Freetown in shock after dozens killed in Sierra Leone protests

FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator throws a gas canister during an anti-government protest, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, August 10, 2022 in this picture obtained from social media. Picture obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS

FREETOWN (Reuters) -Dozens died in anti-government protests in Sierra Leone, police and other sources said on Thursday, sharply raising the death toll from the previous day's clashes as shocked citizens stayed mostly behind closed doors in the capital Freetown.

Six police officers and at least 21 civilians were killed, the sources said, as hundreds took to the streets in frustration at economic hardship and a perceived failure by the government to cushion the impact of rising prices.