power plant.

At least five persons were killed Saturday in the town of Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, a police officer said, in rioting sparked by the relocation of a power plant.

The West African state had been planning to move the plant to the country’s international airport near the capital Freetown, which is due to resume flights on Wednesday after a months-long hiatus.

But an initial attempt triggered a riot early Saturday.

Protesters attacked the offices of President Julius Maada Bio’s political party in Makeni, witnesses said, while police fired live rounds and tear gas.

A police official, who declined …