Sierra Leone families arrive to identify loved ones killed in protests

Freetown, Sierra Leone (AFP):

The families of Sierra Leoneans who died in protests against the spiraling cost of living arrived at a morgue in the capital Freetown on Monday to identify their loved ones.

A small crowd gathered outside the Connaught Hospital, where officials said the remains of 31 people were waiting to be identified.

Morgue official, Sinneh Kamara, said the “majority of the bodies had bullet wounds,” adding that five were policemen and 26 were civilians.

No official toll has been released.

Clashes occurred in Freetown and other cities, such as Makeni and Kamakwie in the north of the country, on August 10 when an economic protest descended into violence between the security forces and demonstrators.

Sierra Leone has had a reputation for relative stability since the end of a brutal 1991-2002 civil war that claimed some 120,000 lives.

Its population of eight million people is one of the poorest nations in the world, ranking 182 out of 189 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.

The economy, heavily dependent on minerals, was devastated by the war.

Efforts at rebuilding were set back by an Ebola epidemic in 2014-2016, a fall in world commodity prices and the coronavirus pandemic — all of which have disrupted trade and investment and hit exports.