Sierra Leone bans jogging in groups

Police in Sierra Leone have banned jogging in groups on the grounds it encourages disruptive behaviour.

In an open letter published last week, police in the west African state said an immediate ban on such activities was being enforced "in line with the constitutional consideration for public order and safety".

Group jogging has taken on a "political tinge" in parts of Sierra Leone and the announcement has caused "upset" among some in the capital of Freetown, says the Agence France-Presse news agency, which first reported the ban.

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According to The Guardian, "presidential candidates have organised fun runs in Freetown and the northern town of Makeni, with participants wearing T-shirts bearing the name of the party".

The ban has led to a local non-government organisation, the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International, to call on police to ensure any action by police to prohibit group running upholds national and international law and freedom of assembly.

"We wish to remind the [police] that there are laws that guarantee every Sierra Leonean the right to assembly," they said.

Others defended the police's mandate to maintain law and order in the country. "The banning of unauthorised jogging or whatever anyone may call it came from the highest rank who is a highly professional career police officer," a Facebook user wrote on a forum.