Politics

Sierra Leone: 24 soldiers to serve long prison terms after failed coup

Published

3 months ago

August 11, 2024

For their roles in the unsuccessful attempt to topple President Julius Maada Bio’s administration in November of last year, 24 soldiers have been condemned to long prison terms by a military court in Sierra Leone.

The presiding judge read down the penalties in court, giving the convicted parties prison terms ranging from 50 to 120 years.

They were among the 27 individuals who were court-martialed for their roles in the attempted coup on November 26, during which gunmen stormed two jails, a military barrack, and other facilities, liberating over 2,200 prisoners and killing over 20.

Ex-president, Ernest Bai Koroma was accused of participating in a botched military coup attempt in November, and on January 3, was charged with four offences. However, a high court decided on Wednesday that Koroma was free to leave the nation.

Following the July imprisonment of 11 people, as well as police and prison officials for their involvement in the uprising, comes the sentence.

After hours of discussion, a jury consisting of seven military members unanimously declared the majority of the court-martialed troops guilty. The men were charged with eighty-eight crimes, including murder, mutiny, assisting the enemy, and theft of property used for public or private use.

All except one of the individuals charged were regular troops. After being found guilty, a lieutenant colonel was given the maximum sentence of 120 years in jail.

Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba, a former military commander himself, stated, “When we reach this conclusion for sentences it is to send a message of zero tolerance for such an act in the military,” before imposing the punishments.

Three were left; one was acquitted, one was sentenced early after entering a guilty plea, and the third’s trial is scheduled to end at a later time as relatives of the convicted wept as the sentences were announced.

The failed attempt followed an election in which President Bio narrowly won to secure a second term. His victory was disputed by the main opposition APC party, while some local and international observers also questioned the transparency of the vote.

The West African subregion to which Sierra Leone belong has witnessed the highest number of coups in recent history with Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, Mali and Guinea all under military dictators currently.

Related Topics:Coups Featured President Bio Sierra Leone

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Politics

Mali: 7 Russian mercenaries killed

Published

2 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

An al Qaeda offshoot in North Africa has claimed responsibility for the attack in central Mali, killing at least seven mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner private military contractor company.

Wagner earlier lost a battle in July with mostly Tuareg rebels and Islamists close to Mali’s Algerian border, exposing the perils faced by mercenaries used by military juntas in the Sahel area of West Africa.

The separatists and strong branches of Al Qaeda and Islamic State, which have taken over large areas of the Sahel over the past 12 years, are difficult for Mali and its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger to control.

The al Qaeda offshoot JNIM claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack, according to a statement from SITE Intelligence Group, which keeps an eye on extremist activity in the area. According to SITE, JNIM captured several weapons and killed seven Russian Wagner mercenaries.

Following an attack, the bodies of at least five white males wearing army fatigues were seen laying near a military truck in a video obtained by Reuters. The validity of the footage could not be confirmed by Reuters.

SITE Intelligence posted images allegedly from JNIM that showed many crates of weapons and ammo together with the dead and bloodied bodies of troops.

Although two local officials acknowledged the incident, a Malian army source claimed to have seen seven dead bodies, including Russian fighters. Five Wagner warriors were slain, according to one of them.

At least six Russians have been murdered in the attack, which was carried out by Katiba Macina, a division of JNIM, according to a consultant working on security in the area.

The expert referred to the Russians as Africa Corps warriors, a paramilitary group under Kremlin leadership that has taken Wagner’s position in Africa throughout the previous 12 months.

Mali has previously said that Russian servicemen trainers are assisting local troops with Russian-purchased weaponry rather than mercenaries.

Politics

Mauritius’ Prime Minister to double as Finance Minister

Published

2 days ago

November 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In an effort to maintain a tight eye on the economy, Mauritius’ Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who took office this month following a resounding election victory, said on Friday that he would retain the position of finance minister for himself.

“We are doing an audit of the economy to see to what extent the outgoing government has destroyed it,” Ramgoolam told reporters in the capital Port Louis after he presided over the swearing-in of other ministers.

Ten years after he stepped down as prime minister, the seasoned politician returned to the position when his Alliance du Changement (ADC) alliance won 60 of the 62 seats in the national legislature.

The 77-year-old Ramgoolam said earlier this week that he would be auditing governmental finances. Before this, he was prime minister from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.

Ramgoolam started a campaign in 2006 to streamline taxes and reduce bureaucracy to diversify the $10 billion economy beyond exports of sugar, textiles, and tourism.

Since then, the 1.3 million-person nation, which positions itself as a bridge between Africa and Asia, has developed into a major offshore financial hub and has been rated by the World Bank as the easiest location to do business in Africa regularly.