Clashes in Sierra Leone

Clashes broke out Friday in Sierra Leone's capital city of Freetown.  Problems began when members of the country's opposition party, the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), were accused of throwing broken bottles members of the governing All People's Congress (ALC) during a parade.  Then on Monday, thousands of SLPP supporters surrounded the ALC headquarters, trapping government officials in the building.

Police fired tear gas into the crowd on both Friday and Monday.  At least 20 people have been treated for injuries, and at least six women were raped during the riot.

See BBC video coverage of the riots.

Sierra Leone suffered a brutal civil war between 1991 and 2002, in which tens of thousands were killed and over 2 million displaced.  Since the end of the war, the country has been fairly stable, and there were successful democratic elections in September 2007.  Since then, however, tensions between the ALC and the SLPP have mounted.