Photo Source: Umaru Fofana, Reuters
National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)
Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore
For any further information or to subscribe to GP alerts send an email to subachandran@nias.res.in
NIAS AFRICA STUDIES
Sierra Leone: A failed coup
Anu Maria Joseph
|
Sierra Leone: A failed coup
Anu Maria Joseph
On 27 November, BBC Africa reported that at least 19 people including 13 soldiers were killed during the violence that happened on 26 November, A group of armed men attacked military barracks and prisons releasing several inmates.
On 26 November, a Reuters journalist who witnessed the violence heard one of the perpetrators chanting: "We'll clean this society. We know what we are up to. We are not after any ordinary civilians who should go about their normal business."
On 28 November, Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernoh Bah stated: "The incident was a failed attempted coup. The intention was to illegally subvert and overthrow a democratically elected government.” He claimed that several current and former security officials who were involved in the violence were arrested. Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio stated: "We will ensure that those responsible are held accountable. As your commander-in-chief, I want to assure everybody who is resident in Sierra Leone that we have overcome this challenge."
Following the violence, a nine-hour curfew was imposed, which was revoked at a later stage.
The US, the EU, the UK and ECOWAS condemned the violence. ECOWAS described the violence as an attempt by certain individuals to "acquire arms and disturb constitutional order" and emphasised “its zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government.” The bloc further stated: "ECOWAS further underscores its commitment to supporting the government and people of Sierra Leone to deepen democracy and good governance, consolidate peace and security as well as foster socio-economic development.”
The US embassy in Sierra Leone condemning the violence, asserted its support for “a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Sierra Leone.”
Sierra Leone’s political crisis
Sierra Leone became independent in 1961. However, the post-independence period was challenged by a series of coups and a civil war. The civil war which started in 1991 was between the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by army corporal Foday Sankoh and several military and democratic regimes that came in between. In 2003, the civil war ended with the assistance of a UN peacekeeping mission. The country continues to struggle with the effects of civil war.
Major triggers behind the coup attempt
1. The controversial elections. Since the controversial elections in June, Sierra Leone has been challenged by a series of political drawbacks. President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected for a second term in June after securing 56 per cent of votes, narrowly avoiding a run-off. International observers including the European Union Election Observation Mission Sierra Leone 2023 (EUEOM) had raised concerns regarding the transparency of the elections. The head of the US-based Carter Centre’s election observer team, Cameron Hume, also confirmed inconsistencies during the ballot count. The main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party boycotted the presidential, legislative and local elections citing similar accusations. APC alleged that their electoral agents were not allowed to verify the vote counting. Instances of intimidation and violence were reported during the elections. One of the APC supporters was killed in a clash when security forces tried to disband the crowd at the APC headquarters in Freetown. Besides, there was a coup attempt in August. Several people including senior military officials and a former chief of police were arrested following the coup plot which the government described as an attempt to “undermine the peace and tranquillity of the state.”
2. The political divide within and between. Socially, multiple ethnic and tribal groups co-exist peacefully in the country. However, politics is deeply divided socially and institutionally. Ethnic identities are often leveraged for political power. The northern-based APC often ties with the Temne community which represents 35 per cent of the population and the southern-based Sierra Leone’s People Party (SLPP) is associated with the Mende community which is 31 per cent of the population. The divide is in such a way that the population supporting the ruling party tends to have access to more influence and opportunities. Even the military forces are politically divided within, wherein promotions, retirement and transfer depend on whether they are affiliated with the ruling or the opposition party. Although Sierra Leone has a constitutionally de jure judiciary, there is hardly any case was judged against the ruling government and its political interests.
3. Economic discontent. Julius Maada came to power in 2018 promising to address the economic crisis and corruption. However, according to the UNDP, nearly 60 per cent of the population lives in poverty. According to Trading Economics, in September, the inflation in the country was recorded to be nearly 58 per cent, the highest recorded since 1998. An economy that depends on imports for consumer goods has a higher inflation rate often caused by external economic shocks. Economic instability is coupled with vast unemployment. At least 20 people were killed in anti-government protests in August 2022 that were against the worsening economic crisis and the failure of the government to address the rising cost of living.
