Clashes in Guinea in 2013

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Political violence broke out in Guinea in the first half of February 2013 after protesters took to the streets to express concerns about the transparency of the 2013 election . The demonstrations were fueled by the decision of the opposition alliance to withdraw from the electoral process in protest at the lack of transparency in the preparation of the election. Nine people were killed during the protests in early 2013, while 220 were injured and many of the deaths and injuries were caused by security forces who shot hard at protesters. The politically motivated violence also led to clashes among members of different ethnic groups between the Fula and the Malinke (also known as Konianke), with the latter forming the basis of President Alpha Condé's support . The Fula mostly belong to the opposition.

background

The run-up to the 2013 elections was full of tension and disputes, with the election process being postponed four times until May 12 was agreed as the election date. The parliamentary election was originally planned for 2011. The election planned for this date was supposed to be the final step in the country's transition to a civilian government, after two years under a violent military junta following the death of President Lansana Conté in 2008. But the election was finally postponed to September.

In September 2012 there were many complaints about the government's arbitrary arrest of protesting opposition supporters, with 100 arrested that month. The President of Guinea's National Electoral Commission, Louceny Camara, was forced to resign after numerous demands for his dismissal. Camara was seen as a great ally of President Condé and was accused of falsifying the legislative elections in advance in Condé's favor. In addition, Guinean opposition parties announced that they no longer wanted to participate in the National Transitional Council, which served as an interim parliament, and that they also wanted to boycott the national election commission.

The main cause of the political protests was the decision by the Guinean opposition alliance on February 24 to withdraw from the election process, which was followed by a call to citizens to hold nationwide protests. This decision was caused in part by the approval of the National Electoral Commission for the South African software company Waymark Infotech to create a new list of registered voters for the election. The opposition argued that the company was “open to electoral fraud” because it was selected by the ruling party and had a dubious history not only in Guinean but also in other African elections. In September 2012, thousands of Guineans demonstrated against Waymark in Conakry and were eventually dispersed with tear gas by police.

The indigenous Guerzé are predominantly Christians or animists, while the Muslim Konianke have only been in the region for a relatively short time and are considered close to the Mandingo ethnic group in Liberia. The latter have been widely viewed as supporters of Liberian President Charles Taylor , while the former fought more against the government in the Liberian Civil War.

Protest and violence

Protests began on Friday, February 27, 2013, after the opposition alliance began to call for and host protests in the capital, Conakry. Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets and clashes broke out between stone-throwing youth and security forces armed with batons, firearms and tear gas grenades. About 130 people, including 68 police officers, were injured on the first day. Police officers in riot gear were posted in opposition strongholds in the capital the following day, the day the first death was recorded. On Friday the clashes between ethnic groups began, the opposition supporters of the Fula and the Malinke supporters of the government fought with knives and batons on the streets of the capital.

The violence worsened over the weekend after a teenager was shot dead and several others injured by soldiers who opened fire indiscriminately on a street with protesters in Conakry. The fifteen-year-old was reportedly on the way to buy bread when he was shot at gunpoint with thirteen other people who allegedly had not protested at all, according to a witness. Two more people were killed by firearms that weekend.

The spiral of violence persisted on Monday, March 4, with further clashes between protesters and government security forces resulting in more deaths and injuries from gunfire, bringing the death toll to five. The violence also spread in Labé , known for its loyalty to opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo and 350 km from the capital. Two private radio stations, Planet FM and Renaissance FM, were attacked Tuesday during the violence in an incident condemned by the International Federation of Journalists . Shots were fired at Planet FM's recording studio while an opposition leader was interviewed while other violence was targeting the Renaissance FM premises at night. Nobody declared themselves responsible. By Wednesday, March 6, the death toll had reached eight after two more deaths the previous day. The violence had reached other cities in the interior of the country.

Several weeks after the first violence, reports of violence against another radio station, Lynx FM, suddenly surfaced. Journalists revealed that supporters of the ruling party threatened a reporter on February 27. The attackers called her a spy because she belonged to the Fula ethnic group. Shortly afterwards, she and a colleague were forced to escape a violent, stone-throwing mob. A third reporter at Lynx FM, Asmaou Diallo, was attacked and beaten by unknown assailants outside the RPG office despite wearing a press vest.

Tensions emerged in the weeks following the riot, when thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated in Conakry to attend the funerals of the nine people who died during the protests. Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, now an opposition leader, delivered a speech at the event in which he urged solidarity and unity after a week of violence. Despite the peaceful outcome, the security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Another clash in Forest Guinea

In Forest Guinea , in the southern forest area of Guinea, killed oil pumps security men from the tribe of Guerze in Koule a Konianke adolescents it, whom they accused that he had stolen on July 15. The fighting then spread to the provincial capital, Nzérékoré , resulting in 80 people wounded and several houses destroyed. Although security forces were deployed to contain the fighting and although Aboubacar Mbop Camara, the prefect of Nzérékoré, announced a curfew, the fighting continued. People were attacked with machetes, axes, sticks, stones and firearms after houses and cars were set on fire. Guerze chief Molou Holamou Azaly Zogbelemou was also among those who were wounded. The original reported death toll was 16, but the number rose to 54 when bodies were picked up in the streets and taken to the morgue on July 17. Due to the lack of identification documents, some could not be identified and counted. A medic at the morgue found that the dead of the two ethnic groups had been burned alive or hacked up. After three days, troops marched to end the violence. Government spokesman Damantang Albert Camara said: "We are now triage to find out who did what. Some were arrested with machetes or clubs, but others had hunting rifles and military weapons." He also said that "we have about 100 dead today - 76 in N'Zerekore and 22 more in Koule," while at least 160 people were injured. The violence and ethnic clashes followed an agreement by opposing political parties to hold the election on September 24th.

