Sierra Leone ex-President charged with high treason

The former president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of high treason over his alleged involvement in what the government called an attempted coup in late November last year.

Koroma, who served as president between 2007 and 2018, was questioned by police three times before he was charged. He was already being held under house arrest.

What are the charges against the former president?

The charges connect Koroma with armed attacks against Sierra Leone's main military barracks and a high-security prison in its capital Freetown on November 26.

The incident resulted in the freeing of the majority of the prisons 2,000 inmates, some of whom had been involved in a previous coup d'etat.

Some 18 members of the security forces were also killed.

Koroma's charges came a day after a dozen more suspects were charged with similar offenses. More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with November's attacks, including Koroma's daughter.

Coup concerns

Tensions have been high in Sierra Leone since President Julius Maada Bio, who took power in 2018, won a second term last June. Police said they arrested several people, including military officers, following post-election protests.

Although he retired from politics, Koroma remains influential in his party and his relationship with Bio has been tense due to the latter setting up a commission to look into allegations of corruption during Koroma's decade in power.

Concerns over possible coups in the poor county of 8.8 million are high as three nearby countries -- Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali -- are already under military rule.