Conclusion
A popular narrative is that the coup attempt was influenced by the series of coups in the region. Other West African countries including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon recently witnessed coups owing to multifaceted insurgency and insecurity issues and the military upper hand. Unlike them, the coup attempt in Sierra Leone was merely politically motivated. It implies how Sierra Leone’s state institutions are politically divided. And, how elections represent a shift of influence and opportunities rather than a political shift. While half of the population is discontent with Bio’s administration, more similar attempts for a coup are likely to happen considering the fact that last year Sierra Leone had three failed coup attempts.
(This commentary has been previously published as part of the NIAS-IPRI-KAS Conflict Weekly.)
About the author
Anu Maria Joseph is a Research Assistant at NIAS.
Bookmark |
NIAS Africa Team
Africa This Week (16-22 March)
NIAS Africa Team
Africa This Week
NIAS Africa Team
Africa This Week (1 March-7 March)
NIAS Africa Team
Africa This Week (24 February-29 February)
NIAS Africa Team
Africa This Week
NIAS Africa Team
Africa This Week (3-10 Feb 2024)
Jerry Franklin A
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON): Five Questions
Narmatha S and Anu Maria Jospeh
Ethiopia-Somalia tensions over Somaliland | Explained
Anu Maria Joseph
Ethiopia and Sudan: Governance in deadlock
Nithyashree RB
COP28 and Africa: Priorities and Initiatives
Anu Maria Joseph
Sierra Leone: A failed coup
Jerry Franklin A
Floods in East Africa
Sneha Surendran
Africa’s debate on colonial reparations
Anu Maria Joseph
Sudan’s ceasefires remain elusive: Four reasons why
Nithyashree RB
Liberia elections: Explained
Jerry Franklin
France's increasing unpopularity in Niger
Anu Maria Joseph
Africa in the Indian Ocean region: Explained
Jerry Franklin A
Sudan: Escalated fighting between rival factions and its implications
Anu Maria Joseph
Taiwan in Africa: The Last Ally and the Lost Allies
Sneha Surendran
Africa Climate Summit: Rising new leadership in climate action
Nithyashree RB
Coup in Gabon: Three questions
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #78 | Coup in Gabon
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #77 | Profile on Ethiopia’s ethnic groups: Composition, Representation and Issues
Jerry Franklin A
A profile on Ethiopia's Oromo ethnic group
Sneha Surendran
A profile on Ethiopia’s Somali ethnic group
Nithyashree RB
A profile on Ethiopia’s Afar ethnic group
Anu Maria Joseph
Ethiopia’s Amhara problem
Jerry Franklin A
ECOWAS and Niger remain at an impasse, causing a prolonged standoff
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #75&76 | Ethiopia’s conflict in Amhara and Prolonged standoff in Niger
Jerry Franklin A
Coup in Niger: Manifold national, regional and international stances
Sneha Surendran
Senegal's political crisis: Four questions
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #73&74 | Coup in Niger and Senegal’s political crisis
Nithyashree RB
The UN in Africa: MINUSMA has failed. So did Mali
Devjyoti Saha
China-Africa Security Partnership: Expansion Across Spectrums
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #72 | End of MIUSMA in Mali and Chinese Security Interventions in Africa
Jerry Franklin A
A Profile of the Wagner group in Africa: From supporting military, authoritarian leaders to fighting militancy and mine licencing
Anu Maria Joseph
The Wagner Group in Africa: Fallouts of the failed revolt in Russia
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #69-71 | The Wagner Group in Africa
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #68 | Eritrea Rejoining IGAD and Resurging Insurgency in Uganda
Anu Maria Joseph
Resurging insurgency in Uganda and insecurity in East Africa
Jerry Franklin
Eritrea: Back to the IGAD after 16 years
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #67 | Persisting Ethnic Cleansing in Ethiopia's Tigray Region and a Political profile on Tunisia
Jerry Franklin
Tunisia: A Political Profile
NIAS Africa Team
Africa Weekly #66 | Ceasefires in Sudan & Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis
Jerry Franklin
Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: Reasons for its continuation
Anu Maria Joseph
Ceasefires in Sudan: An uneasy trajectory
NIAS Africa Team
In Focus | Japan in Africa
Devjyoti Saha
Japan in Africa: Renewed Efforts to Revitalise Relations
NIAS Africa Team
Sudan: Intensifying political rivalry and expanding violence
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Nigeria’s new wave of kidnappings: Who, why and what fallouts
NIAS Africa Team
Expanding Russia-South Africa relations
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Tunisia: The question of undocumented migrants
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Macron’s visit to Africa: Three Takeaways
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Nigeria elections: Ruling party wins; What is ahead?
