Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio says his government’s response to an attempted coup last week would be dictated by what he called “respect for the law”.
While addressing the nation, he also said the 26 November attempted coup will be treated as a simple matter of public order and not as a political, tribal or religious issue.
Armed attackers had stormed a military armoury, two barracks, two prisons and two police stations, confronting security forces during the early hours of 26 November.
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The fighting left 21 people dead, including 14 soldiers, a policeman, a prison guard, a security guard, a woman and three assailants, according to Information Minister Chernor Bah.
Thirteen soldiers and one civilian suspected of involvement in the coup are in detention, and the Police released photos and names of 32 men and two women wanted as “fugitives”, including serving and retired soldiers and police officers, promising a “handsome reward” to anyone providing information leading to their capture.
The West African region has been marked by a series of coups since 2020 in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea. On Saturday, Guinea-Bissau denounced an “attempted coup” earlier this week following clashes between the army and security forces.
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