The government of Sierra Leone will bury on Wednesday 18 security officials who died in a November 26 attempted coup, the country’s information minister said.

Chernor Bah said the soldiers and police officers “made the ultimate sacrifice” to defend democracy and peace in the West African nation.

“Greater love had no man than this, that a man lay his life for his (country- for democracy and for peace),” Bah wrote on Twitter. “These patriots paid the ultimate sacrifice. We bury them on Wednesday. We must never forge.”

The coup attempt was quickly quelled by loyalist forces, but it raised concerns about the stability of Sierra Leone, which is still recovering from a brutal 11-year civil war that ended in 2002. The government has blamed the coup attempt on a group of disgruntled soldiers.

In addition to the 18 security officials who died, several others were injured in the coup attempt.

The government has launched an investigation into the coup and has promised to bring those responsible to justice.