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☆ Sierra Leone information minister says weekend attack was a failed coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sierra Leone's Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh visits the central Pademba Road prison after unidentified gunmen attacked a military barracks and the prison, following which inmates escaped, in Freetown, Sierra Leone November 27, 2023. We will try to capture them and bring them to the full force of the laws of Sierra Leone." And some were military officers, either retired or serving," army chief of defence staff Lavahun told the news conference. Sierra Leone's main opposition All People Congress of the former president, condemned the attacks in a statement. Sierra Leone, which is still recovering from a 1991-2002 civil war in which more than 50,000 were killed, has been tense since Bio was re-elected in June.

Persons: Sierra, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Umaru, Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, Chernor Bah, General Patrick Lavahun, Koroma, Bah, Lavahun, Umaru Fofana, Cooper Inveen, Nellie Peyton, Bate Felix, Alison Williams, Christina Fincher, Tomasz Janowski, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Sierra Leone's, REUTERS, U.S . State Department, European Union, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, FREETOWN, Sierra, West, United States

☆ Sierra Leone: Fresh gunfire rings out after more than 13 killed during attacks on military barracks and prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Residents of Freetown said on social media that a fresh round of gunshots was heard on Tuesday afternoon in the Murray Town suburb. “Thirteen soldiers were killed in action,” Sierra Leone’s army spokesman Colonel Issa Bangura told CNN Tuesday of the botched attack on the army base. Prison officials estimate that the number of fleeing inmates could be above 1,800. A cash reward has been offered for tip-offs leading to the arrest of either the assailants or prison escapees. A nationwide curfew was imposed following the series of attacks on Sunday, leading to widespread flight disruption at the Freetown International Airport.

Persons: “, Umaru Fofana, …, Sierra, Issa Bangura, ” Bangura, ”, Maada Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Facebook, Manhunt, Police, Airport, Authorities, European Union, Ecowas Locations: Sierra Leonean, Freetown, Murray Town, Sierra, Murray, Kingtom, West, West African, United States, European

☆ Twenty killed in Sierra Leone attack and nearly 2,000 prisoners escape
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FREETOWN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Twenty people were killed and nearly 2,000 inmates escaped during Sunday's attack on a military barracks, a prison and other locations in Sierra Leone, officials said on Monday. The West African country was thrown into panic in the early hours when the assailants sent gunfire ringing across the capital Freetown. Some 1,890 inmates escaped from the Pademba Road central prison after the attackers broke in, according to a situation report that prison officials shared with Reuters on Monday. [1/2]Sierra Leone's Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh visits the central Pademba Road prison after unidentified gunmen attacked a military barracks and the prison, following which inmates escaped, in Freetown, Sierra Leone November 27, 2023. In August 2022, at least 21 civilians and six police officers were killed in anti-government protests.

Persons: Julius Maada Bio, Issa Bangura, Shek Sulaiman Massaquoi, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Umaru, Umaru Fofana, Anait Miridzhanian, Bate Felix, Edward McAllister, Alison Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Sierra Leone's, REUTERS, European Union, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Freetown, United States

☆ Sierra Leone security forces repelled attack on barracks -govt statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FREETOWN, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The government of Sierra Leone on Sunday reported that the West African nation's security forces are in control of the situation after unidentified gunmen attacked a military barracks and attempted to break into an armoury in the capital, Freetown. Reporting by Umaru Fofana Writing by Bate Felix Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Umaru, Bate Felix, David Goodman Organizations: Sunday, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Freetown

☆ Sierra Leone aviation authority urge airlines to reschedule flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FREETOWN, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's civil aviation authority on Sunday urged airlines reschedule flights after a nationwide curfew imposed by the government in response to an attack on a military barracks by unidentified gunmen. The aviation authority said in a statement that passengers should be placed on the next available flights after the curfew is lifted. It added that the country's airspace remains open. Reporting by Umaru Fofana Writing by Bate Felix Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Umaru, Bate Felix, David Goodman Organizations: Sunday, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra

