Schoolboy shot dead by police at Sierra Leone protest
FREETOWN: A secondary school student and a street seller were shot dead by security forces in northern Sierra Leone Tuesday during a demonstration by youths angered by the relocation of a job training centre.
Police in Kabala, Koinadugu district, said youth activists set fire to homes, burning two to the ground, while the protesters spoke of a peaceful rally attended by dozens that was fatally halted by bullets fired into the crowd.
Nurses treating the wounded at a nearby hospital confirmed to AFP they had seen two dead bodies and were treating at least 15 injured people.
The victims, whose identities have not been disclosed, were shot in the head and the back, according to protesters and a resident reached by AFP, and images circulated from the protest showed a barely pubescent boy lying in a pool of blood.
Others survived but also suffered gunshot wounds, according to the protesters. Mohamed Marrah, leader of Koinadugu District Youth Council, told AFP the protest was non-violent and related to the transfer of a training facility designed to improve job prospects in this poor rural community.
“They were unarmed and singing songs to get the authorities to reconsider the action. Suddenly, we heard shots and two people in the crowd just went limp,” he said.
“We protested for our rights but the police violently reacted by firing tear gas canisters and live bullets into the crowed which killed two of our people and left many others seriously injured,” he added. — AFP