Sierra Leone Revises Curfew and Calls for Calm as Violence Subsides

By Xinhua 

November 27, 2023

Photo taken on March 24, 2020 shows a seaside road amid curfew in Dakar, Senegal. Monday night, during his speech to the Nation, Senegalese President Macky Sall declared a state of emergency from midnight Monday across the national territory, along with a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day. Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action confirmed on Tuesday that seven new cases of COVID-19 infection have been detected across Senegal, bringing the total number to 86 cases. (Xinhua/Xing Jianqiao)

The government of Sierra Leone has introduced a new curfew and called for calm among citizens after its security forces repelled an armed attack on major military barracks in Freetown, the country’s capital.

The previous indefinite curfew has been lifted and a new curfew is imposed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time, starting Monday, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education late Sunday.

Citizens are encouraged to return to their normal activities but remain calm and vigilant and report any suspicious or unusual activity to the nearest police station.

President Julius Maada Bio said in a national address late Sunday that armed individuals attacked not only the military barracks at Wilberforce but also other locations, including the Pademba Road Correctional Center, where prisoners escaped.

The attackers have since been repelled, and calm has been restored, the president said.