Demonstrations against the high cost of living in Sierra Leone turned, Wednesday, August 10, into a riot in Freetown.

Two police officers were "beaten to death by protesters" in the east of the capital, police spokesman Brima Kamara told AFP.

A curfew from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. (local, 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. Paris) was announced by the vice president, who confirmed the deaths of “innocent Sierra Leoneans, including members of the security forces” .

In the district of Kissy, in the east of the capital, dozens of young demonstrators threw stones and sticks at the security forces, who responded by firing tear gas, noted an AFP journalist.

Several demonstrators also told AFP that the security forces had fired live ammunition.

Some of them chanted "Bio must go", in reference to President Julius Maada Bio, in power since 2018, currently in the United Kingdom on a private visit.

Dozens of them, injured, were at Cannaught Hospital, according to a doctor from the establishment contacted by telephone who wishes to remain anonymous.

Police also announced that they had arrested dozens of protesters.

Demonstrations without permission?

The initiative for the protest came from a group of women traders - The Grassroots Women of Salone - who called a "peaceful rally" to "draw attention to the economic hardships and many issues affecting women in the Sierra Leone," according to a letter to the Inspector General of Police seen by AFP.

The national security coordinator denied on Saturday that any organization had requested permission to demonstrate. 

On Tuesday, the government said in a statement that it had ordered the military to help police deal with the "potentially volatile security situation...caused by repeated incitement on social media (. ..) to engage in violent protests across the country.”

The internet was temporarily shut down on Wednesday afternoon, said NetBlocks, a London-based site that monitors internet blockages around the world.

Apart from the capital, protests also took place in the towns of Makeni and Magburuka in the center of the country.

Violence condemned

"We have a responsibility to protect every citizen of Sierra Leone. What happened today is unfortunate and will be thoroughly investigated. I urge all Sierra Leoneans to remain calm," he said. said President Bio on Twitter in the evening.

As a government, we have the responsibility to protect every citizen of Sierra Leone.

What happened today was unfortunate and will be fully investigated.

I urge all Sierra Leoneans to be calm.

— President Julius Maada Bio (@PresidentBio) August 10, 2022

"Some selfish Sierra Leoneans have escalated the call for violence and the overthrow of the legitimate government by force," Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh blasted on state television.

Many embassies and international organizations also reacted.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) "strongly condemned the violence that led to loss of life".

She calls for "respect for the law and the identification of their perpetrators so that they are brought to justice", in a tweet.

Babatunde Ahonsi, UN coordinator in the country, called for "calm and dialogue".

The European Union, like the United Kingdom, encouraged "all parties to refrain from resorting to violence and to remain calm".

A country affected by war and epidemics

Despite a soil 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 were still recovering from a brutal 1991-2002 civil war and the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa when they were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

President Bio had launched, on July 1, new coins and banknotes of the West African country, which lost three zeros compared to the old ones, with a view to restoring confidence in a context of significant inflation.

The war in Ukraine has made the daily life of the inhabitants even more difficult.

Sharp rises in the prices of essentials such as rice, cooking oil and fuel are felt the hardest when living on less than $1.9 a day, as 43% of Sierra Leoneans do, according to the World Bank.

With AFP

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_EN