No fewer than eight police officers were reported killed during violent anti-government protests in Sierra Leone on Wednesday.
The country’s youth minister, Mohamed Orman Bangura told CNN on Thursday.
According to CNN, Bangura said the victim officers were six men and two women as hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the capital Freetown on protesting inflation and the rising cost of living.
The minister also confirmed that a number of civilians were killed in the brutal demonstrations while others were injured.
“We are yet to know how many people were injured, but I can confirm that eight police officers were killed,” Bangura said.
Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh imposed a curfew Wednesday to quell the protests.
Youth minister Bangura described the protests as an “act of terrorism.”
“Those are not protesters. There’s a difference between protest and riot and acts of terrorism. Protesting is different from acting as a terrorist…going against the state, killing young police officers,” he said.
