Following the national tragedy that occurred this Sunday, December 1 at the Stade du 3 Avril in N’zérékoré, a three-day national mourning was declared in Guinea. If initially, the government announced, this Monday, December 2, 56 deaths and several injured, the Superior Council of the Forest Diaspora (CSDF), speaks of 300 victims. This Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the Collective of human rights organizations of Forestry Guinea announced around 135 victims, mainly children under 18 years old, indicated journalist Facely Konaté on his page X (ex Twitter).
The said Collective says it collected information at the N’zérékoré regional hospital, from supporters present at the stadium, from neighborhood leaders (concerning burials in cemeteries), from mosques and churches, and from the victims’ parents. .
Thus, this organization, made up in particular of the Guinean Organization for the Defense of Human Rights (OGDH), Avocats sans frontières (ASF) and Same rights for all (MDT), points the finger, among other things, at bad arbitration, the concern of the defense and security forces to protect the administrative authorities and not the citizens in disarray, and the excessive use of tear gas in an enclosed space.
On this, she accuses the CNRD of being one of those responsible for this tragedy which occurred on Sunday. According to human rights organizations in Forestry Guinea, “the Alliance of Young Forest Leaders, in complicity with the CNRD [la junte au pouvoir]who provided technical and financial support for the organization of this tournament”, is responsible for what happened.
Thus continues the press release from the collective of Organizations for the Defense of Human Rights, N’Zérékoré region: “According to information collected at the N’Zérékoré regional hospital, from the supporters present at the stadium, neighborhood leaders acting on burials in cemeteries during the day of Monday December 2, 2024, in mosques and churches, with relatives of victims and in the local press, today there are an estimated 135 people, including mainly children under the age of 18, who died at the April 3 stadium in N’Zérékoré.
During this event, there were also several injured and more
50 people missing, significant material damage.
The causes of this tragedy are among others:
The discontent of the supporters by the throwing of stones following a
bad refereeing;
The concern of defense and security forces to protect
administrative authorities and not citizens in disarray and
excessive use of tear gas in an enclosed space
⁃ The cars of administrative authorities and other users who have
hit citizens seeking safety…
The jostling, the climbing of walls by supporters who
were seeking to save their lives, and unfortunately lost them;
The poor security of the stadium by the defense and security forces
security and the obstruction of the stadium gate by the vehicles of the
defense and security forces.
The high number of supporters beyond the capacity of the stadium.
In light of all these findings, we hold the Alliance responsible
young forest leaders in complicity with the CNRD, which provided
its technical and financial support for the organization of this tournament which
bereaved several of our families and taken away in the prime of life several of
our children and grandchildren.
We human rights organizations, from the region of
N’Zérékoré, let us ask:
1- The immediate arrest of the organizers of this tournament in accordance with the provisions of the penal code.
2- To the Public Prosecutor near the Court of First Instance of N’Zérékoré to open or cause to be opened and without delay, a judicial investigation against the organizers of this tournament and their accomplices, to determine their responsibilities and that they be judged in accordance with the law.
3- Parents of victims to organize themselves into a victims’ association
from the stadium of April 3, to file a complaint against the main perpetrators and their accomplices before the competent judicial institutions at the national and international level.
4- To the populations of N’Zérékoré, we invite them to calm and
retained so that justice is done and social cohesion
be maintained.
