Burials have been taking place in Sierra Leone for 27 protesters allegedly killed by the police in August during street demonstrations against the rising cost of living.
The Sierra Leonean government said that families of those killed had identified the bodies of their loved ones before the funerals on Monday.
Despite autopsies being carried out, the government has yet to disclose the exact cause of the protesters’ deaths.The authorities say they had reached an agreement with the families of the victims to give them what they called “dignified state burials”.
But some families have rejected this arrangement and demanded the bodies of their relatives be released for private burials.In August, thousands of people took to the streets in parts of the country protesting against rising food and fuel prices.
Police then allegedly opened fire. Six police officers who died in clashes with the demonstrators have already been buried.President Julius Maada Bio said the protests were an attempt to overthrow his government.
He had told the BBC that all those found culpable would face justice.