Independent Observer
January 17, 1999, in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Amadu Bah, a sports reporter for the daily Independent Observer, was killed by a group of about 20 rebels from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the former Armed Forces Revolutionary Council at his home on Kissy Road in the east end of Freetown.

According to an eyewitness, the rebels who came to Amadu Bah's house asked for a different person, who was out at the time. The rebels then set the house on fire and shot Amadu Bah dead as he was trying to flee. Two of Amadu Bah's colleagues (one of whom witnessed the killing) told CPJ that, considering the rebels' hatred of the press, they were certain that he had been killed because he was a journalist.

Medium:Print
Job:Print Reporter
Beats Covered:Culture, Sports
Gender:Male
Local or Foreign:Local
Freelance:No
Type of Death:Murder
Suspected Source of Fire:Political Group
Impunity:Yes
Taken Captive:No
Tortured:No
Threatened:No

 

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