Sierra Leone: Fatal Clashes in Kono Prompt Government Inquiry

Sierra Leone’s government is calling for an inquiry into recent events in which a number of protestors were killed in clashes with police officers in the diamond-rich eastern Sierra Leone province of Kono. The clashes were sparked by what the government dubbed as “discontent” between the Koidu Holdings Mining Company and area residents.

The suspension of mining operations at the Koidu Holdings mining site has also been ordered and a 10 pm to 6 am curfew remains in effect.

On December 13, area residents reportedly stormed the company’s site, setting fire to surrounding brush, in response to the mining operations’ impact on living conditions, according to IRIN.

The residents say that Koidu Holdings has failed to compensate affected families, specifically referring to unmet promises to help in the resettlement of residents displaced by its operations. A Koidu employee said that the company has built 70 of the intended 350 houses and that the rainy season has delayed completion of the rest.

Many residents live without running water, electricity, proper health care and passable roads.

Following the events, members of parliament visited the area and issued a statement condemning what they called “heavy-handed action taken” in quelling the unrest.

“We believe it was a peaceful demonstration,” the MPs said in the statement, “[one] which could have been settled through negotiations.”

Koidu residents say police shot and killed four protestors, but police claim that only two were killed and that the demonstrators were armed.