24 Sierra Leonean soldiers convicted for attempted coup, one receives 120-year sentence

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, twenty-four soldiers have been handed lengthy prison terms, with some sentenced to up to 120 years, for their involvement in an attempted coup in the country last year. The military court reached a verdict after an 8-month trial related to the November coup against President Julius Maada Bio. During the coup attempt, armed individuals raided the country’s armory and a prison, resulting in the release of over 2,000 inmates and the deaths of 18 security personnel. Around 80 suspects were arrested at the time, with a dozen charged in January, including former president Ernest Bai Koroma, who later received medical leave. The soldiers convicted in the recent trial received varied prison sentences, with the most senior offender, Lt. Col. Charles James Mishek Yamba, handed a 120-year term. The charges against them included murder, mutiny, collaboration with the enemy, and destruction of public or military property. This verdict follows the sentencing of 11 civilians two weeks prior for their roles in the same coup attempt, including Amadu Koita Makalo, accused of leading the attack, who received a 182-year prison sentence. Makalo, a former bodyguard of ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma, was also implicated in the coup but was granted medical leave.