In brief
Sierra Leone’s cabinet announced that it has withdrawn the treason charges against ex‑President Ernest Bai Koroma, who was arrested after a 2023 attempted coup that saw armed men break into a military armoury and release nearly 2,000 inmates. The dismissal—made without a stated reason—comes after Koroma, who has spent the last year in exile in Nigeria, denied any role in the uprising and has long maintained that his party’s loss in the 2023 poll was unlawful. Koroma praised the support of President Julius Maada Bio, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, and the West African regional bloc Ecowas, and insisted that “peace, justice and reconciliation must always triumph over adversity.” The decision also confirms that Koroma is free to return to Sierra Leone, where he led the nation for 11 years until 2018. The move follows an earlier arrangement, brokered by Ecowas, that allowed the former president to escape to Nigeria under house arrest and medical care.
Following the ordeal of an attempted coup in November 2023 that saw armed men break into a military arsenal and free roughly 2,000 inmates, the Sierra Leonean government has now dropped the treason charges that were lodged against former President Ernest Bai Koroma.
Koroma, 72, who has spent the last year in exile in Nigeria, has consistently denied any involvement in the uprising that saw gunmen assault a military armoury. In a statement released Tuesday, he reiterated his belief that “peace, justice and reconciliation must always triumph over adversity.” He also expressed gratitude to current President Julius Maada Bio, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and the West African regional bloc Ecowas for their support.
The decision, made without an official explanation for why the charges were withdrawn, comes after a deal brokered by Ecowas that allowed Koroma to seek medical attention in Nigeria under house arrest. The government’s attorney general now confirms that Koroma is free to return to Sierra Leone.
Koroma presided over Sierra Leone for 11 years until 2018, when President Bio won a narrow re‑election. The results were rejected by Koroma’s All People’s Congress, and international observers critiqued the elections for a lack of transparency during the vote count.
