At least 21 civilians killed in Sierra Leones protests

Dozens died in anti-government protests in Sierra Leone, police and other sources said on Thursday, sharply raising the death toll from the previous day’s clashes as shocked citizens stayed mostly behind closed doors in the capital Freetown.

At least 21 civilians were killed, the sources said, as hundreds took to the streets in frustration at economic

hardship and a perceived failure by the government to cushion the impact of rising prices.

The unrest is highly unusual for Sierra Leone, especially in the West African country’s capital Freetown. A few people have been killed in isolated protests in other cities in recent years.

One video verified by Reuters from Freetown showed a police officer firing a gun into a crowd. Sulaiman Turay, a 19-year-old living in east Freetown, marched briefly before police started firing teargas and said he later he saw demonstrators getting shot at from his porch.

“I think people are shocked. It’s not the country we know. Sierra Leone is a peaceful place,” he told Reuters.

President Julius Maada Bio said the circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s events would be “fully investigated”. Other verified images from Freetown showed clouds of smoke and teargas as large crowds threw rocks and burned tyres and armed officers patrolled the streets.