From Protest to Bloodshed: Families Tell of Arbitrary Killings in Sierra Leone

By Musa Paul Feika

Sierra Leone’s fragile democracy, long praised for emerging from the ashes of a brutal civil war, is once again under the microscope as families of victims recount harrowing stories of state violence. What began as peaceful demonstrations against economic hardship in August 2022 quickly turned into scenes of bloodshed across Freetown, Makeni, and Kamakwie, leaving more than 20 civilians dead alongside several police officers.

Survivors and relatives say security forces opened fire indiscriminately, killing not only demonstrators but also bystanders who had no part in the unrest. Just a year later, the country was rocked by another wave of violence when an attempted coup in November 2023 led to armed clashes and dozens of deaths.

Today, as official inquiries drag on behind closed doors and human-rights groups demand accountability, families insist their pain is compounded by unanswered questions, delayed justice, and what many describe as a culture of impunity that risks eroding trust in Sierra Leone’s democratic institutions.
“He left home to buy bread but never returned.”

In the bustling Makeni township, 34-year-old market trader Hawa Kamara points to a framed photograph of her younger brother, Ibrahim. “He wasn’t even protesting,” she says, her voice breaking. “He left home to buy bread that morning, but he never returned. Later, we found him in the hospital with a bullet wound to the chest.”

For Kamara, the pain is not only the loss itself but the silence that followed. “No police officer, no government official has explained why my brother was killed. They treat us as if our lives mean nothing. Is this the democracy we were promised?”

Her story echoes across dozens of families in Sierra Leone ordinary citizens whose lives were upended in moments of violence they insist could have been prevented.

For many Sierra Leoneans, the killings evoke painful memories of the country’s 11 year civil war (1991–2002), which left more than 50,000 people dead and tens of thousands maimed. The war ended with promises of “never again,” backed by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that warned against impunity and called for reforms in policing and governance.

Yet, two decades later, citizens say the same patterns persist. Mohamed Conteh, a teacher in Freetown, draws the comparison bluntly: “We were told after the war that guns would never again be turned on civilians. But in 2022, I watched security officers shoot into the crowd like we were enemies of the state. It felt like war all over again.”

The August 2022 protests began as a spontaneous outcry against soaring fuel and food prices, part of a wider cost-of-living crisis gripping West Africa. Youth-led groups mobilized on social media, calling for demonstrations in major towns.
What happened next is contested. Authorities described the protests as a violent insurrection, pointing to the deaths of six police officers and the burning of government buildings.

However, protesters say they were unarmed, and that security forces responded with excessive and disproportionate force.

International observers, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented evidence of live rounds fired into crowds. A video shared widely online showed police officers shooting at fleeing demonstrators.
The coup that deepened the wounds
Barely a year later, in November 2023, Sierra Leone faced an attempted coup that left dozens dead in clashes between security forces and armed assailants.

While the government quickly moved to reassert control, human-rights defenders say the violence created a climate of fear that reinforced a culture of arbitrary killings.
Fatmata Bangura, a mother of three in Kamakwie, says her husband was caught in the crossfire. “He was a driver. That morning, he was transporting passengers to Freetown when they encountered roadblocks. Soldiers opened fire without asking questions. Now my children are fatherless, and no one in power cares enough to ask why.”

Families demand answers
What unites these voices is a demand for accountability, Families of victims say they have been left in limbo by slow-moving official inquiries that remain shrouded in secrecy.
“The coroner’s inquest has dragged on for months with no clear outcome,” says Joseph Tucker, a community activist in Freetown. “When ordinary citizens are killed, the government is quick to brand them as criminals, but when police or soldiers are responsible, suddenly everything is ‘under investigation.’ That double standard is killing faith in our democracy.” Some families say they are too afraid to even demand justice publicly.

One woman in Makeni, who asked not to be named, described being visited by plainclothes officers after she complained on radio about her brother’s death. “They warned me to stop talking, or I would regret it. So tell me how can we grieve freely when even mourning is dangerous?”
Government’s stance
Officials have defended the security forces, insisting that they acted to protect lives and property in the face of violent unrest. President Julius Maada Bio has repeatedly warned against what he calls “an emerging culture of lawlessness” and has framed the August 2022 protests as an attempt to destabilize the country.
Yet critics argue that such rhetoric sidelines legitimate grievances and paints citizens demanding accountability as enemies of the state. “Nobody denies that some protesters acted violently,” says Dr. Abdulai Sesay, a political science lecturer at Fourah Bay College. “But the response must be measured, lawful, and transparent. Otherwise, the state risks losing moral authority.”
Human rights groups call for reform
Rights organizations are pressing for deeper reforms in Sierra Leone’s policing and justice systems. They argue that without independent investigations and prosecutions, the cycle of arbitrary killings will continue.
“The problem is not just the individual shootings,” explains Zainab Sheriff of the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI). “It is the impunity. When officers know they will not be held accountable, they repeat the same abuses. That undermines democracy itself.”
The U.N. Human Rights Office has urged Sierra Leone to ensure “prompt, thorough, impartial and independent” investigations into all allegations of unlawful killings.

Fear and resilience in the communities, despite the risks, some Sierra Leoneans remain determined to speak out.

In Freetown, youths have organized candlelight vigils for victims, while civil-society groups are quietly building case files to present to international human-rights bodies if domestic justice stalls.
“We don’t want revenge,” says Alusine Jalloh, a university student who joined the 2022 protests. “We just want the truth, and for our leaders to admit that what happened was wrong. If they can’t do that, then how can we trust them to lead us into the future?”
A democracy tested
More than two decades after its civil war, Sierra Leone still holds democratic elections, hosts a vibrant press, and boasts one of the freest societies in the Mano River region.

Yet analysts warn that arbitrary killings and politically motivated violence represent a dangerous crack in the foundation.
“If the government does not rebuild trust by ensuring justice for the dead, the danger is that citizens will give up on peaceful protest altogether,” warns Dr. Sesay. “That would push grievances underground and risk repeating the mistakes of the past.”
For grieving families, however, the issue is not abstract. It is deeply personal.

As she clutches her brother’s photograph, Hawa Kamara reflects on a future that feels increasingly uncertain. “We buried him with no justice, no explanation, no dignity from the state. If our democracy cannot protect the lives of ordinary people, then what kind of democracy do we really have?”