One Killed, Many Injured During Presidential Election In Sierra Leone

One person has been killed and many others have been injured as the military unleashes violence on members and supporters of opposition parties in Sierra Leone during the presidential election.

According to a further report, the  Sierra Leone presidential election had been marred by delays and chaotic scenes among voters in some areas.

Amid a crippling economic crisis that sparked deadly riots last year, incumbent president Julius Maada Bio of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party faced a dozen challengers — 12 men and one woman — though experts predicted a two-horse race between the president and his main rival, Samura Kamara, the head of the All People’s Congress party, DW reports.

Meanwhile, sources confirmed on Sunday that one person was killed on Saturday, Election Day by the military while many others were injured.

The name of the deceased could not be revealed, however, reporters obtained the video of a man who had been shot and fighting for his life and the picture of the man who had reportedly been shot dead.

They also obtained videos of members of the main opposition party, All People’s Party and international journalists there for coverage, huddled together in rooms as the military reportedly fired gunshots outside.

In one of the videos, President Bio’s main rival and head of the APC party, Samura Kamara, is seen lying on the floor, hiding alongside other party members in the room.

“Around 15 minutes ago, the APC, opposition party was holding a meeting at their headquarters in Freetown, Sierra Leone when the military started firing from outside into the building.

“These people in the video are opposition party supporters. They are all hiding in a small room. Two of them are international journalists there for election coverage.

“They were addressing a press conference when the military started shooting live bullets in the place so they had to lie down. The APC presidential candidate is the one in white and black lying on the floor in one of the videos,” one of the sources said.

“One was killed and many others were injured by the military during an attack on opposition party members in Sierra Leone on Election Day,” another source said.

A poll last week by the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), a partner of the pan-African survey group Afrobarometer, forecast that Bio, from the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), would win 56% of the vote, with 43% for Kamara.

Another poll, by the Sierra Eye magazine and two local research groups, forecast 38% for the incumbent and 25% for his main challenger.

The winner must secure 55% of the vote to avoid a runoff. If a second round is called, it will be the second time that the pair had faced off in a runoff, after a similar battle in 2018.

In Sierra Leone, many people vote based on regional allegiances, with those in the south and east usually picking the ruling SLPP while most people from the north and west normally vote for the opposition APC.

During Saturday’s poll, voters also elected members of parliament and local councils.

Polling stations opened much later than the scheduled time of 7:00 am in the capital Freetown, AFP journalists said on Saturday.

Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters ahead of polling day, with both candidates urging calm.

A group of foreign ambassadors on Wednesday issued a joint statement calling for peace.

There are concerns the tensions could worsen, particularly if no candidate secures a clear majority.