The President has accused the opposition of wanting to topple the government
Sierra Leone’s president believes the opposition wanted to create a “rebellion” during the deadly riots in the country on Wednesday.
Sierra Leone President Julius Mata Bio in Kenya May 30, 2022.
AFP
Sierra Leonean President Julius Mata Pio on Friday evening accused the opposition of wanting to create a “rebellion” to topple the government amid deadly riots in the country on Wednesday.
“On that day, the peace, security and stability of this nation was shattered by people who planned, well-planned, financed and executed with shocking brutality,” President Bio said in a statement to the nation.
“Before (Wednesday) August 10, they strongly identified themselves on social media,” the Sierra Leonean leader said, citing members of opposition organizations such as “APC soldiers”, the former ruling party and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
“Let’s make the country ungovernable”
“Politicians have created tensions and threats and made the country ungovernable,” he added. According to him, “This is not a protest against the cost of living. The song of the rebels aims to violently overthrow the democratically elected government”, continued Julius Mata Bio, who was elected in April 2018.
He promised an investigation and announced official funerals for security personnel killed in riots in at least three cities in Sierra Leone, including the capital Freetown. In a press release issued on Friday evening after President Bio’s speech, the APC expressed its concern over the “waves of violence in Freetown and other towns in the provinces”.
“As a party, we reaffirm and strengthen our commitment to sustainable peace and national unity,” the statement added, calling for respect for the law. The APC recalled that the law guarantees the freedom to organize peaceful demonstration, and called on all parties to “calm tensions and refrain from inflammatory speeches and baseless statements”.
No official record
At least four members of the security forces were killed and several police stations vandalized during the protests, police said. According to the same source, civilians were also killed during these incidents marked by internet blackouts. No official statement has been issued. Curfew will be in force from 7.00 pm to 7.00 am till further notice.
The initiative for the protest came from a group of businesswomen called the ‘Grassroot Women of Salon’, who called for a ‘peaceful rally’ to ‘draw attention to the economic crisis’. The demonstration then turned into a riot.
Despite being a land rich in diamonds, Sierra Leone is one of the least developed countries in the world. The former British colony and its 7.5 million people are still recovering from the 1991-2002 civil war and the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, when they were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and later by the effects of the war in Ukraine. .
AFP
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