Fresh Violence Erupts in Guinea after Day of Riots
Fresh violence erupted in the Guinean capital Tuesday after a day of clashes between police and anti-government protesters that left one dead and several with gunshot wounds, AFP correspondents witnessed.
Hundreds of youths threw stones at police who responded with tear gas and warning shots, bringing traffic to a standstill on a main highway into the central Conakry, although there were no immediate reports of injuries.
An AFP photographer witnessed several arrests, while security forces were deployed in large numbers to prevent opposition supporters gathering at locations where unauthorized rallies were planned.
Residents in the Hamdallaye suburb of the city of two million people complained that police had raided their homes.
"I could not make any calls because my phones are out of battery. We have not had electricity for four days," one told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Gunfire could be heard in the district of Cosa around 8:30 am (0830 GMT) after a night of relative calm, an AFP reporter said, although it was not clear if they were intended to do harm or were just warning shots.
Shops remained shut across Conakry and the Marche Madina -- one of the largest markets in west Africa -- was closed.
At least seven youths were treated for gunshot wounds on Monday, according to the opposition, during demonstrations against a lack of stability it blames on the regime of President Alpha Conde.
The director of Conakry's Mother and Child clinic, Ibrahima Balde, told AFP one of those wounded later died.
The government has denied claims by the opposition and medical sources that the police had fired at protesters.
Ministers have warned however that "individuals currently engaged in acts of vandalism may in no circumstances be treated as peaceful activists".
A statement from the Department of Security and Civil Protection, said the head of the army had ordered troops to remain in their barracks.
Guinea's opposition boycotted parliament in March in protest over the timetable for a presidential election, accusing Conde of using the Ebola epidemic as an excuse to postpone voting.
Former prime ministers Cellou Dalein Diallo, Sidya Toure and Lansana Kouyate accused Conde of repeated rights violations and said he had "lost all legitimacy".
They called on supporters to back several demands, including a call to bring forward local elections due in March next year.
Guinea, one of the poorest countries in west Africa despite vast potential for mineral exploitation, was run by a succession of autocratic rulers for decades after gaining independence from France in 1958.
A military junta took control in 2008 after the death of president Lansana Conte, who seized power in a coup 24 years earlier.
A caretaker regime oversaw the transition to civilian rule in 2010.
The last election -- September 2013's parliamentary vote -- was delayed by almost three years, stoking deadly ethnic tensions.
Source: Agence France Presse
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