Opposition Supporters Clash with Security Forces in Guinea

Opposition supporters, defying a government ban on demonstrations, clashed with security forces in Guinea’s capital Conakry yesterday…

Opposition supporters, defying a government ban on demonstrations, clashed with security forces in Guinea’s capital Conakry yesterday as opposition leaders called for nationwide protests against the timing of elections. They had erected barricades of logs and burning tires in several neighborhoods in the coastal capital, and security forces responded by firing tear gas as they tried to clear out stone-throwing demonstrators.

“There are many protesters. Some of them have catapults,” witness Mamadou Diallo said. Guinea’s presidential election on Oct. 11, announced by the electoral commission in March, broke a 2013 agreement to stage longdelayed local polls first, the opposition says.

Analysts say that holding local polls first would give President Alpha Conde’s rivals more influence in organizing the presidential election. Weeks of demonstrations have left at least four people dead and many more injured, according to opposition leaders, who say security forces have fired live rounds during clashes.

The government says three have died and rejects accusations that shots have been fired at protesters. Authorities say police officers have been shot at during the demonstrations. Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo told journalists on Monday, “We are going to continue our struggle until our demands are entirely satisfied.”

The governor of Conakry said the opposition had failed to obtain official permission for yesterday’s protests. A march in the town of Labe, 400 km ( 250 miles) northeast of Conakry, was authorized after opposition members filed an official request. An opposition supporter was beaten to death by police there late last month.