By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
Police yesterday opened fire at protesters in Malen chiefdom in the southern Pujehun district.
According to eyewitnesses and campaigners, at least ten people were seriously wounded. Many others are said to be in police custody.
The Red Cross programme administrator in Pujehun, Tom Abu told Politico that one of the casualties was shot in the neck and was in a critical condition.
A local radio reporter based in Malen, Osman Margai said the incident was sparked off by the arrest in Upper Malen of some youth in the chiefdom by a group of OSD police officers from Bo yesterday morning.
He said hundreds of chiefdom people moved to the chiefdom headquarters of Sahn Malen to demand the release of their colleagues.
Police Local Unit Commander, Superintendent Nathaniel Brewah denied that his men shot at the protesters. Speaking to Politico he said they only shot in the air. Asked how come some received gunshot wounds, the local police boss emmed and erred, and said that the large group of people were advancing at the local police station.
"So your men shot at them?" he was asked. Again he stammered and declined to admit, insisting that his men only shot in the air.
The LUC said that on 2 December "an illegal group" of people brought out their secret Poro society and declared Upper Malen a no-go area for the controversial agribusiness company, SOCFIN.
He said he went to the place himself and met the protesters who gave him a message that the company not to extend their activities to their chiefdom which he said he duly delivered to the company's manager.
However, he said, they got intelligence report that the same group was planning to kidnap people for which he said he deployed his men. He accused them of pelting stones at his men.
An official of the Office for National Security in Pujehun, Suliaman Tarawallie said the protesters had given an ultimatum that SOCFIN should not go beyond their current operational areas, that they did not need the presence of police until they had had word with their paramount chief who is out of the chiefdom and wanted charges dropped against the former parliamentarian, Sharka Sama who has been an outspoken critic of SOCFIN and is court for alleged sabotage.
The civil society chairman of Pujehun Ibrahim Swarray called the police action "inhuman" and condemned the use of live bullet "against unarmed civilians".
Swarray told Politico that a committee had been sent from district security committee (DiSEC) to handle the situation "professionally", adding that the police could not wait for that despite the LUC having been a part of the meeting.
Joe Rahall, the head of the campaign group, Green Scenery said 30 people were currently being held by police following yesterday's incident.
(C) Politico 10/12/13
