The attack, launched on November 26th, 2023, saw gunmen target military barracks, a prison, and other locations. The violence resulted in the release of roughly 2,200 inmates and the deaths of over 20 people.
Following the collapse of the coup attempt, twelve individuals were charged with treason in January 2024. On Monday, a unanimous jury verdict found eleven guilty on twenty counts, including treason, murder, and unauthorized use of military uniforms.
The remaining defendant, Bai Mahmoud Bangura of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC), 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, received multiple sentences ranging from 40 to 70 years in prison, to be served concurrently.
One female police officer, Halimatu Hassan Bangura, was sentenced to 30 years for harboring Koita.
The government alleges that the coup attempt was primarily led by Koroma’s bodyguards. Koroma himself faced four related charges but was ultimately allowed to leave the country for medical reasons. He has denied involvement and called the charges politically motivated.
This event has reignited tensions in Sierra Leone, a nation still recovering from its brutal 1991-2002 civil war that claimed over 50,000 lives.
ABJ/APA