The small West African nation of Sierra Leone said Tuesday it had arrested 13 military officials and one civilian in connection with a foiled coup attempt on Sunday that left 20 people dead and more than 2,000 prisoners released.

“What happened on Sunday, November 26, 2023, was a failed coup attempt,” Chernor Bah, the country’s information minister, told reporters on Tuesday. However, he did not identify any of the 14 people arrested.

Residents in the capital Freetown remained nervous as there was a heavy military presence on the streets and security checkpoints increased. Most schools were closed.

The country’s president, Julius Maada Bio, 59, a former military officer who was involved in two coups during Sierra Leone’s civil war in the 1990s re-elected in a close vote in June. But the results of the vote were rejected by his main opponent, adding to a tense political atmosphere and the election being viewed as opaque by many international observers.

The violence in Sierra Leone has heightened nervousness across the region, something that has been the case in recent years experienced a series of military coups, most of them successful. In GuineaA neighboring country of Sierra Leone, as well as in Niger, juntas rule despite loud protests from the Economic Community of West African States, the regional bloc known as ECOWAS to which all three nations belong, and international efforts to prevent it Restore civilian governments.

“ECOWAS said they had an anti-coup policy,” said Adedayo Ademuwagun, a Lagos-based analyst at Songhai Advisory, a risk assessment firm. But in the end, the coups in Niger and Guinea were not reversed, he added, “so the armies in neighboring countries are asking themselves: Why not us?”

Of Sierra Leone, he said: “With a fragmented army, an unpopular government and a vulnerable government, political risk remains elevated.”

Mr Bio was praised for policies that have significantly expanded access to education. However, he was criticized in Freetown, an opposition stronghold, and in the north of the country for his lavish lifestyle and failure to follow through on promises to improve living conditions.

He was re-elected despite overseeing the violent suppression of protests, including in the summer of 2022, when more than two dozen people died Clashes amid demonstrations over rising prices.

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world, Place 182 out of 189, according to the UN Human Development Index. Almost 60 percent of the people of Sierra Leone are affected by food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

Mr Bio tried to reassure the country on Sunday evening, saying that “calm had been restored” after “a security breach” at various locations, including the main military barracks, the armory and Pademba Road Prison in Freetown.

The 20 people killed in clashes between the attackers and security forces included 13 soldiers, three attackers, police, a civilian and a private security guard, said Mr. Bah, the information minister. A total of 2,133 prisoners escaped from three different prisons as a result of Sunday’s break-ins, and only 178 returned.

The police had previously said on Tuesday that they had arrested another person near the military barracks and that “some shots were fired.” Although there were no injuries, the news quickly spread on social media and caused panic among residents. Those living near the military barracks where the arrest took place were seen hastily leaving their homes to seek shelter elsewhere.

The All People’s Congress, the main opposition party, released a statement on Tuesday condemning “the dastardly acts of violence” and adding that it “categorically rejects” any attempt to associate our party with any form of violence. condemned.

“As a responsible political party,” the statement continued, “we firmly believe in the transfer of power through the ballot box and not through the barrel of a gun.”