In Sierra Leone, some people with guns attacked a military base and let out hundreds of prisoners in a carefully planned attack, according to the country’s information minister.
People in Sierra Leone had to stay inside all day on Sunday because there was trouble in the capital city, Freetown.
A BBC reporter saw men with guns on the streets saying they wanted to “clean” Sierra Leone.
The attack was a “very serious violation”, said Information Minister Chernoh Bah.
“He said on the BBC’s Newsday show that these were planned and coordinated attacks on our state’s safety and well-being. This was said on Monday morning after the curfew was lifted.
Current and former soldiers were part of the group, and some of them have been captured by the security forces.
Mr Bah said that we have caught some of the main people behind yesterday’s attack and our security forces are asking them questions. Some people suggested there was a coup but that’s not true.
“Once they understand completely why they are doing it. ” We will decide if it was an attempted takeover.
Many countries in West and Central Africa are now controlled by the military after a number of recent coups. Sierra Leone borders Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Chad.
A guard who worked for former President Ernest Koroma was arrested, according to a military source who spoke to the BBC on Sunday.
Mr Koroma said in a statement a few hours later that one of his guards had been killed and another one taken away.
He said he was very against the violence. One person was shot from very close and another person was taken away to a place that is not known.
However, Bah also said that a search is going on to find the gunmen and the prisoners who escaped.
On Sunday evening, the president spoke on TV and said the events were a security breach and an attack on democracy.
A new rule says people must stay home from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am starting on Monday.
The situation in Sierra Leone has been uneasy since June when President Bio was re-elected by a small margin, just missing the need for a second round of voting.
Foreign observers have criticized the way votes were counted and complained about the lack of openness. They also raised concerns about violent acts and threats.
In August, some soldiers were taken into custody and accused of planning to overthrow the president.
The US, European Union, UK and Ecowas all spoke out against the violent events that took place on Sunday.