Sierra Leone says barracks assailants pushed to the outskirts of capital

Sierra Leone's security forces have pushed back assailants who attempted to break into a military armoury in the capital Freetown to the outskirts of the city, information minister Chernor Bah said in a statement.

Bah said major detention centers including the Pademba Road Prisons in the capital were attacked earlier on Sunday, confirming earlier reports from a government source.

"The security forces were forced to make a tactical retreat. The prisons were thus overran," he said in a statement.