Most leaders of attack on Sierra Leone military barracks arrested: President

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Sierra Leone’s president announced Monday that security forces have arrested most of the leaders of a weekend attack on one of the country’s largest military barracks.

Speaking to the public in a recorded video posted on X, Julius Maada Bio said that those arrested will be held accountable.

“Security operations and investigations are ongoing, and we will ensure that those responsible are held accountable through due process,” he said.

“The task before us is too great and urgent to be derailed by those who seek to truncate the peace and security that we have enjoyed as a country.”

The president also confirmed that an unknown number of prisoners had escaped during a security breach on Sunday.

He said the attackers were repelled by a joint team of the country’s security forces “and calm has been restored.”

According to local media, the attackers targeted major detention centers and abducted an unconfirmed number of inmates.

Sierra Leone imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday following an attack by unknown gunmen on the Wilberforce military barracks in the capital Freetown.

The barracks is one of the largest in the country and the main barracks of the Sierra Leone military.

West African countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have experienced a series of military coups in recent years.