The Sergeants' Coup was a military

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

that occurred on 18 April 1968 against Chairman of the

National Reformation Council The National Reformation Council, or NRC, was a group of senior military officers with Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith as its chairman, who seized control of the Sierra Leone Government of Sierra Leone, government on March 23, 1967. They suspended the ...

(NRC) and acting Governor-General of Sierra Leone Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith, who declared himself the interim leader the year prior. The coup was led by Brigadier John Amadu Bangura who briefly ruled as head of state before handing power over to

Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was often characterized by patrimonial ...

, who had won the 1967 general election. Despite Bangura's desire to restore democracy by upholding the results of the election, the coup opened the way for the autocratic rule of Stevens, including the 23-year-long period from 1978-1991 where the All People's Congress was the only legal party in Sierra Leone following the 1978 Sierra Leonean constitutional referendum, a

sham election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

where 97% of the population voted in favor of one-party rule. Despite returning Stevens to power, Bangura was later executed for treason.

Background

In the general election of March 1967, Siaka Stevens' All People's Congress party won a plurality of parliamentary seats, defeating the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). Before taking office however, Stevens was arrested by Brigadier General David Lansana who demanded that tribal representatives be elected as well. The NRC eventually ousted Lansana and placed the government under permanent military rule.

The coup

The coup plotters were soldiers in the

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces () are the armed forces of Sierra Leone, responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's borders and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of the 1991 Constit ...

who were dissatisfied with their low wages and poor conditions. They were part of the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement (ACRM), who were led by Brigadier John Amadu Bangura, who served as Chief of the Defence Staff following the coup. Bangura took issue with the government collapsing after a series of coups that followed the hotly contested elections of March 1967. The

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

s first formed in the town of Darn and then moved to the capital of

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

. The ACRM imprisoned senior NRC members and arrested all high-ranking officers in the army and the police. Bangura, briefly served as

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

from 18 April to 22 April 1968. At least 12 people were killed as a result of the coup. On his last day in office, he gave the post of Prime Minister to

after his predecessor Sir Henry Lightfoot Boston had declared the All People's Congress the winners of the election. At the same time, the Constitution of Sierra Leone was restored. After Steven's declared a one-party state, Bangura staged another military coup, this time it was unsuccessful. Bangura was later executed for treason. His cousin Tinga Seisay later became an active opponent of the Stevens government and a pro-democracy activist.Radio Monitoring Report: Vol. 1, Issue #0101
International League for Human Rights It is largely seen as an example of a coup failing to accomplish its stated objectives by empowering a later

autocratic Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...

government.

References

{{African coups d'état Politics of Sierra Leone Military history of Sierra Leone 1968 in Sierra Leone Conflicts in 1968 1960s coups d'état and coup attempts

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

April 1968 in Africa

Background

The coup

See also

References