Just recently the President of Sierra Leone said while speaking on the recent waves of coups across Africa, that some coups can be considered good. He made reference to his own country where in 1996, Bio himself led a military coup that deposed Captain Valentine Strasser in order to change the government who were ruling at the expense of the people’s lives. Well, it seems his words are to be tested because just a few hours ago, an attempted coup was carried out in Sierra Leone. It was reported by the Sierra Leone government that in the early hours of Sunday, unidentified individuals attempted to enter the military armory at Wilberforce Barracks. While some witnesses said they had heard gunshots and explosions in the Wilberforce district of Freetown, where the armoury and a number of embassies are located, others reported exchanges of fire near a barracks in Murray Town district, home to the navy, and outside another military site in the capital.
Video posted on social networks suggested numerous prisoners had escaped from the central jail. One man who was in a group filmed on the street by an AFP correspondent said they had escaped from the prison. The Minister of Information also confirmed this, saying that the detention centers including the Pademba Road Prisons which held more than 2000 inmates were attacked just as security forces fought to restore calm. He added that the prisons were overrun and some prisoners were abducted by the attackers while many others were released.
Speaking on the issue, President Julius Maada Bio, in a press release declared a nationwide curfew as the military continues to search for the perpetrators. In his own words,
“I bring you greetings from the Presidential Lodge in Freetown. In the early hours of this morning, there was a breach of security at the Military Barracks at Wilberforce in Freetown, as some unidentified individuals attacked the military armoury. “However, they were repelled by our gallant Security Forces and calm has been restored. As the combined team of our Security Forces continue to root out the remnant of the fleeing renegades, a nationwide curfew has been declared and citizens are encouraged to stay indoors. “The PEACE of our beloved NATION is PRICELESS and we shall continue to protect the peace and security of Sierra Leone against the forces that wish to truncate our much-cherished stability. We remain resolute in our determination to protect democracy in Sierra Leone and I urge all Sierra Leoneans to unite towards this collective responsibility,” he said.

Like with every other coup attempts whether successful or not, the US Embassy in Sierra Leone has condemned the attempted putsch. In a tweet on Sunday, the embassy expressed strong disapproval of the action and called for cooperation with government security forces.
The embassy also emphasized the importance of adhering to the government’s curfew guidelines for personal safety. The Western regional bloc, ECOWAS has also condemned the coup, describing it as a plot to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order in the country.
According to the Minister of Information, Chernor Bah, the nationwide curfew was to enable the security forces in Sierra Leone to continue the process of apprehending the suspects. The big question now is, was it truly a coup or there was another motive? And if it was a coup, would President Julius Bio regard it as a bad one since it would be an attempt to remove him from office? One of the coupists in military fatigue before driving off was quoted as saying, “We will clean this society. We know what we are up to. We are not after any ordinary public who should go about their normal business”. So it’s possible it may truly be a coup or it could be something else, something organized by the opposition party perhaps. Recall that earlier in June, President Bio won in the election with just over 56 per cent vote. However the main opposite party, APC disputed the results and boycotted all levels of government until it signed an agreement in October with the government after talks mediated by the Commonwealth, African Union and ECOWAS. International observers even confirmed that there were inconsistencies and acts of violence and intimidation during the election
So, we ask again, was the attempt truly a coup or there is another plan in motion?
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to like, subscribe and share this video.