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | M23 atrocities in DRC and upcoming Nigeria elections
NIAS Africa Team
Africa in 2023: Elections and conflicts
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to Africa
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Bamako’s pardon of Ivorian soldiers
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | The relapse of ANC
NIAS Africa Team
The US-Africa Leaders Summit
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | The Wagner Group, exploitation of conflicts and increased dependency on Russia
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | End of Operation Barkhane
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | The ceasefire in Ethiopia
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Challenges to peace in Eastern Congo
NIAS Africa Team
China-Africa relations: Looking back and looking ahead
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Chad's political crisis
NIAS Africa Team
Floods in West Africa: Nigeria and beyond
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Famine in Somalia
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Kenya Elections 2022
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | The reinvention of Al Shabab
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Lavrov's visit to Africa
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Macron's visit to Africa
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Tunisia's political crisis
NIAS Africa Team
Tunisia’s political crisis: Five questions
NIAS Africa Team
Tribal conflict in Blue Nile: Causes and Implications
NIAS Africa Team
Sudan-Ethiopia border tensions and a profile of Blaise Compaoré
NIAS Africa Team
Africa’s continuing migration problem: Three issues
NIAS Africa Team
Visit of the Belgium King to the DRC and tensions between the DRC and Rwanda
NIAS Africa Team
Africa’s displacement crises: Three key drivers
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Into the Sixth Decade of African Unity
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Communal Tensions in Ethiopia
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Mali ends defence ties with France
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | UK-Rwanda asylum deal
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Africa, Russia, and the War in Ukraine
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | The rise of East African Community: From the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Political Crisis in Tunisia
NIAS Africa Team
60 years of Algerian independence
NIAS Africa Team
In Focus: Libya
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS | Europe and Africa: Will AU and EU be equal partners?
Anu Maria Joseph
Europe and Africa: Will AU and EU be equal partners?
Nireekshan Bollimpalli
Africa’s slow COVID vaccination continues. Four reasons why
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS: Conflict over the Nile Dam
NIAS Africa Team
IN FOCUS: Instability in Burkina Faso
Mohamad Aseel Ummer
Africa: The anti-France sentiments in Mali and beyond
Apoorva Sudhakar
Coup in Burkina Faso: Five things to know
Harshita Rathore
Famine in Ethiopia: The government's refusal to acknowledge, worsens the crisis
Apoorva Sudhakar
Africa’s Stolen Future:Child abductions, lost innocence, and a glaring reflection of State failure in Nigeria
Anu Maria Joseph
South Africa: What is behind the pro-Zuma protests?
Abigail Miriam Fernandez
Impending famine in Tigray, should make Ethiopia everyone's problem
Anu Maria Joseph
Too late and too little is Ethiopia's international problem
Sankalp Gurjar
Africa's Ethiopia Problem
Apoorva Sudhakar
Ethiopia's Tigray problem is Tigray's Ethiopia problem
Mohamad Aseel Ummer
Migration in Africa: Origin, Drivers and Destinations
Apoorva Sudhakar
15 of the 23 global hunger hotspots are in Africa. Three reasons why
Apoorva Sudhakar