Sierra Leone's Sitting VP Requests US Asylum

Sierra Leone's vice president says he is seeking asylum from the United States after soldiers came to his house and disarmed his security team. Samuel Sam-Sumana said he did not feel safe after top officials with the presidential guard informed him that his security team was being disarmed on orders from the president. Sam-Sumana is not at his residence and declined to disclose his whereabouts. Reuters thinks he's inside the US embassy.

He said he called US Ambassador John Hoover and requested asylum, and an embassy spokeswoman said there was "no comment at the moment and there is no action on our part." Sam-Sumana was expelled from the ruling political party last week, accused of "orchestrating political violence" and trying to form a new party. He remained VP, though it was unclear whether he could stay in the post long term.