By Alpha Kamara
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AA) – More than 3,000 supporters of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party in Sierra Leone have been forced to flee their homes.
The residents, mostly Northerners, were chased out of their settlement in diamond rich Kono district, east of the country. They fled 40 kilometers North to Masimgbi.
Local Paramount chief Bai Kuru Kana Garo Sanka said the scene revived old memories.
“Seeing people entering the town en masse reminds me of the past war when RUF rebels attacked Kono. It's the same. Some have been tortured, abused, and some have lost valuables. ”
Benjamin Sesay, head of local catholic relief agency Caritas Makeni, said they had already registered over 1,800 victims on Monday and the influx of people continues.
“A woman was injured with a machete on her breast. Another says she was undressed in public and abused. Others have different painful stories. All of them said they are opposition APC party supporters and were targeted by the ruling SLPP [Sierra Leone People's Party] youths. We have distributed food stuff to the displaced and we are in consultation with WFP [World Food Program] to do more,” he told Anadolu Agency.
There have been sustained attacks on opposition party supporters since incumbent President Julius Maada Bio was declared president elect.
Bio, who assumed office early this month, has condemned the violence.
