Sierra Leone where Former President Ernest Bai Koroma was charged with treason and other offences for his alleged role in a failed military coup in November.

This move heightens tensions, following a disputed June 2023 election won by President Julius Maada Bio.

Sierra Leone, recovering from a devastating civil war, saw a November attack attributed to a foiled coup led by Koroma’s bodyguards.

Koroma was granted bail, confined to Freetown, with the case adjourned until Jan. 17.

Regional and international reactions differ, with ECOWAS offering Nigeria as a temporary host for Koroma, a proposal Sierra Leone’s government opposes.

Sierra Leone’s foreign minister, Timothy Kabba, said the government had received the letter, which did not accurately reflect the meeting President Bio recently held with an ECOWAS delegation in Freetown.

Kabba said the government will “not countenance” the proposal to relocate Koroma.