The Government of Sierra Leone has called for a nationwide curfew as armed men has broken into a prison, setting inmates free.
An official, name withheld from Central Pademba Road prison in the capital city Freetown confirmed to BBC News that an unverified number of detainees fleed the prison on Sunday morning.
Prior to the jailbreak, the gunmen had attacked a major military barracks in the city.Residents reported hearing gunshots at the barracks, which are close to the presidential residence.
After the attack, the country’s Ministry of Information, Chernor Bah declared an immediate curfew. Residents across the West African country are “strongly” recommended to stay indoors and flights to and from the nation’s only international airport have been cancelled.
Meanwhile the African State President Julius Maada Bio said calm had been restored and a manhunt launched to find all of the gunmen.
However, the BBC’s Umaru Fofana, based in Freetown, reports that there is still disorder in the city. He drove past soldiers carrying heavy weaponry in a seized police vehicle and saw others chanting that that they planned to “clean Sierra Leone”.
It is unclear exactly how many inmates have broken out of Central Pademba Road prison. The facility held more than 2,000 people as of 2019, according to a US State Department report detailing overcrowding and poor conditions at Central Pademba Road.
The political situation in Sierra Leone has remained tense since June, when President Bio was re-elected after narrowly missing a run-off.
International observers condemned inconsistencies and a lack of transparency in the count, as well as acts of violence and intimidation.
|BBC NEWS
