The build-up to Sierra Leone’s presidential and general elections which were held in June 2023 brought the country close to widespread anarchy, chaos and instability, as the government’s security forces embarked on an orgy of violent attacks on opposition politicians and their supporters.
With one person shot dead and several injured inside the head office of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Party in Freetown, few had expected the 2023 elections to be free and fair.
The pre-election period witnessed a dangerous escalation of tensions, with the government’s security forces engaging in violent attacks on opposition politicians and their supporters. Inside the head office of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Party in Freetown, one person lost their life, and several others were injured, painting a grim picture of the potential for a free and fair election.
Video evidence presented in the documentary implicates senior opposition SLPP politicians, including Mrs. Fatima Bio, the wife of the president, in fueling political violence and intimidation. These revelations have triggered calls for an investigation by the International Criminal Court.
The documentary unveils the extent of political violence, intimidation, and harassment orchestrated by both security forces and ruling party agents in the lead-up to the elections. The footage captures the harrowing moment when Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, and the opposition APC party’s presidential candidate and leader, Dr. Samura Kamara, were dangerously close to being assassinated during a security forces’ attack on the APC party office.
The documentary raises questions about the role of security forces and political agents in over a hundred deaths, including unarmed protesters and opposition supporters, in the two years leading to the 2023 elections. Allegations suggesting involvement of ruling party agents in some of these killings add another layer of complexity to the situation.
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