Alpha Amadu Bah

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

Related Articles:

• Two journalists killed by gunmen; two others wounded , May 25, 2000
• Attacks on the Press 1999: 1999 Death Toll: Listed by Country, March 22, 2000
• Attacks on the Press 1999: Sierra Leone, March 22, 2000