☆ Sierra Leone ruling party wins 60% of parliamentary seats in contested vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FREETOWN, July 1 (Reuters) - The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party has won 60% of the seats in a parliamentary election, the election commission said on Saturday, as the main opposition party demanded a rerun of the vote that also saw President Julius Maada Bio win a second term. The SLPP won 81 seats while the opposition All People’s Congress won 54, according to the results read by the commission's chairman Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. The results showed the ruling party made significant gains in the bellwether diamond-rich district of Kono, winning seven of the 10 seats where they had none previously. They also made gains in the opposition heartland of the north and west, especially in the capital Freetown. The APC also said it would refuse to participate in any form of governance as a result of the alleged election irregularities.

Persons: Julius Maada, SLPP, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Alessandra Prentice, Louise Heavens Organizations: Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra, Kono, Freetown

☆ Sierra Leone's main opposition party demands rerun of general election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, July 1 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party said it had decided to formally reject the results of the national election won by President Julius Maada Bio, citing "glaring irregularities", and called for a rerun of the June 24 poll. Bio was re-elected for a second term with 56% of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off against main rival Samura Kamara of the opposition All People's Congress (APC). But Kamara has questioned the official tally, while European election observers noted statistical inconsistencies. In its first official statement on the full results, the APC said on Friday it rejected the outcome "given the glaring irregularities and violations of established electoral procedures." "A rerun after an official declaration of results and a swearing-in ceremony is unconstitutional," he said by phone to Reuters.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Swaray, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: People's Congress, Reuters, EU, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, United States, Britain, Ireland, Germany, France

☆ Sierra Leone main opposition party rejects partial presidential poll results
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FREETOWN, June 27 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party has rejected the partial results of a tense presidential election that showed President Julius Maada Bio leading the poll, alleging irregularities in the tallying process. The All People's Congress (APC) party's main candidate Samura Kamara, 72, is the incumbent's main rival. A provisional results sheet on Monday showed Kamara trailing behind Bio with just under 800,000 votes, compared to over 1 million for the president. [1/2]Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to remain peaceful.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Cooper, Sierra Leone, Umaru, Sofia Christensen, Christina Fincher Organizations: Congress, party's, All, REUTERS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sierra

[1/6] Ballots are displayed at a polling station, after polls closed, on the day of the national election, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, June 24, 2023. The race is expected to be close between the incumbent and the All People's Congress' (APC) Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. The main opposition APC also said their election representatives were attacked and intimidated in three districts, highlighting the tense backdrop to the vote. Inflation soared to its highest level in over 20 years in 2022, while the national Leone currency slumped 60% in value. Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters ahead of election day, while the APC's recent questioning of the independence of election officials has raised tensions.

Persons: Cooper Inveen, Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio's, Samura Kamara, Abu Koroma, We've, Kandeh Yumkella, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Kamara, Alessandra Prentice, Angus MacSwan, Ros Russell, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Provisional, APC, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, FREETOWN, Sierra, Leone, Ukraine

☆ Sierra Leone opposition calls for election chief to resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Samura Kamara, head of the All People's Congress (APC) party, said he wanted the chief electoral commissioner and all regional commissioners of the national election body to be replaced by "an independent internationally accredited team". "The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is gravely concerned about the deliberate attempts by the All People's Congress to disrupt the peaceful elections and reverse the democratic gains Sierra Leone has made," it said in a statement on Thursday. Sierra Leone's chief electoral commissioner Mohamed Kenewui Konneh also rejected Kamara's accusations and said none of his team would resign. Kamara said that if the officials did not resign within 72 hours, the APC party would meet and "decide the next steps". On Tuesday, dozens of young people were arrested following opposition protests in several cities calling for the electoral commissioner to resign, local media reported.

Persons: Leone's, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Julius Maada, Bio's, Sierra, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Umaru Fofana, Cooper Inveen, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Congress, Reuters, Sierra Leone People's Party, All, Sierra, Sierra Leone's, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra

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