56 people dead in a football stampede in Guinea

Fifty-six people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a football stadium in southern Guinea, following clashes between fans, Guinea’s government said on Monday.

Authorities are conducting an investigation to determine those responsible for Sunday’s stampede, Communications Minister Fana Soumah said in a statement read on national television.

Among the victims were several children, according to local media and a coalition of political parties.

The stampede broke out Sunday afternoon at the Nzerekore city stadium during the final of a local tournament between teams Labe and Nzerekore in honor of Guinean military leader Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea’s prime minister said , Amadou Oury Bah, on the X platform.

Regional authorities are working to restore calm in the area, he added.

Local media reported that security forces tried to use tear gas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty.

“This (disputed penalty) angered the supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” reported Media Guinea, a local news website.

Political instability

Videos appearing to be from the scene showed fans in one section of the stadium shouting and protesting the refereeing before clashes broke out as people poured onto the pitch. People were running as they tried to escape the stadium, many of them jumping over a high fence.

The videos also showed many people lying on the ground in what appeared to be a hospital as a crowd gathered nearby, some tending to the injured.

The opposition coalition National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy called for an investigation. He said the tournament was organized to garner support for the military leader’s “illegal and inappropriate” political ambitions.

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 seized power and delayed the return to civilian rule.

Doumbouya, who ousted the president three years ago, said he was preventing the country from descending into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. However, he has been criticized for not meeting the expectations he raised.