Sierra Leone Mourns As Pictures Of Soldiers Killed During Attempted Coup Emerges

Scores of residents in Sierra Leone have begun to mourn late soldiers who devoted their life to foil the attempted coup in the country.

Recall that there was a heavy gunshot in Cockrill Barracks on Sunday morning in an attempt coup.

Sustained gunfire could still be heard in some neighbourhoods of Freetown as residents hunkered down in their homes around 1200 GMT on Sunday.

Sierra Leone’s interior minister David Taluva said that the retreating assailants had attacked a police barracks after running out of ammunition, and had seized more arms from police officers.

The streets of the capital were mostly empty near the barracks earlier on Sunday morning.

“We’ll clean this society. We know what we are up to. We are not after any ordinary civilians who should go about their normal business,” one of the masked men in military fatigues said before driving away.

A senior government official, who requested anonymity, said that assailants also attacked the central prison in Freetown and some inmates had escaped. The prison, designed to hold 324 inmates, contained over 2,000 in 2019, according to a U.S. State Department report.

It was not immediately clear how many had broken out of the facility, but videos shared on social media showed several people fleeing from the area of the prison, while gun shots could be heard in the background.

Reacting, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Bio vowed to protect democracy after a security breach near the presidential lodge in Freetown.

President Bio revealed that some unidentified individuals aimed to destabilise the country.

In a statement shared on his X account on Sunday, Bio informed the public that the unidentified individuals who attacked the military armoury were successfully repelled, restoring calm to the situation.

In his statement, Bio wrote, “Fellow Sierra Leoneans, I bring you greetings from the Presidential Lodge in Freetown. In the early hours of this morning, there was a security breach at the Military Barracks at Wilberforce in Freetown, as some unidentified individuals attacked the military armoury.

“However, our gallant Security Forces repelled them, and calm has been restored. As the combined team of our Security Forces continue to root out the remnant of the fleeing renegades, a nationwide curfew has been declared, and citizens are encouraged to stay indoors.

“The 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.

“We remain resolute in our determination to protect democracy in Sierra Leone and I urge all Sierra Leoneans to unite towards this collective responsibility. Long Live The Republic of Sierra Leone.”