Sierra Leone's government imposed a national curfew on Sunday after reporting a security breach by unidentified attackers at a military armory in the capital Freetown that sparked armed clashes.

Sierra Leone, an English-speaking country in West Africa, has been going through a political crisis following presidential and general elections in June this year.

Witnesses told AFP they heard gunshots and explosions in the city's Wilberforce district, where the armory and some embassies are located.

Other witnesses reported exchanges of fire near a barracks in Murray Town district, home to the navy, and outside another military site in Freetown.

The information ministry said "The government remains in control and on top of the situation" after reporting attacks on prisons earlier in the day that obliged the security forces to retreat.

"The prisons were thus overrun" with some detainees released and others "abducted", it said.

Video posted on social networks suggested numerous prisoners had escaped from the central jail.

One man who was in a group filmed on the street by an AFP correspondent said they had escaped from the prison.

The information ministry said security forces had pushed the attackers to the outskirts of the capital, with clashes ongoing in the Jui area.

A drone video taken by AFP showed empty streets in the capital.

Security forces were deployed in large numbers to block access to the city center and gunfire had ceased in some neighborhoods, an AFP journalist reported.

The situation remained unclear with the authorities making no comments on the motives or identity of the attackers.

Like a war

President Julius Maada Bio wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the government would "continue to protect the peace and security of Sierra Leone against the forces that wish to truncate our much-cherished stability".

"We remain resolute in our determination to protect democracy in Sierra Leone."

Regional bloc the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has contended with a series of coups among its members since 2020, issued a statement underlining "its zero-tolerance for unconstitutional change of government".

Echoing language used to condemn past coup attempts, ECOWAS spoke of its "utter disgust" over a "plot by certain individuals to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order".

The US embassy condemned on social media the bid to break into the armory and offered continued support for those "working for a peaceful, democratic, healthy and prosperous Sierra Leone".

The European Union's local representation expressed concern and called for the respect of constitutional order.

Witness Susan Kargbo told AFP by telephone she was woken "by a loud sound of heavy machine gun (fire) and bombs coming from the Wilberforce barracks around 4:30 am.

"I was shocked and… the gunshots continued until this morning, it was like a war," she said.

Attackers repelled

The government said those attempting to break into the armory had been repelled but asked the public to stay at home while security operations continued.

"The government and our state security forces are in control," said Information Minister Chernor Bah, who announced an immediate nationwide curfew "to enable the security forces to continue the process of apprehending the suspects".

The local representations of the UK and the European Union echoed the authorities' advice to stay at home.

The civil aviation authority said Sierra Leone's airspace remained open but asked airlines to reschedule their flights after the lifting of the curfew.

President Bio, who was first elected in 2018, was re-elected in June with 56.17 percent of the vote — just over the 55 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

International observers condemned inconsistencies and a lack of transparency in the count, as well as acts of violence and intimidation.

The main opposition All People's Congress party disputed the results of the presidential, legislative, and local elections on 24 June and boycotted all levels of government.

The APC and the government signed an agreement in October following talks mediated by the Commonwealth, the African Union, and ECOWAS. 

The APC agreed to end its boycott and begin participating in government in exchange for an end to detentions and court cases it said were politically motivated.