Seven dead in Guinea pro-democracy protests
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At least 7 people have been killed and 32 were wounded after pro-democracy protests were held in the capital city of Conakry, Guinea. This is according to the leaders of an anti-government movement, which is planning new protests the capital and other cities.
Riot gear-clad police countered demonstrators who threw rocks and burned tyres on Wednesday. This is the latest in a series of protests against the military government that seized control of the country in 2021.
Small-scale protests also took place in the southeast city of Nzerekore. Protest are spreading away from the capital as the opposition and civil society groups gather momentum in protesting the army rule of Guinea. A statement by this grouping said that 56 arrests were effected by security forces. The military government did not respond to these reports.
Military dictatorship
There have been several protests in Guinea since the army took power, some of which have turned deadly after clashes with heavy-handed security forces.
The military government is one of several in West Africa that took power in a string of coups since 2020 and are now seen to be slow-walking the process of democratic elections. When the coup took place, the political leaders were replaced by garrison commanders and parliament was dissolved.
In October 2022 the military regime in Guinea put forward a plan for a two year transition plan. This was a negotiation down from the original three year plan that was proposed by Guinean authorities, but was rejected by ECOWAS states.