Government reaction

President Alpha Condé and the government asked for silence throughout, but did not give the media an official death toll. The government said on Saturday March 2 that it would investigate whether security forces had used live ammunition against civilians.

Condé was in Ivory Coast at the time of the protests and flew back on Monday to meet with the opposition. This meeting, which was about preparations for the May election, was boycotted by the majority of the opposition, which provoked further clashes.

Finally, on March 7th, the Guinean government bowed and postponed the election date of May 12th until further notice , following the recommendations of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI). In a press release, Prime Minister Mohamed Saïd Fofana reaffirmed the government's commitment to doing everything possible to ease political tension and hold free and fair elections.

On March 10, a Guinean court cited a leading opposition member for an interrogation, scheduled for March 14, in which she was to be questioned about her role in organizing the protests. A government spokesman told Reuters that they would face civil action following President Conde's call to bring those responsible for the violence and shop looting to justice. Former Prime Minister Sidya Touré branded the subpoena as an illegal process for a legitimate demonstration and manipulation of the judiciary for political purposes .

The Guinean government also agreed to suspend election preparations, prompting the opposition to participate in preparatory talks on March 15 to unblock the elections. Days later, however, it was found that the opposition was calling for international aid to organize the elections after a painful dialogue with the government. Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo blamed the country's interior minister, Alhassane Condé, for the mistrust between us and the government .

International response

On Tuesday March 5th, the European Union voiced concerns about the political unrest and urged all parties concerned to “show restraint and resolve differences through national dialogue”.

On Saturday March 2, the African Union announced that it was very concerned about new political developments in the country, "which have resulted in street clashes, violence and loss of life and property destruction". Her Secretary General urged all stakeholders to remain calm and engage in real dialogue about the future path.

The UN Human Rights Bureau and Ban Ki-moon both condemned the violence in Guinea and called on the authorities to "protect civilians and ensure that all parties refrain from violence in order to resolve disputes."

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Reuters: Guinea opposition pulls out of legislative elections process . Reuters. February 24, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  2. ↑ a b Security forces break up Guinea opposition funeral march . Reuters. March 8, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  3. ^ A b c d Daniel Flynn: Two more killed in Guinea as protests spread . Reuters. March 5, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  4. ↑ Reuters: Ethnic Clashes Erupt in Guinea Capital . Voice of America. March 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  5. ^ A b Xinhua: News Analysis: Guinea's legislative election delayed again for more time to resolve differences . Xinhua. March 7, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  6. ^ Reuters: Guinea election commission chiefs steps down . Eye Witness News. September 6, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  7. ↑ Lungelwa Timla: Guinea: Opposition withdraws From Electoral Process . AllAfrica.com. February 25, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  8. ^ A b Salon: Guinean opposition protests selection of South African firm to compile new list of voters . Salon. February 15, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  9. ↑ a b http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/07/201371711358547118.html
  10. ↑ AAP: Teenage boy killed in Guinea violence . The Australian. March 3, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  11. ↑ a b Reuters: Guinea urges calm after anti-govt protest turns violent . Arab News. March 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  12. ^ A b Richard Valdmanis: Ethnic clashes flare in Guinea, president asks for calm . Reuters. March 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  13. ↑ a b c d News Wire: Clashes continue in Guinea despite calls for calm . France March 24, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  14. ↑ Xinhua: UN chief calls for calm in Guinea amid current violence . Xinhua. March 2, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  15. ↑ a b AllAfrica.com: Guinea: IFJ condemns attacks on radio stations in Guinea-Conakry . AllAfrica.com. March 5, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  16. ↑ a b AllAfrica.com: Guinea: Violence in Guinea Leads to Attacks On Journalists, outlets . AllAfrica.com. March 20, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  17. ↑ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/07/2013724201430758730.html
  18. ↑ Dominic Johnson: Riots in Guinea: From Brawl to War. A confrontation between young people leads to bloody riots with dozens of deaths. Political and regional conflicts are behind an ethnic rivalry , taz, July 18, 2013
  19. ↑ Trust.org: Guinea says investigating shootings as protest death toll mounts . AlertNet. March 2, 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 28, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.trust.org
  20. ^ Saliou Samb: Guinea urges calm after anti-government protest turns violent . Reuters. February 28, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  21. ^ Reuters: Two more killed in Guinea as protests spread . DefenseWeb. March 6, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  22. ^ Daniel Flynn: Guinea court summons opposition leaders over protests . Reuters. March 10, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  23. ↑ Reuters: Guinea opposition agrees to election talks with government . Reuters. March 19, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  24. ^ Tamba Jean Matthew: Guinea opposition agrees to election talks with government . Africa Review. March 19, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  25. ↑ RTT: EU Concerned By Political Unrest In Guinea . RTT News. March 5, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  26. ↑ AllAfrica.com: Guinea: The African Union Calls for Calm in the Republic of Guinea . AllAfrica.com. March 4, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  27. ↑ UN: UN rights office calls on Guinea to protect civilians following violent clashes . U.N. March 5, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  28. ↑ UN: Guinea: Ban calls for calm following reports of violent clashes in capital . U.N. March 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.