A Sierra Leone court has found 11 individuals guilty of treason and other offenses following what authorities have described as an attempted coup. The leader of the group, Amadu Koita Makalo, received a near-200-year prison sentence, a judiciary spokesman announced on Tuesday.
The incident dates back to November when dozens of gunmen stormed the country’s armory and a prison, resulting in the release of over 2,000 inmates and the death of 18 security personnel. In the aftermath, authorities arrested around 80 suspects, with a dozen facing charges by January. Among those initially charged was former president Ernest Bai Koroma, who was subsequently granted medical leave.
Makalo, a former bodyguard of Koroma and a vocal critic of current President Julius Maada Bio, was sentenced on Monday to 182 years in prison. His charges included treason, murder, and shooting with intent to murder, according to judiciary spokesperson Moses Lamin Kamara. The other 10 defendants were also convicted of treason and murder, receiving sentences ranging from 30 to 112 years.
Despite his official retirement from politics, Koroma remains a significant influence within his political party. Many of those arrested in connection with the attack were former associates of the ex-president, Information Minister Chernor Bah said.
The trial and convictions occur against a backdrop of political tension in Sierra Leone. Bio’s re-election last year was marred by opposition claims of electoral rigging. Two months after Bio’s victory, police reported the arrest of several individuals, including senior military officers, who were allegedly plotting to use protests to disrupt the nation’s peace.
Sierra Leone continues to recover from an 11-year civil war that ended more than two decades ago. The nation, home to 8 million people, remains one of the poorest in the world. The political instability in neighboring Guinea, which experienced a coup in 2021, adds to the region’s challenges.
Melissa Enoch
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