Sierra Leone's leadership announced a nationwide curfew on Wednesday in response to violent anti-government protests that it said had caused an unspecified number of deaths, including among the security forces.
The curfew was due to start at 3 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) in a bid to stem the violence.
Videos on social media showed large crowds of protesters and piles of burning tyres in eastern Freetown. Other footage showed a group of young men throwing rocks on a street filled with whitish smoke and another group attacking a man on the ground. Reuters could not independently verify the images.
