Makeni generator protest…
6 died, protester’s leader declared wanted
By Usifu Thoronka
At least six people including a teenager have been killed and 10 wounded when police and soldiers opened fire on protesters in northern Sierra Leone, police have declared the leader of the protest wanted, one of the eyewitnesses said.
According to an eyewitness count, on Saturday 18th July, 2020, “Hundreds gathered on a rainy day in the city of Makeni trying to block the movement of a power generator to another town, fearing it would jeopardise the area’s electricity supply”. the eye witness revealed.
The eyewitness who begged not to be named for fear of her life stated that “When protesters began displaying their placards with inscription written on them, ‘we will not allow our generator to be removed, go and buy another generator for rhe Airport, hands off of generator’, state security opened fire at the protesters”. She said.
“At first, they began by firing into the sky and people started running away- but when they realised that the protesters kept on resisting them, they started shooting into the crowd” she informed.
According to the eyewitness, just after the sate security had succeded in forcefully removing the generator, both the police and military personnel raided the home of Ibrahim Conteh who they accused of leading and organising the protest.
The eyewitness furthered stated that while the state security were searching and ransacking Ibrahim’s home, he was infomed by his wife that he should run for his life and never venture to go back to his house as security personnel were looking for him.
The eyewitness maintained that, immediately Ibrahim heard the unpleasant news, he wasted no time but to flee the township to an unknown destination.
Reports indicate that Ibrahim’s wife Zainab Kargbo has also been declared wanted by the police for allegedly masterminding his escape.
Both the police and military spokespersons have refused to respond to questions regarding the killing allegations.
In a statement late on Saturday, the government said it was aware of a “potential loss of life”, without giving any further details.
It said that any attempt to undermine public peace would be met with “the fullest resistance.”
The youngest among the dead was a 15-year-old schoolboy who died shortly after arriving at the Makeni’s main hospital, the eyewitness said.
Ten others were admitted to hospital with bullet wounds, four of whom were in critical condition as of Saturday night, the eyewitness maintained.
“Many hospital staff were afraid to go to work because they’re afraid of things flaring up again outside.”
Sierra Leone’s power generation capacity falls far short of the needs of its 8 million citizens. Prolonged blackouts are common even in the capital and urban areas and area a source of frustration for the population.
As at time of going to press last night, the whereabouts of Ibrahim and his wife is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation
