The regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has contended with a series of coups among its members since 2020, has condemned the attempted coup in the capital city of Sierra Leone which was thwarted in the early hours of Sunday. ECOWAS expressed its utter disgust over a "plot by certain individuals to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order”.
Sierra Leone, still recovering from a 1991-2002 civil war in which more than 50,000 were killed, has been in political turmoil ever since President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected in June, as the main opposition candidate rejected the election result.
In the early hours of Sunday, an attack on a military barracks in the capital Freetown was reported which resulted in heavy gunfire and widespread chaos. Confirming the incident, President Julius Maada Bio, in a presser declared a nationwide curfew as the military conducted a search hunt.
late on Sunday, the President said calm had been restored after what he described as an attempt to undermine peace and stability in the country.
“Most of the leaders have been arrested. Security operations and investigations are ongoing,” Bio said on national television, adding that the government would “ensure that those responsible are held accountable”.
However, as at the time of reporting, the streets of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown were mostly empty early despite the lifting of curfew.
