Sierra Leone Roundup: Presidential address, opposition arrests, coup casualties

Presidential address

President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio delivered his second address to the citizens of the West African nation following the alleged coup attempt on November 26. President Bio in his address promised to uphold the rule of law. “No matter the provocation, our response to the events of November 26 will be measured and determined along only one parameter – the rule of law, nothing more, nothing less…Therefore, let all be rest assured that we will follow the evidence wherever it leads us, and all those found culpable – no matter their status, shall be held fully to account for their actions within the confines of the law,” Bio in his address said.

Opposition arrests for alleged coup

The Sierra Leone police force has carried out a series of arrests of senior members of the main opposition political party All People’s Congress (APC) following the government’s claim of an attempted coup, local media the Sierra Leone Telegraph reports. According to the publication, the security personnel searched the residence of the former president of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma on November 30. The former president until 2018 was also the leader and chairman of the APC.

Attempted coup casualties

The government of Sierra Leone has announced that fourteen Sierra Leone Armed Forces personnel lost their lives during the recent coup attempt. In a press briefing on November 28, the Sierra Leone minister of information told reporters that in addition to the fourteen soldiers that were killed, one police officer, one correctional officer and a private guard were also killed. He added that military officers and civilians have been arrested." The security situation is under control and we continue to pursue those who attempted to unseat a legitimate government by use of force," the minister is quoted by local media Politico.

ECOWAS delegation

A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Nigerian government visited Freetown, Sierra Leone, to address the coup attempt in the West African country. The delegation met with Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio on November 27 a day after the coup attempt. “A High-level delegation from ECOWAS Commission and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has visited Freetown, Sierra Leone following a plot by certain individuals to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order in the country,” the ECOWAS in a statement said.

People living with HIV

Approximately 76,000 people in Sierra Leone are living with HIV. The key demographic of people living with HIV in the West African country are female sex workers at 11.8%, homosexuals at 3.2%, syringe drug users at 4.2% and prisoners at 3.7%, Politico reported. The director of the Aids commission in Sierra Leone has said that women are more affected by the disease. " For men, the HIV prevalence rate is 1.1% and for females 2.2%...The numbers of HIV patients have not been increasing," he is quoted by Politico.