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Among the victims are several children according to local media
and a coalition of political parties.
The stampede broke out on Sunday afternoon at the stadium in the
city of Nzerekore during the final of a local tournament between
the Labe and Nzerekore teams in honor of Guinea’s military
leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury
Bah said on the X platform.
“During the stampede, victims were recorded,” Bah said, without
giving details. The regional authorities are working to restore
calm in the area, he added.
Local media reported that security forces tried to use tear gas
(two words) to restore calm after the chaos that followed a
disputed penalty.
“This (the disputed penalty) angered supporters who threw
stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” Media
Guinea, a local news website, reported. It said several of those
killed were children while some of the injured being treated at
a regional hospital are in critical condition.
Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed fans in a
section of the stadium shouting and protesting the refereeing
before clashes broke out as people poured onto the field.
People were running as they tried to escape from the stadium,
many of them jumping the high fence.
Videos also showed many people lying on the floor in what looked
like a hospital as a crowd gathered nearby, some assisting the
wounded.
The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition
coalition called for an investigation. It said the tournament
was organized to drum up support for the “illegal and
inappropriate” political ambitions of the military leader.
Guinea has been led by the military since soldiers ousted
President Alpha Conde in 2021. It is one of a growing number of
West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso,
where the military has taken power and delayed a return to
civilian rule.
Doumbouya, who ousted the president three years ago, said he was
preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastised
the previous government for broken promises. He has, however,
been criticized for not meeting the expectations that he raised.
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