Who to Call
Emergency lines and the island's key offices — with verified numbers only, and honest directions where no number could be verified.
Bonthe runs on a short list of places more than phone numbers — the town is walkable, and announcements travel by radio. A number appears here only when we could verify it against an official page; where we couldn't, we say where to go and who to ask instead.
Why so few numbers?
Emergencies — national lines
Health emergencies
117 — the Ministry of Health's national emergency health line, which routes calls to district response teams and the national ambulance service
- Phone
- 117
- Website
- dhse.gov.sl/117-call-center/
Police
Sierra Leone's published police emergency numbers do not agree with each other — official and semi-official pages variously list 019, 999 and 112. From Bonthe, the dependable route is the police station in town; ask there or at the council for the line that currently works locally.
On the island
Bonthe Government Hospital
The district's government hospital, in town and solar-powered since late 2023. For emergencies call 117 or go directly — everything in Bonthe is within walking distance.
- Address
- Bonthe Town, Sherbro Island
Bonthe Municipal Council
The mayor's office and town administration. The council has no website or published phone line — visit the council offices in person.
- Address
- Bonthe Town, Sherbro Island
Radio Bontico 96.4 FM
The community radio station — the channel announcements actually reach people on. Visit the station to have a notice read out, including boat news.
- Address
- Bonthe Town, Sherbro Island
The crossing
Sierra Leone Maritime Administration — wharf offices
The national authority over passenger boats. Its officers at the Bonthe and Yargoi wharves record outbound passengers' names and can suspend unsafe vessels — find them at the wharf before you board, and report unsafe boats to them.
- Address
- At the wharves, Bonthe and Yargoi