๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐
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On Friday, the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministries of Social Welfare and Internal Affairs paid condolences to the families of the civilian victims of the August 10 violent anti-government protests which erupted in Freetown and two other towns in the North.
The Government has taken the lead in the burial procession and provided NLE20 thousand (SLL20 million old notes) to each of the 27 civilian casualties as they will be buried today despite pleas from a few bereaved families for them to conduct individual funeral processions.
The funeral services will be held at 1pm at the Connaught Hospital in Freetown, but the Minister of Internal Affairs, David Maurice Panda-Noah did not disclose the cemetery in which the deceased will be buried, citing security reasons.
Mr Panda-Noah said only four family members of each deceased person will be allowed to participate in the funeral procession, and assured them of a โbefitting religious burialโ for each deceased person by the Government.
The โunauthorisedโ protests that sparked a confrontation between the police and protesters, also led to the deaths of two police officers killed in Freetown, three in Kamakwie Town, and one officer in Makeni City.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Immigration Department conference room Friday, Mr Panda-Noah implored Sierra Leoneans to shun any call to participate in violent movements that have the potential to disturb the peace of the country
For her part, the Minister of Social Welfare, Madam Baindu Dassama-Kamara sympathised with members of the bereaved families, but she warned social media users to be very wary of what social media content they share.
Madam Dassama-Kamara was โsurprised to see kids on the streets that day taking part in those protestsโฆKids that came from very poor backgrounds,โ whom she said cannot make informed decisions on their own.
