Attacks on military barracks and prisons in Sierra Leone on 26 November 2023 were a failed coup attempt, according to police and government officials in the west African country of 8.8 million people. Christina Mammone, who has researched Sierra Leone’s transition from mass violence, conflict and atrocities to peace, answers questions on the attempted coup.
What was the context of the November attacks?
There is no specific event or cause which can be identified as the trigger for the recent attacks. There were attacks on Wilberforce, the country’s main military barracks, and two maximum security prisons, the Special Court and the Pademba Road Prison complexes. The barracks and the prisons are all based in Freetown, the country’s capital.
