The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) has on Thursday 11 July 2022 issued a strong reaction to August 10 violent anti-government protest, which they referred to as “insurgency and coup by terrorists.”

The SLPP noted that they strongly condemned the criminal attempt to overthrow their democratically elected government.
Check out full details of the press statement signed by Chairman of the SLPP, Dr. Prince Alex Harding below:
‘The Sierra Leone Peoples Party is appalled at the ugly events of Monday August 8 which reached its crescendo yesterday August 10, 2022 when a section of malcontents attempted to violently take over the reigns of government. The SLPP unequivocally condemns this unholy act of attempting to hijack power from the democratically elected government.

Since April 2018, when the people of Sierra Leone gave the mantle of state authority to President Julius Maada Bio and the SLPP, some rejected and dejected people have vowed to obstruct the peace and security of the country. The activities of the main opposition APC have been consistently directed at rocking the smooth sail of the ship of Sierra Leone under the astute leadership of President Bio. It started with an unfortunate statement made by their vanquished presidential candidate after his defeat in the polls in March 2018, that he will make the country ungovernable.

Since then, there have been several attempts at actualising that statement. It started with a pattern of arson in which some buildings were targeted and condescended to calls for resistance to state security which has now degenerated to an attempted take over of government.

It’s now abundantly clear that the whole process was sponsored, engineered & implemented by the APC and its apparatchiks.

In addition to the audios and videos made by their leaders and supporters, the so-called protests took place in selected areas perceived to be their strongholds, buildings and structures identified as SLPP owned were vandalized and in some cases gutted down and SLPP leader/members were beaten-up and properties looted or damaged.

Police representing governance and by implication, the SLPP, were molested, beaten and murdered in broad daylight.

Unfortunately the comment by the UN rappatoire prior to the insurgency gave succor to these terrorists.

As the ruling party, and the one that brought peace to the country after 11 years of brutal civil war we cannot allow mischievous losers to scuttle the hard won peace and democratic credentials of our country to slide. We will do everything possible to nip in the bud the evil plans of anyone. The events of yesterday August 11 are the evidence of the desperation of people who are bent in creating chaos and derailing the peace of ordinary citizens.

We urge the security forces to be more robust and vigilant in the execution of their sacred duty of protecting the lives of the people of Sierra Leone. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to those fallen officers who were brutally killed in the line of duty. They didn’t deserve to die that way. Our hearts are with the families of the officers and the party will reach out to them.

We call on the international community and the moral guarantors of Sierra Leone’s peace accord to take necessary steps to engage all actors.

We urge citizens and our supporters to be law abiding and carry on with their normal duties.”