In a wave of violence over the weekend, at least 20 people, including 13 soldiers, lost their lives, and several others were injured in targeted assaults on military barracks and prisons in Sierra Leone, as confirmed by the army.
According to an army spokesperson addressing reporters on Monday, the attacks in the capital, Freetown, on Sunday were carried out by “renegade soldiers,” but the security forces successfully repelled the assaults.
Colonel Issa Bangura stated, “We have launched a manhunt for all those who were involved in the violent attack, amongst them current and retired serving soldiers.”
The casualties reported by Bangura included 13 soldiers, three assailants, a police officer, a civilian, and a private security worker. Additionally, eight people were wounded, and three suspects were apprehended.
A situation report from Reuters revealed that approximately 1,890 individuals held at the Pademba Road central prison escaped after the facility was attacked.
Cell doors were forcibly opened or removed, with Colonel Shek Sulaiman Massaquoi, the acting director-general of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, disclosing that attackers rammed through the prison’s front gate with a vehicle after an unsuccessful attempt to breach it with a rocket launcher.
President Julius Maada Bio, in remarks on Sunday, assured the public that most of the leaders behind the attacks had been arrested, and efforts were underway to apprehend the remaining culprits.
Information Minister Chernor Bah sought to reassure residents, stating in a Sunday public address, “The government and its state security forces are in control.”
Details about the attackers’ identity and motives remain scant. Some individuals involved in the assault claimed to local media that they were fighting to “clean up the system.”
Colonel Bangura emphasized, “Certain members of the military are not loyal towards the government or the president despite taking the oath,” underscoring the urgent need to restore law and order in the country.
