Guinea’s Worst Case Scenario Happens after Elections

Nine people, including one police officer, have died in the West African state of Guinea, the security ministry said Wednesday, following days of unrest after a tense weekend presidential election. In a statement, the ministry pointed to shootings and stabbings in the capital Conakry and elsewhere in the country since Sunday’s presidential vote. Clashes were ongoing in Conakry on Wednesday, where a security officer, Mamadou Keganan Doumbouya, told the press that at least three people had died. The violence follows the high-stakes election in which President Alpha Conde ran for a third term in a controversial bid that had already sparked mass protests. With tensions already running high, Guinea’s main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo on Monday declared victory in the election — before the announcement of the official results, which are expected this week. Opposition supporters are deeply suspicious about the fairness of the poll, although the government insists that it was fair. Much of the tension in Guinea centres on Conde’s candidacy. In March, the 82-year-old president pushed through a new constitution which he argued would modernise the country. It also allowed him to bypass a two-term limit for presidents, however.

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS