In the capital of the forest region of Guinea, a deadly stampede took place on Sunday December 1, 2024 at the April 3 stadium during the final of a football tournament organized in support of transition president Mamadi Doumbouya. The government puts forward a provisional toll of 56 deaths. But the meeting ended with clashes with the police and a major panic.
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Accompanied by General Amara Camara, spokesperson for the presidency who himself launched the so-called Refoundation tournament two weeks ago, Prime Minister Bah Oury visited in N’Zérékoré to announce national mourning: “ N’Zérékoré is the Guinea […]. It is all the people of Guinea who are in mourning “. The investigation is underway, but the government blames supporters unhappy with the arbitration.
Their trip to N’Zérékoré lasted only a few hours; after a visit to the hospital, religious leaders, notables and soldiers, they left the town. “ We must move in the direction of appeasement », Adds Bah Oury as an appeal while the images of spectators walking on others or trying to climb the walls in a cloud of tear gas shocked the Guineans.
Without giving a new assessment, the Prime Minister adds that the President Mamadi Doumbouya instructed to do everything possible to ensure that the injured are taken care of and the families of the deceased are supported to mourn. “ It is in trials that we must strengthen our resilience », he adds after describing the deadly stampede as a tragedy.
“ It’s catastrophic »
The director of Radio Zaly, Mamadou Adama Diallo, was the host of the match. He still says in shock: “ There was stone throwing, so there were police officers who released tear gas. Arriving at the gate, that’s where the people fell, young people, women… Many fell and died there or are in the hospital. Everyone is grieving, no one is outside, everyone is at home. It’s catastrophic. »
Adama Diallo, director of Radio Zaly and host during the match
The testimonies collected by RFI and the Guinean press nevertheless agree on one point, points out Sidy Yansanéjournalist from the Africa service. The arbitration is indeed called into question, as well as the direct intervention of the prefect and the governor with the referee, and the crowd much larger than the capacity of the stadium.
Sources close to hospital services say they have received a number of bodies much higher than the official toll. Several families, present at the morgue all day, say they are still looking for their missing.
For his part, Souleymane Souza Konaté, president of the Communication Commission of the National Alliance for Democracy and Alternation (Anad), denounces the conditions in which the final of the “General Mamadi Doumbouya” football tournament was organized. It also calls into question the very legitimacy of such a demonstration.
There was a serious organizational problem, because there were more than 3,000 people in a very dilapidated stadium. Since 2009 they have started renovation work and it has never ended.
Souleymane Souza Konaté (Anad)