Freetown is mourning after a violent protest left dozens dead with many more injured and properties destroyed.
What was anticipated to be a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, turned into a bloodbath, which arguably will be one of the saddest days in the history of Sierra Leone.
Even though there are conflicting figures about the number of casualties, the VOA reports Sierra Leone authorities as saying at least 19 people lost their lives- 13 civilians and six police officers in violent clashes between the protestors and the police. Shops were looted, and properties worth millions of Leones were destroyed as protesters took to the streets of Freetown, Makeni and Kamakwei, all in the Northern province of Sierra Leone. A curfew was imposed but has since been lifted with an uneasy calm returning to Freetown.
The violent demonstration is undoubtedly a blot on the country’s young democracy but the reports surrounding what caused the violence, the reasons for the demonstration, and whether or not it was legal are matters of huge controversy. Having keenly followed the events of the violent demonstration and the aftermath, DUBAWA traces and chronicles the events of the deadly protest and the curfew that came with it.
High Cost of living
The demonstration, according to the organisers, was to protest skyrocketing prices of basic food commodities with its attendant poor or deplorable living conditions in the country. Many Sierra Leoneans have been complaining about the high cost of living for over a year now, with some eager to hit the streets to make their grievances known to the government.
There were rumours of an intended protest flying all around the country with scheduled dates- 8, 9 & 10 August 2022. It was as if the protestors were waiting to strike in the absence of the president. While the president was away on a personal visit to England, the demonstrators hit the streets. The protests on the 8 & 9 were generally peaceful and constructive.
On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, which was the third and final day of the demonstration, peace gave way to violence, arguably the fiercest since President Dr Juluis Maada Bio took over the reins of power in the highly contested 2018 Presidential & Parliamentary elections in the country. Reports say demonstrators pelted security officers with stones and other missiles and the police returned fire, leading to the deaths. One of the deceased persons was a student with the country’s premier University – Fourah Bay College. According to eyewitnesses, the deceased person, identified as Osman M. Kamara, was on his way home from lectures when he met his untimely death. He was shot along Black Hall Road in the East-end of Freetown.
According to the BBC’s Thomas Naadi, one of the casualties of the demonstration is a 16-year-old girl who was hit by a stray bullet at home. Her mom, Marie Sesay, could not bear the pain of losing her daughter.
“I am very sad and hurt. The only child who I have struggled to take care of all these years has been killed during the protest. I feel a lot of pain,” she told Naadi.
The report filed by the BBC correspondent also revealed that the bodies of 25 people who died during the protests have reportedly been deposited at the central mosque in Freetown.
Unfortunately, properties and businesses belonging to citizens who were not part of the demonstration were also destroyed by the protesters while others were looted.
Who are the organisers of the protest?
The search for the organisers of the demonstration has been a mythical subject from the onset. Government officials are convinced the demonstration was orchestrated by opposition elements just to destabilise the peace of the country. According to a press statement from the security sector dated 6 August, the demonstration was the handiwork of “faceless persons” who don’t want to claim responsibility for their actions.
Presidential Reaction
In his Twitter message hours after the protest was quelled by security personnel, the president vehemently condemned the act of the protesters, calling it an attack on the country’s peace and democracy.
He admonished peaceful citizens to be calm and law-abiding while noting that the unfortunate incident will be fully investigated and the perpetrators punished.
On the day of the violence, the country’s Vice-President – Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh within13:00 to 14:00 GMT hours declared a nationwide curfew to be effected at 15:00 GMT. In his speech to the nation via the national broadcaster, Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Dr Jalloh mentioned that the attack on peaceful security personnel and citizens is unfortunate while condemning the incident from all fronts.
What is the opposition saying?
In the wake of the violence, the Leader of the main opposition – The All People’s Congress (APC) party in Sierra Leone’s Parliament, Chernor Maju Bah, Esq issued a statement describing the violent development as unfortunate. He mentioned that citizens have the right to protest in every democratic society, however, in a peaceful manner. He did not confirm whether or not his outfit was behind the demonstration.
“I would also reiterate that in any democratic dispensation, citizens have the right to use protest to demonstrate their concerns as long as those protests are peaceful, and are within the remit of the law,” the release stated, adding that violence can only undermine stability and development in the country.
Mr Bah requested, among his many recommendations in the release, for an independent committee in order to speedily and conclusively investigate the unfortunate incident and its aftermath.
A professional taxi driver in Freetown narrates his experience
Even though a number of Sierra Leoneans DUBAWA spoke to were unhappy with the current hardships they are going through, they were equally disappointed about the protest that turned into a violent demonstration.
