Sierra Leonean police reportedly fired tear gas at the headquarters of the main opposition party as voters awaited the results of the disputed general election. The opposition party’s candidate, Samura Kamara, alleged on Twitter that bullets were also fired toward his office at the party’s headquarters in the capital, Freetown.
Party spokesman Sidie Yahya Tunis confirmed to AFP that a woman was killed in the incident. According to a statement from the Sierra Leone police, members of the opposition party marched through the capital proclaiming that they had won the elections, which attracted a large crowd of supporters outside the party’s headquarters. According to the police, this crowd began to harass passersby, prompting the police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Meanwhile, vote counting began across the country on Sunday. With 13 candidates in the race, some 3.4 million people were set to elect Sierra Leone’s new president. The current head of state, Julius Maada Bio, was seeking a second term in office amid economic difficulties in the African country. The main contenders, according to the polls, are Bio, a 59-year-old retired ex-military officer and leader of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, and the technocrat Kamara, 72, nominated by the APC.
The incident at the opposition party headquarters and the subsequent police crackdown raise concerns about the state of democracy and political stability in Sierra Leone. The elections are taking place against a tense backdrop, and the final results are expected to determine the country’s future leadership and its path towards development and overcoming economic challenges.