The Sergeants' Coup was a military

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

that occurred on 18 April 1968 against Chairman of the National Reformation Council (NRC) and acting Governor-General of Sierra Leone Brigadier

Andrew Juxon-Smith Brigadier Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith (30 November 1931 – 1996) was a Creole politician and military officer in Sierra Leone. He was briefly (27 March 1967 to 18 April 1968) Chairman of the National Reformation Council and acting Governor-Gene ...

, who declared himself the interim leader the year prior. The coup opened way for a 24-year-long

All People's Congress The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 Ap ...

dictatorship.

Background

In the general election of March 1967, Siaka Stevens'

party won a plurality of parliamentary seats, defeating the

Sierra Leone People’s Party The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since April 4, 2018. The SLPP d ...

(SLPP). Before taking office however, Stevens was arrested by Brigadier General

David Lansana Brigadier David Lansana (22 March 1922 – 19 July 1975) was the first indigenous armed force commander of the Sierra Leone Military during the colonial era. After Sierra Leone gained independence, he served as Military Attaché to the United St ...

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 (RSLAF) 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 Si ...

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 Brigadier John Amadu Bangura, CBE (8 March 1930 – 29 March 1970) was a Sierra Leonean who served as Chief of the Defence Staff of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces from 1968 to 1970. Prior to this in 1967, he served as the Sierra Leonean Amb ...

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

Freetown Freetown is the 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, educational and po ...

. 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 (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

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

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 of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was ofte ...

after his predecessor Sir

Henry Lightfoot Boston Sir Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston, GCMG (19 August 1898 – 14 December 1969) was a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician. He was the first Sierra Leonean Governor-General of Sierra Leone. He was a member of the Creole ethnic group (descendant ...

had declared the

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. It is largely seen as an example of a coup failing to accomplish its stated objectives by empowering a later

autocratic Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except per ...

government.https://asq.africa.ufl.edu/files/Miller-V12Is2.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj4otWE0drpAhUOm-AKHe5xD6o4ChAWMAV6BAgHEAE&usg=AOvVaw0x6kEbDLnms_TUnmZDhtw0

References

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

Background

The coup

See also

References