Sierra Leone has sentenced 11 former soldiers and police officers to jail for their involvement in a coup attempt

Eleven individuals, including ex-soldiers and police officers, have been handed lengthy prison sentences by a high court in Sierra Leone for their involvement in a failed military coup that took place last year.

On November 26th, a group of armed individuals launched a violent assault on military barracks, a prison, and various other sites in Sierra Leone. Tragically, this attack resulted in the loss of over 20 lives and the escape of approximately 2,200 inmates.
Following the failed coup attempt, a total of 12 individuals were charged with treason in January. On Monday, a unanimous jury verdict convicted 11 individuals on 20 counts, including treason, murder, and unauthorized use of military uniform.

The other accused individual, Bai Mahmoud Bangura from the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, is undergoing a separate trial due to health concerns.

Amadu Koita Makalo, a retired army major and former bodyguard to ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma, has been sentenced to multiple concurrent prison terms ranging from 40 to 70 years.

Two women, a police officer and a prison guard, were also given sentences. Halimatu Hassan Bangura, the police officer, received a 30-year sentence for sheltering Koita.

The government claimed that the attempted coup was primarily orchestrated by Koroma’s bodyguards. Koroma himself faced charges for four related offences, but the government eventually allowed him to depart the country on medical grounds.

Koroma strongly denounced the coup attempt, with his legal team dismissing the charges as baseless and motivated by personal grudges.

Tensions have once again escalated in Sierra Leone, following a devastating civil war from 1991 to 2002 that claimed the lives of over 50,000 individuals.