday) at 11:30 pm” (local and GMT), Information Minister Chernor Bah told a press conference in Freetown.
Amadu Koita, a former military soldier and bodyguard for former president Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, was well-known on social media for his criticism of President Julius Maada Bio’s administration. According to the spokesperson, two police officers—one of whom was arrested—had provided him with sanctuary.
Men stormed two barracks, two prisons, two police stations, and a military armoury early on November 26. They confronted security personnel with drawn firearms.
According to the Minister of Information, 21 persons were killed in the combat, including 14 soldiers, a police officer, a security guard, a jail guard, a woman, and three attackers.
The West African region has seen a rise in coup d’états in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea since 2020. Following fighting between the army and some security personnel on Thursday night, Guinea-Bissau’s president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, likewise declared a “attempted coup” on Saturday night.
