Two people have been killed and four others seriously injured following violent clashes between members of the Koranko and Limba ethnic groups in Lenkekoro, northern Sierra Leone.
The Local Unit Commander in the area, Superintendent Ibrahim Barrie, confirmed to Umaru Fofana that the fatalities resulted from machete wounds. He said the injured are currently receiving treatment.
The violence is rooted in a long-standing land dispute in Lenkekoro, a town that straddles two chiefdoms: Wara Wara Yagala, which is predominantly Limba, and Diang, which is mainly Koranko. The two chiefdoms are separated by only a single street.
Police say they had been monitoring rising ethnic tensions and had previously warned both communities to seek peaceful resolution through the appropriate legal channels. However, they say the situation escalated early this morning, resulting in deadly confrontations.
Security forces have been deployed to the area to restore calm.
Credit: Umaru Fofana
