Bending, Not Breaking

Listen to Today's Edition:

A court in Sierra Leone charged former President Ernest Bai Koroma and 12 others – including former police and correctional officers and a member of Koroma’s security detail – with treason, and other offenses for Koroma, over their alleged involvement in an attempted coup in late November, Reuters reported.

Individuals found guilty of treason could face life imprisonment, according to the country’s penal code.

The charges come amid a period of heightened tensions in Sierra Leone following the failed coup in November and a disputed June election in which President Julius Maada Bio secured a second term.

The country’s opposition rejected the election results, while Sierra Leone’s international partners – including the United States and the European Union – have questioned them.

The November attack saw gunmen targeting military barracks, a prison, and other locations, resulting in the release of 2,200 inmates and more than 20 fatalities.

The government attributed the incident to a foiled coup primarily led by Koroma’s bodyguards. The former president, who was summoned for questioning in December, condemned the attacks.

Sierra Leone is still recovering from a civil war from 1991 to 2002 in which more than 50,000 people were killed.

The November violence sparked fears of another military takeover in the West African region, which has seen a number of nations, including Mali and Niger, fall under military coups, Agence France-Presse wrote.