Woman Found Wounded After Police Surround Opposition HQ Post-Election

A woman was found severely wounded and without a pulse inside Sierra Leone’s main opposition party headquarters on Sunday, after police surrounded the building during a post-election press conference, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene.

The woman, whose identity remains unknown, was discovered motionless with a serious neck wound. A shattered hole the size of a fist was visible in the window of the room where she was found. The circumstances leading to her injuries remain unclear.

Security forces, numbering at least 200, blocked access to the headquarters of the All People's Congress (APC), the party of presidential challenger Samura Kamara, seen as the main opponent to incumbent President Julius Maada Bio.

Two witnesses, who were trapped inside the building and later released, reported hearing gunfire and seeing tear gas deployed. Several cars outside the building were also damaged.

"We were just here for a press conference, and the next thing we knew, we started hearing firing. Our whole office is surrounded by police and army," said APC spokesman Sidi Yaya Tunis.

Authorities have not commented on the incident, and the full details of what transpired remain uncertain.

Sierra Leone held its presidential election on Saturday amid widespread economic hardship, with the opposition hoping to capitalize on public frustration to challenge Bio’s re-election bid.