FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone's president declared a nationwide curfew Sunday after gunmen attacked the military's main and largest barracks in the West African nation's capital and then overran detention centers, including a major prison.
The attack raised fears of a breakdown of order amid a surge of coups in the region. In recent years, a string of west and central African countries have experienced military coups. This year alone, the governments of Niger and Gabon were overthrown by military factions, and there were attempts in Burkina Faso and Sudan, the latter of which has descended into civil war.
The detention centers, including the Pademba Road Prisons — holding more than 2,000 inmates — were attacked just as security forces fought to restore calm during sustained shootouts at the Wilberforce military barracks, according to Information Minister Chernor Bah.
