Security forces clashed with protesters supporting Sierra Leone’s main opposition party in the capital Freetown Wednesday, with tear gas fired and rocks thrown in response, three AFP journalists saw.The opposition All People’s Congress (APC) had called for “peaceful” nationwide protests ahead of general elections on Saturday.The party called for the demonstrations over what it says are “unresolved issues” it has raised regarding “discrepancies in the electoral process”.About 100 protesters gathered outside the APC’s headquarters in Freetown at around 10:30 am (1030 GMT) Wednesday when security forces fired tear gas at them, AFP saw.Both police and military were present.Some protesters responded by throwing stones and glass.Videos circulated on social media showing what appeared to be at least one person shot by live bullets.In a press conference later Wednesday, Braima Jah, director of operations at the Sierra Leone Police, said security forces did not fire any shots.He alleged that ex-combatants fired five shots, “two from a pistol and three from an AK-47”, from the direction of the opposition party’s headquarters.He said a total of 66 people had been arrested.The APC has for weeks lambasted the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) for alleged bias in favour of the ruling party, raising speculation that it is laying the ground for a court challenge -– a tactic both parties have used in the past.In a speech last week, the party’s presidential candidate, Samura Kamara, laid out a list of demands to be met within 72 hours, threatening nationwide protests if they were not met.The APC also alleges its supporters have been attacked on the campaign trail in rural parts of the country in recent days.The Office of National Security, a government agency, confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the opposition party’s office in the city of Bo, a ruling party stronghold, had been burned down earlier this week. It said it is “concerned over the reported cases of violence in some parts of the country in the last few days”.It added that it “believes that such incidences of violence have the potential to pose challenges to the peaceful atmosphere that is needed for the conduct of a free, fair and credible elections”.The ambassadors of the EU, United States, Ireland and Germany, as well as the British High Commissioner and French charge d’affaires expressed their concerns over “reports of election-related violence and aggression” in a joint statement.Low-intensity political violence and the hiring of thugs — either gang members or ex-combatants — is typical of Sierra Leonean election campaigns.Last August, riots erupted in Freetown and other parts of country, leaving at least 27 civilians and six police officers dead.Â
