Africa news

By Hassan I. Conteh

On the early morning of Sunday November 26, petty traders in Waterloo town could not sell as they were panic-stricken due to an ‘attempted coup’ in the capital.

The military rifts within Wilberforce barracks happened on a Sunday’s night at 3 a.m.

Lots of people who were awake heard loudly exchanged gun shots in a military barracks in the capital.

Later in the morning, social media sites mainly Whatsapp and Facebook had flooded users’ phones with unconfirmed reports and stories of the gun shots.

Government of Sierra Leone ministry of communication and civic education said the gun shots were ‘a security breach’ at Wilberforce armoury, a place where arms and ammunition are kept.

However, after two days, government changed the narrative and referred to the string of attacks orchestrated by some men at Wilberforce, Murray Town and Jui barracks as ‘attempted failed coup.’

But before government claims of a failed coup against the sitting SLPP government, there had been a prison break on the same Sunday the Wilberforce barracks armoury was attacked.

These shocking and panicky events caused a sporadic scene in Waterloo business centre, Tombo-junction and Newsite market square.

Traders closed their shops and market open stalls closed as well.

Indian business men could not carry out their normal business activity in Waterloo. Many weekend private civil programs were unintentionally shut down.

Organizers of those programs could calculate a loss of thousands and millions of leones of money they’d spent.

“Our children’s Church thanksgiving service could not happen and the loaves of bread got spoiled,” says one pastor Bernard.

There was a roar of disorder among traders in the conduct of their businesses in Waterloo-Tombo market square.

This followed as police army officers, operation support division (OSDs) ordered market women and other petty traders to pack their wares owing to the disorder in Freetown.

Checkpoints are formed by army officers along the Benguema barracks road in Waterloo.

But, Thursday November 30,  2023 has returned a breath of calm and normalcy in the country.