Sierra Leone Declares Recent Attacks as Failed Coup Attempt

Government arrests 13 military officers and one civilian following attacks that resulted in 20 deaths and over 2,200 prison escapes.

Sierra Leone's government has declared the recent attacks on the country's main military barracks and prisons as a failed coup attempt, resulting in the arrest of 13 military officers and one civilian.
The attacks, which took place in the capital city of Freetown, led to the death of at least 20 people and the escape of over 2,200 inmates from prisons.
The unrest comes amid increasing tension in the West African nation following President Julius Maada Bio's disputed re-election in June.
The attacks have raised political tensions in West and Central Africa, where there have been eight military takeovers since 2020.
The country is still healing from an 11-year civil war that ended more than two decades ago, and its population of 8 million people is among the poorest in the world.