At least two police officers have died, beaten to death by mobs in the capital Freetown. There would also be deaths among the demonstrators. A curfew has been imposed from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Originally, these were rallies to protest against the high cost of living, organized by a group of women traders.
These rallies quickly degenerated, turning into a riot, in Freetown but also in several cities in the north of the country, with protesters calling for the resignation of President Julius Maada Bio.
In Freetown, roadblocks were erected, tires burned, and in some neighborhoods the crowd attacked the police. In Makeni, the police station was set on fire.
The government accuses members of the opposition of hijacking these demonstrations for personal gain.
The country is one of the poorest on the continent with more than 40% of the population subsisting on less than two dollars a day.
And the war and Ukraine has made the daily life of the inhabitants even more difficult with a sharp rise in the price of rice, oil and fuel.