“They gave me the shock of my life. I wasn’t expecting youths to behave in such a way. So, I am really feeling bad. It’s obvious that things are hard but engaging in violent protests would not make things get better,” says Mohamed Kanneh, a professional taxi driver in Freetown.
Legal Perspective
Does the country’s Constitution provide the opportunity for citizens to stage protests?
This is the question DUBAWA posed to Lawyer Alfred Kamanda – a Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone.
In his response, he categorically condemned the violent nature of the demonstration, saying that the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone Act No.6 only provides for a “peaceful protest” but that such a protest must be authorised by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Kamanda told this medium that, by law, if a group of persons want to organise any form of protest, those persons should be identified, noting that the law doesn’t give permission to a faceless group of people who are unidentified to stage a protest.
“I will tell you categorically that when it comes to protest, strikes and demonstrations, the Constitution provides for them. In fact, protests are essential components in a democratic society; protest serves as a check on the Government’s activities, particularly, if the people are dissatisfied with the conditions, maybe the government is not ruling well or things are skyrocketing etc. However, there are procedures provided by law for protesters to follow in order for them to be given the opportunity to protest,” Lawyer Kamanda clarified.
Asked why it is necessary for protesters to seek permission from the police boss, Kamanda noted that it is necessary because in every protest there are likely to be “agent provocateurs;” “agent provocateurs”, according to him, are people who join demonstrations for reasons different from what the organisers have, largely to cause violence and mayhem.
Therefore, permission should be sought in order for the police to know who the organisers of the demonstration are so they can be held accountable in the event a demonstration that is supposed to be “peaceful” turns “violent”, as it happened in the 10 August protest.
Asked if the curfew was a violation of the rights of the people, Kamanda responded in the affirmative but was quick to add that for the good and the peace of the nation, it was the best decision taken by the vice-president who was the acting president to declare a curfew.
But for the curfew, he was convinced that was a makeshift remedy to quell the riot, adding that the country would have headed into more violence.
Police Perspective
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) in a press statement condemned the action of the demonstrators, calling it an “unlawful protest,” because the protesters were not given permission to embark on any protest.
The release further indicated that three security personnel were reported dead, with some sustaining injuries. The statement added that properties of the Sierra Leone Police, including police stations, were burned down and some vehicles vandalised by “irate youths.”
The Sierra Leone Police assured that the “faceless individuals” who don’t want to claim responsibility for their actions will be fished out.
What are the regional and sub-regional bodies saying?
International bodies such as ECOWAS and the US Embassy in their different press statements also condemned the actions of the protesters, describing them as an attack on the country’s peace. They have since called on every citizen to respect the laws and be peaceful.
One of those releases was from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – a body responsible for promoting economic stability & peace within the West African sub-region. The release vehemently condemned the protest and called on the government to make sure that the people who engaged in the protest are brought to justice, according to the laws of the land.
In a tweet, the Ambassador of the United States Embassy in Sierra Leone called on the demonstrators to be calm, adding that they should ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
President Julius Maada Bio cut short his vacation in England and returned to the country shortly after the violent demonstrations. He addressed the nation, during which he expressed his sincerest condolences to the families of the security personnel and the citizens who lost their lives in the protest. He unequivocally condemned the actions of the demonstrators, referring to the protest as an attempt to compromise the peace and unity the country is enjoying.
“Our police officers and other citizens were violently killed on the 10th of August 2022; on that day, the peace, security and stability of the nation were shattered by persons whose insurrection was premeditated, planned, financed and executed with shocking brutality,” the president asserts; adding that the August 10th protest was a deliberate attack on the peace and stability the country is enjoying.
The president also accused the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party as the faceless persons behind the well-planned and executed August 10 demonstration. He also affirmed his government’s commitment to launch full-blown investigations to unearth the “faceless individuals” behind the protest, reiterating that persons found responsible for planning, financing and executing the unfortunate incident would be brought to justice in accordance with the laws of the land.
Meanwhile, the president has, since begun stakeholder engagements to ensure lasting peace in Sierra Leone.
A 15-man Committee
A list of 15-man committee has been published on Wednesday, 23 August to investigate the reasons for the violent demonstration. The Committee is chaired by Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Esq. The other members of the committee can be found in the statement issued by the State House’s Press Secretary — Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, Esq.
The curfew has since been lifted by the government, and the country is relatively stable, as the public looks forward to hearing from the Committee with respect to the assignment it has been entrusted with.
