Dozens of people were killed during a stampede that occurred following violent protests over referee decisions during a football match in Guinea’s second-largest city, N’Zerekore, reported Al Jazeera.
Fans dissatisfied with the referee’s decisions threw stones, sparking violent clashes that resulted in a deadly stampede, leaving at least 56 people dead.
According to a government statement published as a news ticker on national television on Monday, November 02, “protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes.”
Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56.
The clash began when supporters of the visiting team, Labe, hurled stones onto the pitch, prompting the police to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
After the football match, demonstrators also vandalised and set fire to the N’Zerekore police station, escalating the violence.
Guinea’s Prime Minister, Bah Oury, condemned the violence, urging calm and announcing that the government would release further information as it gathered details.
The match was part of a tournament organised in honour of Guinea’s military leader, Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and remains in charge despite international pressure to restore civilian governance.
Guinea’s opposition coalition, ANAD, condemned the tournament, calling it an attempt to promote Doumbouya’s “illegal and inappropriate candidacy” as he prepares for a potential presidential run.
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