Guinea: national mourning after the death of dozens of Football supporters in a crowd movement

“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 put 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 against Labé’s team at the end of the game against the eleven local player in the final of a tournament with a Mamadi Doumbouya trophy, 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.

Also read: Guinea: dozens dead in clashes during a Football match

“The demonstrations of dissatisfaction with the arbitration decisions led to stone throwing by supporters, causing fatal stampedes,” the government said in a press release.

“Hospital services report a provisional toll of 56 dead and several injured,” he adds.

Videos circulating on social media show scenes of great confusion, with people scaling what appears to be the surrounding walls of the stadium to escape, others running away into 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 dozens of deaths to AFP on Sunday. Access to 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.

“Cynical” instrumentalization

The government is “doing everything possible to provide the first responses to this tragic event,” General Doumbouya said in a message.

Also read: Congo: a day of national mourning observed after the death of 31 young people

He announced the formation of a commission of inquiry “to rule on the causes of this tragedy and determine responsibilities”.

General Doumbouya calls for “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 a “propaganda campaign” in a press release.

He “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 initially pledged, under international pressure, to give way to elected civilians before the end of 2024. It has since indicated that it would break its promise.

Alpha Condé expressed “boundless indignation” on social networks. “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.