A nationwide curfew has been declared by the government of Sierra Leone after gunmen attacked camps and attempted to storm an ammunition depot in the capital, Freetown.

In a statement, the government emphasized that the security forces are controlling the situation.

“In the early hours of Sunday, unknown persons attempted to break into the ammunition depot at Camp Wilberforce. They were repulsed”, he said Minister of Information Chernor Ba in a ministry announcement.

Wilberforce is one of the central camps of the country, while there are also embassies there.

“A nationwide curfew has been declared with immediate effect in order for security forces to continue searching for the suspects. We strongly recommend citizens to stay at home,” he added.

Eyewitnesses told an AFP correspondent they heard gunfire and explosions at Camp Wilberforce, while others reported gunfire near the Moray Town camp, where the marines are stationed, and in front of another military compound also in Freetown.

The political situation in Sierra Leone, an English-speaking country in West Africa, is tense after the June 2023 presidential and general elections. President Julius Maanda Bio was then re-elected, but the opposition rejects the election results.

Six police officers and at least 21 civilians were killed in anti-government protests in August, with Maanda Bio speaking of an attempt to overthrow the government.

Since August 2020, there have been a series of coups and attempted coups in West and Central Africa, mainly in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea.

“To protect democracy”

THE Maanta Bio assured by his post on X that the attack was repulsed. “Calm has been restored,” he wrote. “We remain determined to protect democracy in Sierra Leone and I call on all citizens to unite around this shared responsibility,” he stressed.

Maanda Bio was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in June in the first round of presidential elections with 56.17 percent, according to data released by the electoral commission.

Foreign observers, however, denounced inconsistencies and a lack of transparency in the counting of votes, as well as acts of violence and intimidation.

The main opposition party APC spoke of fraud in the presidential, as well as parliamentary and local elections, and decided to boycott parliament and local councils.

Government and APC reached an agreement in October after mediation by the Commonwealth, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

H ECOWAS condemned today the attempt by some “to seize arms and disrupt the constitutional order” in Sierra Leone, according to a statement.