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Sierra Leone: Youths, Police Clash in Kono
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Concord Times (Freetown)
24 April 2008
Posted to the web 24 April 2008
Fuad Kamara
Kono
Over 300 angry youths from Gbense and Kamara chiefdoms Tuesday clashed with police and military personnel in the eastern diamond rich town of Koidu, Kono district.
Similar violent activities have been on the increase since February when youths protesting against Koidu Holdings, a South African mining company, were dispersed by police officers, leaving two dead.
Yesterday youths took over the No. 11 sand tailing in Kamara chiefdom and started washing the gravel.
Confrontation then erupted between youths from the two chiefdoms for supremacy over the sand.
Youth leader of Kamara chiefdom Jimissa Thullah said the ruling All Peoples Congress had promised to give them the sand tailing during their campaigns ahead of the 2007 elections. But local authorities have insisted that the sand could not be released by the government without proper arrangement and documentation with chiefdom authorities.
The Tankoro police intervened to quell down the situation but an argument ensued which resulted into youths pelting stones at the police. In the violent clash that followed, the Local Unit Commander of Tankoro Amos Kargbo sent for reinforcement from Makeni and Motema divisions.
The angry youths also attacked the support officer from Motema police division and team en route to No.
11 but persuaded the youths before they could set them free.
No sooner the reinforcement troops from Makeni arrived than the situation deteriorated further. One of the irate youths seized a cogged 17 rounds pistol from Sergeant Brima Jah who was part of the Makeni intervention.
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The police could not handle the situation alone and thus called for military intervention led by lieutenant colonel Mansaray of 9 battalion. The army fired warning shots into the air to disperse the irate youths but there were countered shots from the youths.
The police have launched a joint patrol in the town some six hours after they called for a curfew order.
Meanwhile, Police boss Kruchev Kargbo said if the situation remained volatile the curfew might not be lifted by end of the day.
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