Striking mine leaders charged to court

Two leaders of the striking mine workers in the eastern Sierra Leone district of Kono have been charged for “riotous conduct”. Police have not given detail. Their Chairman, Michael Nyandemoh and the public affairs officer, Gibrilla Sankoh have just been taken from their police cell in the eastern provincial headquarters of Kenema to be arraigned before a magistrate court. They spoke to Politico from their lock-up alleging that they were being held in “poor conditions without good food to eat”. They said they had only eaten Gari since their detention. The two were arrested on Tuesday night when they went to a police station in Kono to seek the release of one of their members. It followed negotiations with Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana which led to a resolution of their sit-down strike which had turned violent after some striking workers stoned a convoy of the mineral resources minister, Minkailu Mansaray whom they accused of conniving with their employers, South-African-based OCTEA Diamond Group owned by an Israeli businessman. Police opened fire to quell the riot, according to the police local unit commander chief superintendent Saidu Jalloh. Two people were later killed under circumstances that are still unclear. Hundreds of workers at the diamond mine were striking over pay and conditions and end-of-year-bonus. The company spokesman says they burned a company generator and a building, while police say they also burned down one of their posts in central Koidu.