Call for Guinea political dialogue after protest deaths

October 18, 2019
| Report Focus News

The international community has called for a political dialogue in Guinea, where at least nine people have been killed since protests began on Monday.

In a joint statement, the regional group Ecowas, the UN, and European countries said the government should organise elections that respect the country’s constitution.

Demonstrators are denouncing a possible change to the constitution that could lead to President Alpha Condé seeking a third term.

A coalition of opposition groups said that 70 protesters had been wounded by bullets and 200 people had been arrested in recent protests. The government has not commented on those allegations.

On Wednesday, footage emerged on social media showing police officers using batons to beat two protesters and, in one case, parading him naked while pretending to slit his throat, campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

“The Guinean government’s brutal suppression of protests and the near-total impunity for security forces abuses is a recipe for a worrying deterioration in human rights,” Corinne Dufka of HRW said.

The government – who initially justified a ban on this week’s protests on the grounds that the protesters did not notify the government in advance – eventually said it strongly condemned and regretted the violence.

Representatives of the international community also suggested that a speedy release of the opposition members detained could help ease tensions.

Mr Condé’s second and final five-year term expires in 2020, and last month month he asked his government to look into drafting a new constitution.

For now, the president has not said whether he intends to run again.