Clashes between locals, Ebola team in Sierra Leone, curfew imposed

Freetown, Oct 22: A mid-day curfew was imposed in the city of Kono in eastern Sierra Leone after two people were killed in a conflict between local residents and an Ebola team which tried to take a suspected patient for testing, media reported.

The team was Tuesday trying to take the suspected Ebola patient, who is the mother of a local youth named Adamu, but met with stiff resistance as the youth insisted that his mother should not be taken away and any test should be done in his place, Xinhua reported citing the reports.

This turned into a serious altercation and the situation worsened when more residents joined the fight with security personnel of the Ebola team.

There was sporadic shooting in the township by the security personnel, including the police and the military that eventually led to the death of two people, according to the reports.

The incident took another turn when school children also went on the rampage stating that "we want to go to school", sources in the township of Kono told Xinhua.

However, news from Kono city indicated that things were going back to normal. The police in the township has confirmed to the media that "calm has returned to the city".

The security personnel confided to Xinhua that during the rampage, a number of institutions were attacked and ransacked, including a radio station in Kono, the Eastern Radio, which was completely vandalised.

It is reported that the youth is on the run while those who violated police orders were arrested. Investigations have been launched into the incident.

IANS