“To show that it is national solidarity, (that) it is the nation which is in mourning today, from tomorrow (Tuesday) three days of national mourning will be proclaimed (…) the national flag will be raised at half mast“, said Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, dispatched to N’Zérékoré (south-east) by the head of the junta, General Mamadi Doumbouya. Sunday’s events, first presented as clashes between supporters, were triggered by the expulsion of one or two players and a penalty at the expense of Labé’s team at the end of the game opposing him to the local eleven in the final of a tournament with a Mamadi trophy Doumbouya, witnesses reported.
Supporters invaded the field. The officials present, including two ministers, were prevented from leaving the scene, leading to stone throwing and tear gas being fired by security forces, said a witness speaking on condition of anonymity. “Panic quickly set in, leading to uncontrollable crowd movement. In the stampede, people were trampled or injured while trying to flee” he said.
A considerable crowd thronged the dilapidated stadium in the country’s second city, in Forest Guinea on the borders of Liberia and Ivory Coast, and 900 km and two days’ drive from the capital Conakry, videos broadcast on social networks. “The thousands of people at the stadium were overcome with panic and fear. It was the save-who-can“, said a municipal official on condition of anonymity. “Demonstrations of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone throwing by supporters, causing fatal stampedes“, said the government in a press release.
“Hospital services report a provisional toll of 56 dead and several injured“, he adds. Videos circulating on social networks show scenes of great confusion, with people scaling what appears to be the surrounding walls of the stadium to escape, others fleeing in running in clouds of dust or gas Other videos show numerous inert bodies lying in the street or next to each other in what could be health centers. Doctors reported to dozens of people on Sunday. dead. Verified information is very complicated in this remote area.
Online media reported hospital services and a morgue saturated by the influx of injured people and bodies. The government “is doing everything possible to provide the first answers to this tragic event“, General Doumbouya said in a message. He announced the formation of a commission of inquiry.”to rule on the causes of this tragedy and locate responsibilities“General Doumbouya calls.”calm and serenity“, in a poor country despite considerable natural resources, and with a turbulent contemporary history.
The repression of an opposition rally in a stadium in Conakry left at least 156 dead in 2009, according to an international commission of inquiry mandated by the UN. Football tournaments, the number one sport in Guinea, or popular gatherings in tribute to the head of the junta, have multiplied in recent weeks. They are widely considered to be part of a campaign to promote General Doumbouya’s candidacy for a future presidential election. The National Front for the Defense of the Constitution, one of the last dissident voices still able to be heard in Guinea, spoke of “propaganda campaign” in a press release.
Il “holds Mamadi Doumbouya and his government (for) directly responsible for this disaster which cost the lives of innocent citizens, including many children“. “This demonstrates a cynical exploitation of sport by the junta“, he adds. Mamadi Doumbouya took power by force in September 2021 by overthrowing civilian President Alpha Condé. The junta had initially committed, under international pressure, to give way to civilians elected before end of 2024. She has since made it known that she would break her promise, Alpha Condé expressed on social networks.boundless indignation“. “In a context where the country is already marked by tensions and restrictions, this tragedy highlights the dangers of irresponsible organization and a lack of adequate preparation.” he said.
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